The Lord and the Gambler

1959 1h 38m JA

🤯

10.0

MASTERPIECE

★10.0TMDB · 1

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Fate begins to smile upon young Chonosuke Tokugawa, son of eleventh Tokugawa Shogun, after some twenty years of life as a dependent at his step-brother's castle, when the ruler of the Takatori Clan suddenly dies leaving no heir and despite the protest from Minister Horio, it is decided that young Chonosuke is to succeed as ruler of the clan. Horio determines to murder Chonosuke on his way to Edo so that his own grandchild may rule the Takatori Clan. "Odd" Han, a travelling gambler happens to stop at the inn where Chonosuke's party is staying in secret. The assassins come to attack Chonosuke on the riverbank where he is viewing the fireworks alone but are driven off by Han. Now Chonosuke travels with Han disguised as a gambler during which he begins to learn the hardships of the peasants and is struck with the contrast between the life of a feudal and those whose labour provides his luxurious living.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Raizō Ichikawa
Kōjirō Hongō
Chonosuke
Keiko Awaji
Tamao Nakamura
Osaki
Toshie Kusunoki
Otoshi
Daimaru Nakata
Kitahachi
Racket Nakata
Yajirobei
Toshio Chiba

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tokuzō Tanaka
Writers: Fuji Yahiro
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 / 7

ERA

Did you know

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

CRAFT

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tokuzō Tanaka, shot by Senkichirō Takeda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Raizō Ichikawa and Kōjirō Hongō and Keiko Awaji carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0198856 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tokuzō Tanaka directs. Senkichirō Takeda behind the camera. Kanji Suganuma cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

167 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Directed by Tokuzō Tanaka, shot by Senkichirō Takeda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Kanji Suganuma shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Raizō Ichikawa and Kōjirō Hongō and Keiko Awaji carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0198856 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.