Enrai Explained

Enrai Kanji: 遠雷
Director:	Kichitaro Negishi
Starring:	Toshiyuki Nagashima Johnny Ohkura Eri Ishida
Studio:	ATG New Century Producers (NCP) Nikkatsu
Distributor:	ATG
Runtime:	135 minutes
Country:	Japan
Language:	Japanese

or Distant Thunder is a 1981 Japanese film adaptation of Wahei Tatematsu's novel of the same name, directed by Kichitaro Negishi.

Synopsis

Enrai is a low-key study of a farmer, Mitsuo Wada, in 1980s Japan when modernization and urbanization were threatening rural areas. After his father leaves his wife to run off with his mistress, Mitsuo struggles to preserve his livelihood with the help of his mother, grandmother, and his arranged marriage bride, Ayako.

Cast

• Toshiyuki Nagashima as Mitsuo Wada
• as Hirotsugu Nakamori
• Eri Ishida as Ayako Hanamori
• as Kaede
• as Mitsuo's father
• as Mitsuo's mother
• as Mitsuo's grandmother
• Yumiko Fujita as Chii
• Keizō Kanie as Kaede's husband

Background

Enrai is based on the 1980 novel of the same name by Wahei Tatematsu. The film, financed by ATG, Nikkatsu, and the smaller Nikkatsu-related company New Century Producers, marked director Negishi's breakthrough into mainstream film after several Roman porno features for Nikkatsu.^{[1] [2]} Enrai was released in Japan as a VHS tape by in July 1998^[3] and subsequently as a DVD in February 2008 by .^[4]

Awards and nominations

3rd Yokohama Film Festival^[5]

• Won: Best Director - Kichitaro Negishi
• Won: Best Screenplay - Haruhiko Arai
• Won: Best Cinematography - Shohei Ando
• Won: Best Actor - Toshiyuki Nagashima

6th Hochi Film Awards^[6]

• Won: Best Film
• Won: Best Actor - Toshiyuki Nagashima
• Won: New Face Award - Eri Ishida

External links

• Web site: Enrai . JMDB. ja.
• Web site: Enrai at AllCinema. ja.

Notes and References

1. Book: Jacoby, Alexander. A Critical Handbook of Japanese Film Directors. 2008. Stone Bridge Press. Berkeley. 978-1-933330-53-2. 213.
2. Book: Sharp, Jasper. Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema. 2008. FAB Press. Guildford. 978-1-903254-54-7. 237.
3. Web site: 遠雷 (VHS). 24 July 1998 . amazon.co.jp]. 2011-11-25. ja.
4. Web site: 遠雷 (DVD). 22 February 2008. amazon.co.jp. 2011-11-25. ja.
5. Web site: http://homepage3.nifty.com/yokohama-eigasai/03-1981/03_1981_shou.html . ja:第３回ヨコハマ映画祭 １９８１年日本映画個人賞. 2010-01-10. ja . Yokohama Film Festival.
6. Web site: Hochi Awards Table. Cinema Hochi. 2011-11-23. ja. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120130143450/http://cinemahochi.yomiuri.co.jp/h_award/table.htm. 2012-01-30.