Genroku Chûshingura (1941)

Director:

Kenji Mizoguchi

Writers:

Kenichiro Hara (writer)
Seika Mayama (play)

Release Date:

March 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot:

Lord Asano resists a bribery attempt by a member of the Shogun's court. His honesty, however, is useless against the corruption of the administration...

Plot Keywords:

Remake | Jidai Geki | Propaganda | 47 Ronin | Based On Play

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Yoshizaburo Arashi	...	Lord Takuminokami Asano
Utaemon Ichikawa	...	Tsunatoyo Tokugawa
Daisuke Katô	...	Fuwa Kazuemon
Chojuro Kawarasaki	...	Kuranosuke Oishi
Kunitaro Kawarazaki	...	Jurozaemon Isogai
Seizaburô Kawazu	...	Lord Etchumori Hosokawa
Mantoyo Mimasu	...	Kozunosuke Kira
Mitsuko Miura	...	Yosenin, Asano's wife
Kan'emon Nakamura	...	Sukeimon Tomimori
Mieko Takamine	...	Omino, Isogai's fiancee

Also Known As:

47 Samurai
Chushingura
Loyal 47 of the Genroku Era
The 47 Ronin (USA)
The Loyal 47 Ronin

Runtime:

241 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13

Company:

IMA Productions

Trivia:

The original play "Genroku Chushingura" is probably the most well researched, historically accurate account of the famous Ako Vendetta that happened in 1702. Though the film was partially supported by the Ministry of Information to promote the idea of loyalty to the Japanese population just before entering WW II, it is interesting that the original play was written for the communism-oriented collective Kabuki troops 'Zenshinza', and most of the original cast members also played the same roles in the film version.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Aru eiga-kantoku no shogai (1975)

Long

Though stately, impressive, and vaguely powerful at times, it nonetheless demands more patience than this viewer had. It's well filmed, but rather static and aloof. None of this is aided by its nearly 4 hour length.