Goblin in Stirrups
Director: Masahiro Makino
Year: 1959
Rating: 5.5
Aka - Kurama Tenga
This film is a little confusing without
a small familiarity of Japanese history. Japanese audiences no doubt knew
what was going on and who the different factions were, but not me. Thankfully,
there is Google! I always enjoy a lesson in history to go along with a film.
This film takes place during an eventful period in Japan that took it in
a different direction. It all started with Matthew Perry's visits to Japan
in the 1850s. With a show of force he demanded that Japan end its long period
of isolation and open its ports to trade. You could almost draw a line from
this to Japan's expansionist policies and to WWII.
At the time Japan was ruled by the Shogun
with an Emperor as a figurehead. That was about to change. After Perry, The
Emperor saw the need for Japan to become more Westernized and industrialized
while the Shogun wanted to continue being isolated and to kick out the barbarians.
This internal civil war led to the downfall of the Shogunate and the rise
of Imperial power. It also led to the end of the Samurai class and to the
establishment of a professional army that over time became more nationalistic
and militarized. The Meiji Era was established in 1868 and lasted till 1912.
That is the history lesson for the day. Back to the film.
In the early 1860s the Shogun created the
Shinsengumi made up of Ronin as a police force in Kyoto to bring order to
a city beset with crime, assassinations and rioting. Initially, they did
this but soon they became corrupt and began stealing from the citizens. They
were also very loyal to the Shogunate. What are referred to as the "Imperialists"
in the film are loyal to the Emperor. So in this film the Imperialists are
the good guys and the Shinsengumi are the villains. You will come across
the Shinsengumi in other films.
The hero of the film is Tengu (Chiyonosuke
Azuma) upon his white stallion and his six shooter who fights the Shinsengumi
and is trying to organize various clans to unite to support the Emperor and
defeat the Shogun. There are a few action scenes with him first using his
sword to cut down the opposition but eventually pulling out his pistol and
shooting them and then riding away. None of the Shinsengumi have guns. It
hurts me to say this but Hibari Misora as a geisha in love with Tengu (which
in Japanese is a yokai) brings the film down whenever she is in it. She whines
throughout about him not loving her and keeps important information from
him in order to make him stay. A very un-Hibari role. The film is directed
by Masahiro Makino, but it doesn't have the charm and energy of his other
films. The ending looks like it will be a terrific fight between the two
forces at the Fire Festival but it just anti climatically melts away. Masahiro
who directed a few musicals does include a few songs.
