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Dotanba

Based on a 1956 television feature on Japan’s national network, NHK, this is one of Uchida’s rarest films. A socially conscious drama with a contemporary backdrop, Dotanba focuses on the attempts to rescue a group of trapped miners. The title is a figure of speech — (essentially “last minute” or “eleventh hour”) — that refers to a situation of peril. The film boasts a script co-written by Uchida and Akira Kurosawa’s frequent screenwriter, Shinobu Hashimoto, and stars Kurosawa’s frequent star Takashi Shimura.

Dotanba

6.0 1956
The Child Writers

A touching story about little Futyan and his sister Matiko. Their parents are very poor, but the children are not discouraged—they run to school together and find many interesting things in life. The children love literature and are good at writing essays. When they hear about a global competition for the best essay, they decide to take part and write an essay about how their school is going to be demolished and a military factory built in its place, about how difficult life is for their parents, how poor they are, but how they never lose their cheerfulness and hope. The essay was sent to Moscow, and the children eagerly await the decision. But Futyan did not wait for the answer; he caught a cold and became seriously ill. And since there was no money for his treatment, little Futyan died, and soon the answer came — the brother and sister's essay was awarded first prize.

The Child Writers

8.0 1958
Shippu no Seitarou

A historical drama directed by Yukiya Sato, and co-written by Rokuhei Susukita and Jiro Okuzawa. Seitarou, who travels from trip to trip, was asked by Fujisuke, who was killed in a mess at the Shinshu Oil Shop's gambling house, to deliver his child Shinkichi to his mother Megumi in the old Iwanjoya in Shiojiri, Shinshu. Megumi was crying day and night, worrying for her child. Masagoro, the boss of the land who had been aiming for the replacement of Iwanjoya, forced Megumi to marry his son Hyokichi. On the way, Seitarou and Shinkichi helped Rohno, who was looking for his fiancee....

Shippu no Seitarou

NR 1955
The Wedding Day

Master Maeng is very proud that an influential family will soon be his esteemed in-laws when his loving daughter, Mi-yeon, marries their son. A few days before the wedding Maeng hears a rumor that his future son-in-law has a cripple leg. Regretting that he can't give his lovely daughter to a cripple, he decides to marry his maid to him instead. Unexpectedly the future son-in-law shows up at the wedding hall and he is not a cripple, but a healthy and handsome youth. Feeling embarrassed, there is no way but to wed the maid to him. The Wedding Day is a recreation of A Happy Day of Jinsa Maeng, a comical play by Oh Yeong Jin. The first Korean film to win an international film award, the Best Comedy Award at the 1957 edition of the Asian Film Festival (now Asia Pacific Film Festival).

The Wedding Day

6.0 1956
Settlement of Love

Living in a house that has lost its man to the war a year earlier are the widow and her child. Four of the dead man's friends gather to have an anniversary wake. Some time following the ceremony one of the attendees marries the widow. Soon another friend of the deceased and his family also make the house their home when they move to town. Everyone's life is changed quite a bit. When the newer husband sustains an injury to his leg and loses his job it leads to the wife having to work. By the time the fifth anniversary of the friend's death occurs and another reunion is held another friend is in love with the former widow.

Settlement of Love

9.0 1956
The Purple Hood

Kataoka Chiezo stars as Murasaki Zukin, a mysterious hero of the people who helps those in need. Now under the rule of the evil Tanuma, the people look to Murasaki Zukin more than ever, to confront and punish those who bring misfortune upon the commoners. Will he be able to bring peace to the land? One of the greatest actors from Toei Studios, known mainly for his swashbuckling roles as powerful swordsmen such as Ryunosuke in SOULS IN THE MOONLIGHT, he appeared in 325 films both before and after the war, beginning with CHUSHINGURA in 1928, and including KUNISADA CHUJI in 1933, and DOKUGANRYO MASAMUNE. While best known for his swordplay, Chiezo really did not enjoy the action, but was able to use his menacing presence to stare down his adversaries. Although Kataoka Chiezo passed away in 1983 at the age of 79, he still has many fans today. This film shows him at his best.

The Purple Hood

5.4 1958
Deep Affection

The life and work of Chinese bacteriologists. The film is based on the theme of profound psychological changes in a person's character, who, under the influence of many factors of life and situations, has to change his view of the world and science. One of the characters, Professor Huang, is shown in the process of development and formation. His character is vivid and memorable. If at the beginning of the film the young scientists seemed insufficiently serious to Huang, and he regarded all their aspirations to enter science as a sign of their lack of understanding of the complexity of science and their responsibility, by the end of the film Huang already sees in the young graduate students courage, daring, and a desire to achieve an active intrusion of science into life. The theme of friendship and mutual respect among scientists united by a common goal—serving the people—plays an important emotional role in the film.

Deep Affection

NR 1957
The Woman and the Pirate

In the early Edo period, among the pirate ships that roamed the seas near Ryukyu and Korea, there was a ship called the Sueyoshi, led by a man known as Misaki Shogoro, who was infamous for his devilish cruelty. Shogoro had a rule: he would kill all the men from the ships he raided, while the women would be distributed among the crew for their pleasure. However, he himself never touched any woman. Aboard the ship was a young girl named Kogane, who had been raised on the ship since she was a child and dressed as a boy. Unbeknownst to others, she had grown to secretly adore Shogoro.

The Woman and the Pirate

9.0 1959
Temple of Revenge

Revenge breeds revenge. Ikuta Denpachiro, the martial arts instructor of the Honda family in Koriyama, lost a fight to the young samurai Enjo Sozaemon in a martial arts tournament and as a result lost his position and was expelled from home. Wanting to avenge the mockery of himself, he treacherously kills Sozaemon and goes on the run. After long wanderings, Denpachiro, it would seem, finds a peaceful life and love in the face of a devoted and courageous Okatsu, but the brothers of the murdered man are already on his trail, wanting to avenge the death of Sozaemon. The film is based on a story by Itaro Yamagami.

Temple of Revenge

NR 1957
The Man Who Wagers Tomorrow

Former boxer Daishiro lost his wife, and his only son, Kaoru, went missing, it was a heavy blow for Daishiro. One day, Daishiro got a call from his relative Morihiko. He said he forgot the winning lottery ticket of 2 million yen at the hotel, so he wants Daishiro to go and pick it up. Morihiko used the hotel for secret meetings, so he said he couldn't go there himself because he was afraid it would become public. When Daishiro entered the hotel, the Yakuza, who learned about the lottery from the newspaper, threaten the hotel maid Noriko, and want to rob her. Daishiro helps Noriko and safely picks up the lottery, but a message arrives from his relative Seikichi from Osaka. His missing son Kaoru is said to be a boxer in Osaka. "My son... He has the blood of a boxer in him..." Daishiro is heading to Osaka in a hurry...

The Man Who Wagers Tomorrow

6.0 1958
House of Many Pleasures

Yoshida Denkichi does loses sight of his wife Chiyoko and daughter Toyoko during the war, and is taken in by a familiar woman, Oshige, and becomes the owner of "Fujimura" in the town of Hato. Eiko is a timid woman who hates Terada, a watchmaker who is obsessed with her; Tamie is a hard worker who asks for money from customers to support her mother and daughter Teruko; Tane, who dreams of the day they can be together, gives money to her lover Takeda; Machiko, an apres girl, is selective about her customers in the name of romance. They are women working in the red light district at "Fujimura."

House of Many Pleasures

9.0 1955
Dreaming People

Shinya Ban (Masao Wakahara) returns from the south and is deeply disappointed when he learns that his mutual friend Yuriko (Mieko Takamine) is marrying Toshio (Toshio Hosokawa), the son of Zenpei Hamaguchi (Yoshito Yamaji), for her obligation. He encouraged the unhappy Yuriko and taught her how to make her marriage with Toshio a happy one. He makes a fresh start as an architect under the care of Ryosuke Shibata (Jiro Yanagi), who had taken care of his father, but Ryosuke's daughter Sumiko (Yoko Katsuragi) has feelings for him. Fujie Kakimoto's (Sadako Sawamura) son Koichi (Eiji Wakasugi) came to know about Sumiko and asked her to marry him after coming to Shinya to ask for her design. Knowing that Shinya's love for Yuriko would not be easily wiped away, Sumiko decided to marry Koichi, who had a bad leg. Shinya watches the beautiful bond between Koichi and Sumiko and decides to forget his past and move forward on the path to self-perfection.

Dreaming People

NR 1953