Black River (1957)
"Kuroi kawa" (original title)

Perhaps Kobayashi's most sordid film, Black River is an exposé of the rampant corruption on and around U.S. military bases following World War II. Kobayashi spirals out from the story of a ... See full summary »

Director:

Masaki Kobayashi

Writers:

Zenzo Matsuyama, Takeo Tomishima (story)

Stars:

Fumio Watanabe, Ineko Arima, Tatsuya Nakadai

Cast

Credited cast:
Fumio Watanabe
Ineko Arima
Tatsuya Nakadai
Asao Sano
Seiji Miyaguchi
Eijirô Tôno
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Keiko Awaji
Natsuko Kahara
Chisato Kasuga
Yôko Katsuragi
Kôichi Kitami
Masao Kiyomizu
Sue Mitobe
Eiko Miyoshi
Tomo'o Nagai

Storyline

Perhaps Kobayashi's most sordid film, Black River is an exposé of the rampant corruption on and around U.S. military bases following World War II. Kobayashi spirals out from the story of a love triangle that develops between a good-natured student, his innocent girlfriend, and a coldhearted petty criminal (Tatsuya Nakadai, in his first major role) to diagnose a social disease that had Japan slowly succumbing to lawlessness, devolving into gangsterism, violence, and prostitution.

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Plot Keywords:

military base | prostitution | petty criminal | student | love triangle | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

1957 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Black River

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shôchiku Eiga

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

User Reviews

Film noirish look at post war Japanese squalor

The story is set around an American Air Force base which has attracted bars and brothels and the native Japanese who need this sordid world to scape by and make money to just barely survive. A love triangle develops among the dwellers of a falling down apartment building and a local gangster called Killer Joe.

It's a fascinating slice of life with engaging vivid seedy characters, these type of shanty towns always develop around military bases, I can't think of any other films I've seen that take place there. It's a rare look into the postwar lower middle class and lower end criminal element in Japan. Fast moving and convincing well worth watching if you can find it. Memorable ending and last image to a memorable film.