An older brother passes their family heirloom pot onto his younger brother. Unbeknownst to them, there is a map on the pot leading to a 1 million Ryo treasure. The younger brother's wife sells the pot to some scrap merchants, who then give the pot to the neighbour's son. When the brothers find out the pot has the map on it, a massive hunt begins.
Sadao Yamanaka is a little known Japanese director, which directed 26 films in seven years prior to the Second World War. When war broke out, he was sent to the front line and died of dysentery, sadly now only three of his films exist. This film is his earliest available work, so the quality isn't ideal, and the film is missing a few key scenes. Although we are lucky to have this masterpiece, that was so close to being lost forever.
The film is a jidaigeki, a historical period film, that uses many techniques ahead of it's time. This is one of the earliest Japanese talkies that exists, and the first talkie in the Tange Sazen set of films. Before this film, its important to imagine how the Tange Sazen character became a skilled samurai, and lost an eye in the silent films that preceded this one. Luckily for us, it's not necessary to see the earlier films, especially seeing as they are lost forever.
'Tange Sazen: The Million Ryo Pot' feels like a cross between a Mizoguchi period piece, and a Kurosawa caper. It's even possible to see parts of Ozu, with the luscious soundtrack and the friendly atmosphere. This film was before any of those directors mastered their separate themes and techniques, some of which Yamanaka has already reached mastery on, in this film. This film is already superior to anything Mizoguchi did in the 1930s.
Despite some obvious missed scenes, the story sticks together very well. It's a screwball caper about a Pot, and the lengths people will go to get it. While this is going on, there is a story of an orphaned child who is taken in by the samurai and the shop-owner. The whole film contains a series of great characters, such as Tange Sazen the ruthless samurai with a hidden tender loving side, the lazy head of a dojo, his jealous wife and the selfish rich brother. There are also two scrap merchants that look suspiciously familiar to two characters in 'The Hidden Fortress'.
I don't want to give anything away, as the entire film is an entertaining delight. A truly wonderful gem of early Japanese cinema, that I couldn't recommend more.
TO CONCLUDE
A rarely seen film that is funny, sweet, visually beautiful and a whole load of fun.
SCORE
82
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