Chikamatsu's Love in Osaka
浪花の恋の物語
The adopted son of an Osaka courier falls in love with a prostitute and, discovering that she is about to be purchased by a client, steals money from his employer to redeem her. Hunted criminals, the two young lovers take flight to Yamato, but, as in Chikamatsu's other domestic tragedies of love and duty (known as sewamono), they must be pursued and their passion destroyed by death. Favourite Uchida themes, such as the indenturing of a prostitute, and his characteristic emphasis on performance and theatrical artifice re-emerge here; but the daring device of having Chikamatsu appear as a character - not unlike having Shakespeare interpolated into a film adaptation of one of his plays - is just one of many surprises this remarkable film holds. “Extraordinary” (Donald Richie).
Production Countries
Production Companies
Cast
Hiromi Hanazono
as Otoku
Sumiko Hidaka
Minoru Chiaki
Ineko Arima
as Umegawa
Tsuyako Okajima
Kinnosuke Nakamura
as Chubei Kameya
Ryōsuke Kagawa
Koji Arima
Chiezo Kataoka
as Monzaemon Chikamatsu
Eitarō Shindō
Eijirō Tōno
Harue Akagi
Sonosuke Sawamura
Keiko Yukishiro
Chieko Naniwa
as Oen
Masao Oda
Kinuyo Tanaka
as Myokan
Kodayu Ichikawa
