Scandal (1950)

A celebrity photograph sparks a court case as a tabloid magazine spins a scandalous yarn over a painter and a famous singer.

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Ryûzô Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa

Stars:

Toshirô Mifune, Shirley Yamaguchi, Yôko Katsuragi

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Toshirô Mifune	...	Ichirô Aoye
Shirley Yamaguchi	...	Miyako Saijo (as Yoshiko Yamaguchi)
Yôko Katsuragi	...	Masako Hiruta
Noriko Sengoku	...	Sumie
Eitarô Ozawa	...	Hori
Takashi Shimura	...	Otokichi Hiruta
Shin'ichi Himori	...	Editor Asai
Ichirô Shimizu	...	Arai
Fumiko Okamura	...	Miyako's mother
Masao Shimizu	...	Judge
Tanie Kitabayashi	...	Yasu Hiruta
Sugisaku Aoyama	...	Dr. Kataoka
Kokuten Kôdô	...	Old Man A
Kichijirô Ueda	...	Old Man B
Bokuzen Hidari	...	Drunk

Storyline

Famous singer Miyako Saijo, who is publicity shy, and motorbiking artist Ichirô Aoye, who has minor celebrity, meet by chance in Kappazawa while Ichirô is on a painting expedition, and Miyako is on a retreat. As she has missed her bus to Kaminoyu and as Ichirô is heading there anyway, he offers her a ride to the resort where both of them are staying and which is largely empty as it is the off season. As he visits her in her room solely as a measure of friendship and camaraderie, they are unaware that a paparazzo working for scandal sheet Amour has taken a photograph of the two of them together on her balcony. Hori, Amour's publisher, decides to print the photograph along with an accompanying salacious story on what could have happened based on the photograph, but which is a total fabrication. Hori has done such before with other celebrities, never having been sued as he believes his subjects either like the publicity or are too busy or scared to take action. A libel suit he feels will...

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Plot Keywords:

singer | painter | scandal | photograph | lawyer | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

17 July 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Scandal

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shochiku

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character Hiruta was, as Kurosawa later recollected, based on a man he met in a bar in the early 1940's who had very similar characteristics and personal issues.

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Quotes

Judge: One of you, read the oath and swear to it. Come, come, read the oath.
[One of the old men comes forward]
Old Man A: What's an oath?
Judge: A promise to answer all questions honestly.
Old Man A: Just a minute! I ain't never told a lie in my life!
[the court bursts out laughing]

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Soundtracks

Auld Lang Syne
(uncredited)
Traditional
Played by the band and sung by the patrons in the bar

User Reviews

One of Kurosawa's best

I've seen dozens of films by Akira Kurosawa. Of course, I hunted down the films that have made him famous first - films like Sanjuro, Yojimbo, and the Seven Samurai. After viewing those masterpieces I moved on to his catalog of lesser-known (and much more difficult to find!) films such as this one, Shubun (Scandal).

While watching this movie I was continually amazed at how well this movie kept my interest. I firmly believe it could be presented to an audience of disinterested types and they would be quickly pulled in. It is quickly paced, competently directed, and the acting is great. Some of the early Kurosawa flicks become quite dull in spots (Ikiru), a flaw this film does not suffer from.

Toshiro Mifune (playing Ichiro Aoye), young and impossibly handsome, does not manage to steal the show in this film, as he does with nearly all of his Kurosawa rolls. In fact, Takashi Shimura gets all the juicy bits and only furthers my belief that he is among Japan's greatest screen actors.

The plot goes all over the map, taking us from lighthearted moments to some excruciatingly tragic affairs. These are not terms I throw around without hesitation...you WILL be moved.

The icing on the cake: a vile villian, one of the nastiest characters you'll ever see in a Kurosawa film and the strikingly beautiful Shirley Yamaguchi who plays the pop singer, Mikako Saijo (with whom Mifune's Aoye is caught in a tabloid scandal with).

This film has recently been released on video with new subtitles and it most certainly worth hunting down.