A Tale of Archers at the Sanjusangendo
(Sanjusangendo toshiya monogatari)

Screening on Film
Directed by Mikio Naruse.
With Kazuo Hasegawa, Kinuyo Tanaka, Sensho Ichikawa.
Japan, 1945, 35mm, black & white, 76 min.
Japanese with English subtitles.

A young man whose father had been disgraced after losing an archery competition and compelled to commit suicide devotes his entire life to training as a bowman. In order to help him avenge his father's death, the current champion archer assumes a secret identity so he may help train the young sportsman, whose strong commitment may prove fatal. Naruse was renowned for his modern family dramas but this film marked a turn toward more traditional storytelling techniques.

Part of film series

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Mikio Naruse:
A Centennial Tribute