The Rickshaw Man (1958)

A poor rickshaw driver finds himself helping a young woman and her son after the woman's husband dies suddenly.

Director:

Hiroshi Inagaki

Writers:

Hiroshi Inagaki, Mansaku Itami

Stars:

Toshirô Mifune, Hideko Takamine, Hiroshi Akutagawa

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Toshirô Mifune	...	Matsugoro
Hideko Takamine	...	Yoshiko Yoshioka
Hiroshi Akutagawa	...	Capt. Kotaro Yoshioka
Chishû Ryû	...	Shigezo Yuki
Chôko Iida	...	Otora (innkeeper)
Haruo Tanaka	...	Kumakichi
Jun Tatara	...	Theatre employee
Kenji Kasahara	...	Toshio Yoshioka
Kaoru Matsumoto	...	Young Toshio
Nobuo Nakamura	...	Yoshiko's brother
Ichirô Arishima	...	Medicine peddler
Chieko Nakakita	...	Yoshiko's sister-in-law
Seiji Miyaguchi	...	Fencing master
Bokuzen Hidari
Kokuten Kôdô

Storyline

In the turn of the Twentieth Century, the rickshaw driver Matsugoro "Matsu" is a happy man and a troublemaker well-known by everyone in his village. One day, Matsu sees an injured boy, Toshio, and brings him home. His mother Yoshiko Yoshioka asks Matsuo to take the boy to the doctor and then her husband Capt. Kotaro Yoshioka asks her to reward Matsu. However the rickshaw man refuses the money and becomes a friend of the family. When Kotaro unexpectedly dies, Matsuo helps Yoshiko to raise her son. Soon he falls in love with her, but he does not dare to open his heart to Yoshiko since they belong to different social classes.

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Plot Keywords:

rickshaw | magistrate | drunken singing | singing | head wound | 

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Taglines:

Awarded the Golden Lion of St. Mark at the Venice Film Festival. A tender love story, scorching characterizations, deeply human qualities, and a wonderous and colorful background of Japan's festivals.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

3 May 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Rickshaw Man

Filming Locations:

Kokura, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo (Perspecta Sterophonic Sound)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Remake of Muhomatsu no issho (1943)

User Reviews

Beautiful, Sensitive and Heartbreaking

In the turn of the Twentieth Century, the rickshaw driver Matsugoro "Matsu" (Toshirô Mifune) is a happy man and a troublemaker well-known by everyone in his village. One day, Matsu sees an injured boy, Toshio, and brings him home. His mother Yoshiko Yoshioka (Hideko Takamine) asks Matsuo to take the boy to the doctor and then her husband Capt. Kotaro Yoshioka (Hiroshi Akutagawa) asks her to reward Matsu. However the rickshaw man refuses the money and becomes a friend of the family. When Kotaro unexpectedly dies, Matsuo helps Yoshiko to raise her son. Soon he falls in love with her, but he does not dare to open his heart to Yoshiko since they belong to different social classes.

"Muhomatsu no issho", a.k.a. "The Rickshaw Man", is a beautiful, sensitive and heartbreaking movie that begins as a comedy but ends in a melodrama. The story of the impossible love of a poor but good man in a Japan with a rigid social class structure has a very sad ending. The performance of Toshirô Mifune is impressive and the director Hiroshi Inagaki won a Golden Lion in the Venice Filme Festival (1958). I have just surprisingly found that this movie is a remake of the unknown 1943 "Muhomatsu no issho". My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Homem do Riquixá" ("The Rickshaw Man")