Wandering Ginza Butterfly

1972 1h 26m JA

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 20

ActionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Nami "The Red Cherry Blossom" returns to her old stomping ground in the seedy Tokyo district of Ginza after a stint in prison for killing a yakuza boss. She soon settles in, living in her uncle's pool hall and working at the local hostess club. But when ruthless yakuza Ōwada attempts to take control of the club, Nami and her uncle devise a plan to take him down.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Meiko Kaji
Nami Higuchi
Tsunehiko Watase
Ryūji
Akiko Koyama
Kayo
Tomiko Ishii
Kyōko
Shun Ueda
Isamu
Mari Mochida
Harue
Rieko Maruyama
Miki
Flower Meg
Yuka

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
Writers: Isao Matsumoto, Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

54 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Wandering Ginza Butterfly Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, shot by Hanjirō Nakazawa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Toshiaki Tsushima. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Yoshiki Nagasawa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Meiko Kaji and Tsunehiko Watase and Akiko Koyama carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0934442 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kazuhiko Yamaguchi directs. Hanjirō Nakazawa behind the camera. Toshiaki Tsushima scores. Yoshiki Nagasawa cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
254 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Wandering Ginza Butterfly Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, shot by Hanjirō Nakazawa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Toshiaki Tsushima. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Yoshiki Nagasawa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Meiko Kaji and Tsunehiko Watase and Akiko Koyama carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0934442 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 20 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.