The Loyal 47 Ronin
忠臣蔵
This 1932 adaptation is the earliest sound version of the ever-popular and much-filmed Chushingura story of the loyal 47 retainers who avenged their feudal lord after he was obliged to commit hara-kiri due to the machinations of a villainous courtier. As the first sound version of the classic narrative, the film was something of an event, and employed a stellar cast, who give a roster of memorable performances. Director Teinosuke Kinugasa was primarily a specialist in jidai-geki (period films), such as the internationally celebrated Gate of Hell (Jigokumon, 1953), and although he is now most famous as the maker of the avant-garde silent films A Page of Madness (Kurutta ichipeji, 1926) and Crossroads (Jujiro, 1928), Chushingura is in fact more typical of his output than those experimental works. The film ranked third in that year’s Kinema Junpo critics’ poll, and Joseph Anderson and Donald Richie noted that 'not only the sound but the quick cutting was admired by many critics.
Production Countries
Production Companies
Cast
Junosuke Bandô
as Emoshichi Yatou
Kyōzō Fuyuki
as Yogoro Kanzaki
Misao Seki
as Koyama
Kenichi Miyajima
as Kajikawa
Akiko Chihaya
as Katsuta's Wife Hikari
Kazuo Hasegawa
as Asano Takuminokami and Yoshida Sawaemon (as Chôjirô Hayashi)
Hideo Fujino
as Hyobu
Shoichi Nodera
as Yahee Horibe
Hideo Takeda
as Gon'uemon Ōkubo
Kōji Mitsui
Emiko Yagumo
as Tayu Ukihashi
Sôjin Kamiyama
as Kozukenosuke Kira
Ichiro Yuki
as Kato
Shinichi Himori
as Tanuki
Takao Kataoka
as Daimyo
Tatsuo Saitō
as Kazuemon Fuwa
Toshiko Iizuka
as Kozuma
Kōkichi Takada
as Sezaemon Oishi
Jun Arai
as Miyauchi Saito
Kashichi Shimada
as Tsunanori Uesugi
Tokuji Kobayashi
as Genzaemon Tonomura
Joji Oka
as Yanagisawa
Tomio Aoki
as boss of the children (as Tokkan Kozô)
Eiji Oshimoto
as Chotaro Kasahara
Kasuke Koizumi
as servant Ono
Hideo Sugawara
as Daisaburō
Kinuyo Tanaka
as Yae
Yukichi Iwata
as Kurobee Ōno
Hiroko Kawasaki
as Yōzen'in
Shintarô Takiguchi
as Сhikara Ôishi
Jusaburo Bando
as Kuranosuke Ôishi
Yoshie Nakagawa
as Kuni
Utako Suzuki
as Orui's mother
Kōtarō Bandō
as Shinzaemon Katsuta
Kenji Oyama
as Gengo Ôtaka
Yoshiko Okada
as Orui
Utaemon Ichikawa
as Awajinokami Wakisaka / Gorobei Kakimi
Shigeru Ogura
as Yuka
Yoshiko Kawada
as Oriku
Sakiko Yanagi
as Toda no Tsubone
Kokuten Kōdō
as Uesugi Family Elder
Eigorō Onoe
as Heihachiro Kobayashi
Yoshito Yamaji
as prince Edokko
Yasurō Shiga
as Jūbee Ōtake
Chōko Iida
as Nui, Fuwa's wife
