The Million Ryo Pot Explained

The Million Ryo Pot
丹下左膳余話 百萬両の壺
Director:Sadao Yamanaka
Producer:Nikkatsu
Starring:Denjirō Ōkōchi
Kiyozo
Distributor:Nikkatsu
Runtime:92 minutes
Country:Japan
Language:Japanese

is a 1935 black and white Japanese comedy film directed by Sadao Yamanaka and starring Denjirō Ōkōchi as the fictional samurai Tange Sazen.[1] [2]

Cast

Story

A man gives an old pot to his brother, not realizing there is a treasure map inside. His sister-in-law sells the pot to a junk dealer, who in turn sells it to a boy named Yasu. A cast of colorful characters are all looking for this pot, and when the child runs away after being chided by Ogino, everyone goes after him. The end, however, is covered in disappointment - the hope of each character that their world will get better is each individually crushed, in a humorous manner.

Reception

Mark Schilling of The Japan Times noted that the film was "universally considered the best of all the Tange Sazen lot."[3]

The Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa cited this movie as one of his 100 favorite films.[4]

Restoration

In 2020, Nikkatsu premiered a 4K digital restoration of the film at the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival, including additional scenes (discovered at Kyōto's Toy Film Museum) that were missing from the previous surviving footage. [5] [6] The Japan Society organization held the North American premiere of the restored print the following year. [7]

Home media

To commemorate Nikkatsu's 110th anniversary, a Japanese Blu-ray of the 4K restoration was released by the company. [8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 丹下 左膳. 2021-01-05. Japanese. kotobank.
  2. Web site: 丹下左膳余話 百萬両の壺. 2021-01-05. Japanese. Kinema Junpo.
  3. Web site: A classic -- by the numbers. The Japan Times. Mark. Schilling. Mark Schilling. 7 July 2004.
  4. Web site: Thomas-Mason . Lee . From Stanley Kubrick to Martin Scorsese: Akira Kurosawa once named his top 100 favourite films of all time . Far Out Magazine . 12 January 2021 . 23 January 2023.
  5. Web site: 【Tange Sazen and the Pot Worth a Million Ryo [4K Digitally Restored and the Longest Version]】| 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival(2020) ]. 2023-06-18 . 2020.tiff-jp.net.
  6. Web site: Tange Sazen and the Pot Worth a Million Ryo IFFR . 2023-06-18 . iffr.com.
  7. Web site: Newman . Nick . 2021-12-09 . NYC Weekend Watch: On the Silver Globe, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Sadao Yamanaka & More . 2023-06-18 . en-US.
  8. Web site: Tange Sazen Yowa Hyakumanryo no Tsubo [Digitally Restored in 4K] Japanese Movie Blu-ray ]. 2023-06-18 . CDJapan . en.