Sôzen-ji baba (1928)

movie

(42)

Country: Japan
Genres: Short
Release:
Director: Masahiro Makino
Writers: Itarō Yamagami
Language: None
Stars: Kōmei Minami , Shinpei Takagi , Tôroku Makoto , Tsukie Matsuura , Keinosuke Sawada , Kiyoshi Sawajima , Yoshio Ichihara , Fumio Wakabayashi , Matsuko Miho , Kiyoshi Kawamatsu
Runtime: 31 min
Awards: N/A
AKA: Sôzen-ji baba , Sozenji baba , 崇禅寺馬場 (Japan) , Shuzenji Baba (1928) (Japan) , Shunzen Temple Riding Ground (1928) , The Race Track at Sozenji (United States of America) , The Race Track at Sonenji (1928)
Plot: Makino Masahiro started his directorial career in the mid 1920's. Fans of pre-war Japanese cinema know what this means, and like with so many other directors, very little remains of Makino's silent heyday.This film was hailed to be a very important release when it when came out, also earning a place in the Kinema Junpo's annual top ten. The film was originally 11 reels, but out of that, only 30 minutes remain. Watching the restored fragments is not unlike watching a long trailer for a movie, that would seem to be pretty great.The main character of this film is the kind of serious-faced and pompous samurai, that you would come to expect from a silent jidai-geki. He is very proud, and can not stand being laughed at. In the beginning, another samurai dares to laugh straight to his face, and the end-result is his death in a sword fight. After this killing, a group of revengers start to track down the main character.The film criticizes both revenge and being overly proud. The plot-line is hard to follow due to segments missing, but the remaining images are great. For a pre-war jidai-geki, the depiction of women is the most interesting thing in this film. Women are shown shooting firearms, and the final sequence, which I shall not spoil, is also a riveting female action scene. It's gorgeous, and haunting.Makino's direction is more invested than in his post-war works, and it is very sad that this film is no longer available as a whole.
IMDB:tt0200155