Capital Celluloid 2021 — Day 163: Tue Oct 26

The Life of Matsu the Untamed AKA Rickshaw Man (Inagaki, 1943): BFI Southbank, NFT2, 8.40pm


This film (also screening on November 7th) is part of the Japanese film season at BFI Southbank. You can find full details of the season here.

BFI introduction: This is a rare example of humanist cinema emerging from Japan in the darkest days of WWII. Scriptwriter Mansaku Itami (father of Tampopo’s Juzo) crafted an elegant screenplay charting the affection of a humble rickshaw man (superbly played by Tsumasaburô Bandô) for the widow of an army officer. The focus on inflexible class distinctions makes this film subtly subversive as well as very touching.

Here (and above) is an extract.

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