The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman (江分利満氏の優雅な生活, Eburiman-shi no yūgana seikatsu) is a 1963 Japanese satirical comedy film directed by Kihachi Okamoto and based on the Naoki Prize winning novel by Hitomi Yamaguchi.[2][3]
| The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Kihachi Okamoto |
| Screenplay by | Toshiro Ide |
| Story by | Hitomi Yamaguchi |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Hiroshi Murai |
| Edited by | Yoshitami Kuroiwa |
| Music by | Masaru Sato |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Toho |
Release date |
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Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
Plot edit
Eburi, an advertising department employee, promises two women's magazine editors to write a masterpiece of a magazine article while drunk. Once he sobers up, he decides to write an article using his own life and his family's history as a basis. Addressing his father's profiteering during the Pacific War, Eburi reflects upon postwar Japan and the legacy of the militarist regime. After winning the Naoki Prize, he gets drunk with two colleagues, lamenting the fate of the many young men who had been seduced to go to war and died.
Cast edit
- Keiju Kobayashi as Eburi
- Michiyo Aratama as Natsuko, his wife
- Eijirō Tōno as Meiji, his father
- Yuriko Hanabusa as Miyo, his mother
- Tatsuyoshi Ehara as Hane, his neighbor
Production edit
The film was originally supposed to be directed by Yūzō Kawashima, but the job was passed on to Okamoto when Kawashima died.[4]
Legacy edit
Keiju Kobayashi won the best actor award at the Mainichi Film Awards for his performance in this film and in Pressure of Guilt.[5][1]
The film was featured at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival as part of its Okamoto retrospective. The catalog wrote: "This masterpiece, overflowing with wisdom, represents the 'Kihachi touch'."[6] The Japan Foundation also selected the film as part of its 2019 touring film program, stating that "Featuring animation and audacious editing, this idiosyncratic and inventive film is a timeless treatment of life in postwar Japan."[7] A 35mm film print of the film is preserved in the collection of the National Film Archive of Japan.[8]
References edit
- ^ a b Galbraith IV 2008, p. 206.
- ^ Galbraith IV 2008, p. 205.
- ^ "江分利満氏の優雅な生活 (The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman)". Kotobanku (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- ^ Terashima, Masayoshi (2014). 岡本喜八全仕事データ事典 (Kihachi Okamoto Complete Work Data Encyclopedia) (in Japanese). p. 352.
- ^ "毎日映画コンクール 第18回（1963年）(18th Mainichi Film Awards, 1963)". Mainichi Film Awards (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- ^ "Eburiman shi no Yuga na Seikatsu". Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- ^ "The Elegant Life of Mr Everyman". Japan Foundation. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- ^ "江分利満氏の優雅な生活 (The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman)". 国立映画アーカイブ (National Film Archive) (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 February 2019.
Bibliography edit
- Galbraith IV, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-1461673743.
External links edit
- The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman at IMDb
- The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman at the Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)
