Why Not? (1981)

01/08/1981 (JP) • Drama • 2h 31m

Overview

The film depicts carnivalesque atmosphere summed up by the cry "Ei ja nai ka" ("Why not?") in Japan in 1867 and 1868 in the days leading to the Meiji Restoration. It examines the effects of the political and social upheaval of the time, and culminates in a revelrous march on the Tokyo Imperial Palace, which turns into a massacre. Characteristically, Imamura focuses not on the leaders of the country, but on characters in the lower classes and on the fringes of society.

Why Not? (1981)

01/08/1981 (JP) • 2h 31m

Drama

Overview

The film depicts carnivalesque atmosphere summed up by the cry "Ei ja nai ka" ("Why not?") in Japan in 1867 and 1868 in the days leading to the Meiji Restoration. It examines the effects of the political and social upheaval of the time, and culminates in a revelrous march on the Tokyo Imperial Palace, which turns into a massacre. Characteristically, Imamura focuses not on the leaders of the country, but on characters in the lower classes and on the fringes of society.

Top Billed Cast

Shigeru Izumiya

Genji

Ine

Itoman

Furukawa

Masuya

Toramatsu

Oko

Shigeru Tsuyuguchi

Kinzo

Oyoshi

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Status

Released

Original Language

Japanese

Budget

-

Revenue

-

Keywords

edo period

shogunate

meiji period

end of the samurai class

bakumatsu

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