Yoru no tsuzumi aka Night Drum is surprisingly little known, considering director Tadashi Imai was one of Japan's most prolific, interesting and controversial of 20th-century film directors. He infused staunch left-wing political views into almost all his films, succeeding in combining masterful art with topical social criticism.
The riveting melodrama opens to the pulse of an ominous rhythm, to the melancholy sound of the drum itself. Tadashi Imai makes the most of this engrossing fable of romance and social convention, by plunging a sword into the samurai order with its impenetrable rules, Imai highlights the cruelty & hypocrisy of the rigid social structure. Set in 18th-century Japan, the tale of a married couple is based on a play from Chikamatsu Monzaemon. Hikokuro neglects his wife as he is frequently away from home for long periods, although through no fault of his own he must, as duty, serve the Shogun in Edo. Rumours and gossip begin to circulate in the small community about Otane his lonely, beautiful, young wife.....
Beautifully composed, brilliantly conceived, the absorbing drama culminates on a profound note, expressively portrayed in a stunning haunting image, a thought-provoking reflection...
The riveting melodrama opens to the pulse of an ominous rhythm, to the melancholy sound of the drum itself. Tadashi Imai makes the most of this engrossing fable of romance and social convention, by plunging a sword into the samurai order with its impenetrable rules, Imai highlights the cruelty & hypocrisy of the rigid social structure. Set in 18th-century Japan, the tale of a married couple is based on a play from Chikamatsu Monzaemon. Hikokuro neglects his wife as he is frequently away from home for long periods, although through no fault of his own he must, as duty, serve the Shogun in Edo. Rumours and gossip begin to circulate in the small community about Otane his lonely, beautiful, young wife.....
Beautifully composed, brilliantly conceived, the absorbing drama culminates on a profound note, expressively portrayed in a stunning haunting image, a thought-provoking reflection...