(February 19, 1912 – October 29, 2007) was a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. Born in

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, he attended

Waseda University , abbreviated as , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the ''Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō'' by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the school was formally renamed Waseda University in 1902. The university has numerou ...

but left before graduating due to his involvement in a left-wing theater troupe. He joined P.C.L. (a precursor to

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...

) in 1933 and began working as an assistant director to

Kajirō Yamamoto was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and actor who was known for his war films and comedies and as the mentor of Akira Kurosawa. The combined list of his efforts as a director for documentaries, silent, and sound films includes over 90 fi ...

alongside his longtime friend, acclaimed Japanese

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

. He made his feature film directing debut in 1947 with ''

Snow Trail is a 1947 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Senkichi Taniguchi from Akira Kurosawa's screenplay. It was the first film role for Toshirō Mifune, later to become one of Japan's most famous actors. Mifune and the other main actor in the fi ...

,'' which was written by Kurosawa. ''Snow Trail'' starred

Toshirō Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 150 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration (1948–1965) with Akira Kurosawa in such works as ''Rashomon'', ''Seven Samurai'', ''The Hidden Fortress'', ''Throne of Blood'', and '' ...

in his film debut and actress Setsuko Wakayama. It helped establish Taniguchi's reputation for

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

. Taniguchi and Wakayama married in 1949 (he had earlier been married to the screenwriter

Yōko Mizuki was a Japanese screenwriter. Born in Tokyo, she later graduated from Bunka Gakuin and began writing screenplays to support her family after her father died. Mizuki was active in the 1950s era of the Japanese studio system and is notable for her ...

), but the couple divorced in 1956. Taniguchi married his third wife, actress

Kaoru Yachigusa was a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture. From 1947 to 1957 she was a member of the Takarazuka Revue. After leaving the Revue, she was active in film, television, and narration. She famously quit part way through the filming of the televi ...

, in 1957. Yachigusa and Taniguchi remained together for over fifty years until his death in 2007. Taniguchi was the

for the 1949 film, '' The Quiet Duel,'' which Kurosawa directed and which also starred Mifune. His most acclaimed film as a director was ''

Escape at Dawn Escape or Escaping may refer to: Computing * Escape character, in computing and telecommunication, a character which signifies that what follows takes an alternative interpretation ** Escape sequence, a series of characters used to trigger some s ...

'', a controversial anti-war work from 1950 about a Japanese soldier and a "

comfort woman Comfort women or comfort girls were women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied countries and territories before and during World War II. The term "comfort women" is a translation of the Japanese '':ja: ...

" that got into trouble with Occupation era censors. Taniguchi continued to direct movies throughout the 1950s and 1960s, but the quality of his work declined. His films from the time period include '' Man Against Man'', ''

The Gambling Samurai ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', '' A Man in the Storm'' and ''

The Lost World of Sinbad is a 1963 Japanese drama action film directed by Senkichi Taniguchi, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film stars Toshiro Mifune and Mie Hama.

''. His 1965 film '' International Secret Police: Key of Keys'' was famously re-dubbed and re-released as ''

What's Up, Tiger Lily? ''What's Up, Tiger Lily?'' is a 1966 American comedy film directed by Woody Allen in his feature-length directorial debut. Allen took a Japanese spy film, '' International Secret Police: Key of Keys'' (1965), and overdubbed it with completely or ...

'' by

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

. He was chosen as the supervising director of the official documentary of

Expo '70 The or Expo 70 was a world's fair held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan between March 15 and September 13, 1970. Its theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese, Expo '70 is often referred to as . It was the first world's fair ...

. Senkichi Taniguchi died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

at a hospital in

, on October 29, 2007, at the age of 95.

Filmography

Director

* ''

'' (銀嶺の果て, Ginrei no hate) (1947) * '' Jakoman and Tetsu'' (ジャコ万と鉄, Jakoman to Tetsu) (1949), from a script by

* ''

'' (暁の脱走, Akatsuki no dassō) (1950) * ''

Foghorn A foghorn or fog signal is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines, or boats of the presence of other vessels, in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport. W ...

'' (霧笛, Muteki) (1952) * ''

Rangiku monogatari is a 1956 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Senkichi Taniguchi. Cast * Ryō Ikebe * Kaoru Yachigusa was a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture. From 1947 to 1957 she was a member of the Takarazuka Revue. After leaving the Revue, s ...

'' (乱菊物語) (1956) * ''

The Lost World of Sinbad is a 1963 Japanese drama action film directed by Senkichi Taniguchi, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film stars Toshiro Mifune and Mie Hama.

'' (大盗賊, Daitōzoku) (1963) * '' International Secret Police: Key of Keys'' (国際秘密警察鍵の鍵, Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: Kagi no kagi) (1965)

Screenplay only

* '' The Quiet Duel'' (静かなる決闘, Shizukanaru kettō) (1949)

External links

* *
Taniguchi Senkichi no shigoto
2010 retrospective of Taniguchi's work (in Japanese)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taniguchi, Senkichi 1912 births 2007 deaths Japanese film directors Samurai film directors People from Tokyo Deaths from pneumonia in Japan 20th-century Japanese screenwriters