is a 1958 Japanese historical
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed by
Tadashi Imai
was a Japanese film director known for Social realism, social realist filmmaking informed by a Left-wing politics, left-wing perspective. His most noted films include ''An Inlet of Muddy Water'' (1953) and ''Bushido, Samurai Saga'' (1963).
Life
...
. It was written by
Kaneto Shindo
was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film producer, and writer, who directed 48 films and wrote scripts for 238. His best known films as a director include '' Children of Hiroshima'', '' The Naked Island'', '' Onibaba'', '' Kuroneko'' an ...
and
Shinobu Hashimoto
Shinobu Hashimoto ( ja, 橋本 忍, ''Hashimoto Shinobu''; 18 April 1918 – 19 July 2018) was a Japanese screenwriter, film director and producer. A frequent collaborator of Akira Kurosawa, he wrote the scripts for such internationally acclaime ...
, based on the 1706 play ''Horikawa nami no tsuzumi'' by
Monzaemon Chikamatsu.
Film historians regard ''Night Drum'' as one of director Imai's major works.
Plot
Samurai Hikokuro returns home to his wife Tane after a full year at his
shogun's residence in
Edo. Rumours have it that Tane committed adultery with a musician in his absence, so the family clan summons for an interrogation. In a series of
flashbacks, Tane is first cleared from the charges pressed against her, but after Hikokuro's sister renews the accusations, she finally admits her guilt. In her confession, she recounts how she had first escaped a rape attempt by the very samurai responsible for the rumours about her and, being drunk and in fear, had later spent the night with the musician. In compliance with the samurai honour, Tane is required to commit suicide, and her lover declared fair game. Although Hikokuro has forgiven his wife whom he still loves, he first kills her as she is unable to do so herself, and then the adulterer.
Cast
*
Rentarō Mikuni
(also sometimes credited as 三国連太郎) (January 20, 1923 – April 14, 2013) was a Japanese film actor from Gunma Prefecture. He appeared in over 150 films since making his screen debut in 1951, and won three Japanese Academy Awards for ...
as Hikokuro
*
Ineko Arima
Ineko Arima (有馬稲子, Arima Ineko) is a Japanese film actress born on 3 April 1932 in Osaka. She is known for her work with director Yasujirō Ozu.
Selected filmography
Film
Television
Honours
*Medal with Purple Ribbon
are medals a ...
as Tane
*
Masayuki Mori as Miyaji, the musician
*
Sumiko Hidaka
*Keiko Yukishiro
*
Tomoko Naraoka
is a Japanese actress and narrator. The daughter of a painter, she was born in Komagome, Tokyo, Komagome, Hongō, Tokyo, Hongō (present-day Bunkyō, Tokyo, Bunkyo), in the city of Tokyo City, Tokyo, Japan. She graduated from Joshibi University ...
*Emiko Azuma
*Kikue Mōri
*
Taiji Tonoyama
was a Japanese character actor who made many appearances in films and on television from 1939 to 1989. He was a close friend of Kaneto Shindo and one of his regular cast members. He was also an essayist. In 1950 he helped form the film company ...
*
Ichirō Sugai
was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 300 films between 1930 and 1971. Sugai often worked with Kaneto Shindo, Kenji Mizoguchi and Kōzaburō Yoshimura.
Selected filmography
* '' The Water Magician'' (1933)
* '' Spring on Leper's Isla ...
References
External links
*
*
{{Tadashi Imai
1958 films
Japanese drama films
Japanese black-and-white films
Japanese films based on plays
Films directed by Imai Tadashi
Films with screenplays by Shinobu Hashimoto
1950s Japanese films