The Film (5/5)

In Shinagawa, a fun loving grifter named Saheiji (Frankie Sakai) bites off more than he can chew at a local brothel when he tries to leave without paying off his debt. Now being forced to work there, he takes the chance of getting rich off the customers and uses his wit to stay on top. As Saheiji moves along the Brothel, we get insight into the hilarious life of the customers, prostitutes, and samurai in town.

In 1999, the Japanese film magazine, Kinema Junpo, held a poll of Japan’s leading film critics to pick the 5 greatest Japanese films of all time. One of the 5 was the period comedy BAKUMATSU TAIYO-DEN (aka: A SUN- TRIBE MYTH FROM THE BAKUMATSU ERA) (1957), and thanks to Eureka! And their label Masters of Cinema, there’s finally an English friendly Blu-ray on the market. Japanese comedy has strangely been one of the few genre’s to be fully explored in the West, But BAKUMATSU serves as an excellent example of witty humor with layer after layer of pure culture. In fact, it’s one of the purest Japanese film’s I’ve seen outside of Ozu.

The film was directed by Yuzo Kawashima (THE GRACEFUL BRUTE), and co-scripted by Shohei Imamura (VENGEANCE IS MINE), and the script is filled with layers of subtext about the culture. On one level, there is the basic comedy about the trickster overcoming the greedy owners of the Brothel. Other than that, there’s a web of subplots with a revolt with some Samurai lead by Yujiro Ishihara (CRAZED FRUIT, the classic anime film ARCADIA OF MY YOUTH), a fake ghost scare with an erotic book salesman (Masumi Okada), almost love suicide and a married to clear a debt with the brothel owner’s Son played by Yasukiyo Umeno. All this leads to a grand comedy with some of the most unexpected laughs.

Other than the tight script, the production is grand in scale. The sets are massive and filled with period detail. The gliding camera moves along from level to level showing the depth of the brothel. The attention to detail is sharply focused with small bits of business in every scene. The bay connected to the brothel is shown to have a gross swamp look with trash and disease. Throughout the film it keeps getting worse, with first the corpse of a dog, and then during the fake drowning scene, a cat that is used for comic effect.

What’s so impressive about this piece is how developed and funny this movie is. Watching it I felt completely transported and dropped into a new world with a new set of social issues and misunderstandings. The glue that keeps this massive production together is of course the highly gifted Frankie Sakai. Sakai was a beloved comedian who starred in a wide range of films such as MOTHRA and the mini-series SHOGUN with Richard Chamberlain. Sakai has a Bob Hope level charm and can also handle the more dramatic bits when he questions life.

BAKUMATSU TAIYO-DEN works as a zany comedy and as a serious cultural item. Hopefully the success of this release with unleash more Japanese Comedies in the west. I would love to see the “Young Guy” and “Crazy Cats” films get an English friendly release.

Audio/Video (4.5/5)

The film comes with a 2.0 LPCM Japanese mix. The audio is focused and clear with no noticeable issues. No pops or hiss. English Subtitles are Included.

The 1080p HD transfer is near perfect with a few minor moments of image blur. With a film of this vintage, the transfer has some minor film grain but no print damage. The black levels are smooth and well defined. The close-ups on various areas of the brothel are fantastic with their level of detail. Chunks of sand are visible in the beach sections.

Extras (1/5)

While the disc itself has zero extras, there is a 36-page booklet of liner notes and production stills.

Overall (4.5/5)

BAKUMATSU TAIYO-DEN is not only a hilarious comedy, but an enriching experience with layer after layer of surprises. This is one of the true great hidden gems to come to the west. Only downside is a lack of extras. Highly Recommended.