The Loyal 47 Ronin

The Loyal 47 Ronin

139 mins | Drama | March 1, 1932

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.

The Loyal 47 Ronin

139 mins | Drama | March 1, 1932

The Loyal 47 Ronin
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.
Producers Shochiku Kinema (Kamata)
Original title 忠臣蔵
Directors Teinosuke Kinugasa
Writers Teinosuke Kinugasa

Cast

Jusaburo Bando

as Kuranosuke Ôishi

Kazuo Hasegawa

as Asano Takuminokami and Yoshida Sawaemon (as Chôjirô Hayashi)

Utaemon Ichikawa

as Awajinokami Wakisaka / Gorobei Kakimi

Kōtarō Bandō

as Shinzaemon Katsuta

Kōkichi Takada

as Sezaemon Oishi

Sôjin Kamiyama

as Kozukenosuke Kira

Joji Oka

as Yanagisawa

Yukichi Iwata

as Kurobee Ōno

Hideo Fujino

as Hyobu

Shintarô Takiguchi

as Сhikara Ôishi

Eigorô Onoe

as Heihachiro Kobayashi

Shoichi Nodera

as Yahee Horibe

Haruo Takeda

as Gon'uemon Ōkubo

Jun Arai

as Miyauchi Saito

Eiji Oshimoto

as Chotaro Kasahara

Kashichi Shimada

as Tsunanori Uesugi

Ichiro Yuki

as Kato

Junosuke Bandô

as Emoshichi Yatou

Misao Seki

as Koyama

Yasuro Shiga

as Jūbee Ōtake

Tetsu Tsuboi

as Gengoemon Kataoka

Kokuten Kōdō

as Uesugi Family Elder

Tatsuo Saitō

as Kazuemon Fuwa

Tokuji Kobayashi

as Genzaemon Tonomura

Shinichi Himori

as Tanuki

Kenji Oyama

as Gengo Ôtaka

Kenichi Miyajima

as Kajikawa

Shigeru Ogura

as Yuka

Kinnosuke Takamatsu

as Genshirō Shindō

Kasuke Koizumi

as servant Ono

Jushiro Kobayashi

as Yasube Horibe

Saburō Sawai

as Hachirō

Subaru Hirota

as Inokō

Ryutaro Nagai

as servant

Sumao Ishihara

as Kajimura

Shozaburo Abe

as Kozo Ikariko

Yoshito Yamaji

as prince Edokko

Tomio Aoki

as boss of the children (as Tokkan Kozô)

Hideo Sugawara

as Daisaburō

Hiroko Kawasaki

as Yōzen'in

Kinuyo Tanaka

as Yae

Yoshiko Okada

as Orui

Yoshiko Kawada

as Oriku

Chōko Iida

as Nui, Fuwa's wife

Utako Suzuki

as Orui's mother

Akiko Chihaya

as Katsuta's Wife Hikari

Kimie Kawakami

as Nobuka Geigi

Yoshie Nakagawa

as Kuni