Pitfall (1962) Otoshiana (original title)

Director:

Hiroshi Teshigahara

Writers:

Kôbô Abe (screenplay)
Kôbô Abe (story)

Release Date:

6 June 1962 (Japan)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

A man wanders into a seemingly deserted town with his young son in search of work. But after a bit of bad luck, he joins the town's population of lost souls.

Plot Keywords:

Miner | Ghost | Surreal | Union | Theft

Cast

Hisashi Igawa	...	Miner / Otsuka
Sumie Sasaki	...	Shopkeeper
Sen Yano	...	Toyama
Hideo Kanze	...	Policeman
Kunie Tanaka	...	Man in white suit
Kei Satô	...	Reporter
Kazuo Miyahara	...	The miner's son
Akemi Nara
Tadashi Fukuro	...	Second union member
Kikuo Kaneuchi	...	Photographer
Kanichi Ômiya	...	Second miner
Shigeru Matsuo	...	Farmer
Ton Shimada	...	Dead miner
Sanpei Asakura
Heiguro Matsumoto

Directed by
Hiroshi Teshigahara

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Kôbô Abe		screenplay
Kôbô Abe		story

Produced by
Tadashi Ôno	....	producer

Original Music by
Toshi Ichiyanagi
Yuji Takahashi
Tôru Takemitsu

Cinematography by
Hiroshi Segawa

Film Editing by
Fusako Shuzui

Production Design by
Kiyoshi Awazu

Art Direction by
Masao Yamazaki

Production Management
Hajime Funakoshi	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Yasuo Yoshino	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Kenji Mori	....	sound effects editor
Shigenosuke Okuyama	....	sound recordist
Tôru Takemitsu	....	sound designer

Camera and Electrical Department
Mitsuo Kume	....	gaffer

Music Department
Tôru Takemitsu	....	musical director

Other crew
Kiyoshi Awazu	....	title designer
Eiko Yoshida	....	archivist

Production Companies

• Teshigahara Productions
• Toho Company

Distributors

• Toho Company (1964) (worldwide) (all media)
• New Star (2008) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-issue)
• Criterion Collection, The (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Janus Films (1964) (USA) (all media)

Also Known As:

"Otoshiana" - Japan (original title)
"The Pitfall" - USA

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:15 (2004, DVD) | USA:Not Rated

Company:

Teshigahara Productions

Movie Connections:

Featured in Music for the Movies: Tôru Takemitsu (1994)

The Ghosts Walk

If you're familiar with Hiroshi Teshigahara's work, especially the notorious "Woman In The Dunes", you will understand the starkness, the harsh reality, the irony of this film. Ostensibly about a miner who is stalked by a man in a white suit and who then is killed for reasons that do not become apparent until nearly the end of the film, the film is, like "Dunes", an uncompromising look at life. The film is technically superb on the DVD box available, and it is highly recommended. This film is not for everyone, it is for people who are interested in serious Japanese cinema. There are nuances in this film that show the mark of a great director, though. Again, be prepared: This is not happy go lucky. It triumphs mostly because of its persistence of vision. That is an endorsement for any filmmaker.