Harakiri: Kobayashi and History
By October 04, 2011
Japanese director Masaki Kobayashi came of age in the postwar moment, a time when filmmakers . . . Read more »
Following the collapse of his clan, an unemployed samurai (Tatsuya Nakadai) arrives at the manor of Lord Iyi, begging to be allowed to commit ritual suicide on the property. Iyi’s clansmen, believing the desperate ronin is merely angling for a new position, try to force his hand and get him to eviscerate himself—but they have underestimated his beliefs and his personal brand of honor. Winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s Special Jury Prize, Harakiri, directed by Masaki Kobayashi is a fierce evocation of individual agency in the face of a corrupt and hypocritical system.
| Hanshiro Tsugumo | Tatsuya Nakadai |
| Kageyu Saito | Rentaro Mikuni |
| Motome Chijiiwa | Akira Ishihama |
| Miho Tsugumo | Shima Iwashita |
| Hikokuro Omodaka | Tetsuro Tamba |
| Tango Inaba | Masao Mishima |
| Hayato Yazaki | Ichiro Nakaya |
| Masakatsu Fukushima | Kei Sato |
| Jinnai Chijiiwa | Yoshio Inaba |
| Umenosuke Kawabe | Yoshiro Aoki |
| Director | Masaki Kobayashi |
| Screenplay | Shinobu Hashimoto |
| Original story | Yasuhiko Takiguchi |
| Cinematography | Yoshio Miyajima |
| Editing | Hisashi Sagara |
| Art direction | Junichi Ozumi and Shigemasa Toda |
| Music | Toru Takemitsu |
| Producer | Tatsuo Hosoya |
By October 04, 2011
Japanese director Masaki Kobayashi came of age in the postwar moment, a time when filmmakers . . . Read more »
By October 04, 2011
Japanese director Masaki Kobayashi came of age in the postwar moment, a time when filmmakers . . . Read more »
December 19, 2011
Czech poster for Harakiri, 1964, designed by Jan Cihla. Photo courtesy of Posteritati. Read more »
By October 04, 2011
Japanese director Masaki Kobayashi came of age in the postwar moment, a time when filmmakers . . . Read more »