Heaven and Earth (1990 film) explained

Heaven and Earth
Ten to Chi to
Director:Haruki Kadokawa
Producer:Yutaka Okada
Starring:
Music:Daisuke Hinata
Tetsuya Komuro
Distributor:Toei Company
Runtime:104 minutes
Country:Japan
Language:Japanese
English
Budget:[1]
Gross: (Japan)
(United States)

is a 1990 Japanese epic jidaigeki film directed by Haruki Kadokawa. The film stars Takaaki Enoki, Tsugawa Masahiko, Asano Atsuko, Zaizen Naomi and Nomura Hironobu.[2] It was released in Japan in June 1990, and an English version was released in North America in 1991.

Ken Watanabe was originally cast in the role of Kenshin but had to pull out due to his severe illness.[3]

Plot

Set in feudal Japan, the daimyō Kagetora (Enoki) must protect his lands and his people from the ambitions of the warlord Takeda (Tsugawa).

Kagetora is also known as Uesugi Kenshin. In the film, Kagetora must defend his province of Echigo against Takeda Shingen. The famous battles include the Battle of Kawanakajima.

Cast

Production

Heaven and Earth was the most expensive Japanese production at the time with a budget of $40 million. The film was shot largely in Canada and was in production for a year and featured 1,000 horses and 3,000 extras.[4]

The shooting in Canada was just outside of Banff, Alberta in an area known as Morley Flats.

Reception

In Japan, Heaven and Earth had sold tickets in pre-sales prior to release.[5] It opened on 23 June 1990 on 215 screens in Japan and grossed $8.4 million, one of the largest openings in Japan at the time.[4] It became the number-one Japanese film on the domestic market in 1990, earning ¥5.05 billion in distributor rental income[6] and in gross receipts.[7] In the United States, the film grossed $307,775.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Shimbun Akahata. Japanese Communist Party. 30. 354. 1990. 326. Japanese.
  2. 山根貞男『映画はどこへ行くか 日本映画時評'89-'92』 1993) p. 74
  3. Web site: Takaaki Enoki profile. 映画DB. 2 October 2021.
  4. Variety. August 15, 1990. 39. Fleming. Charles. Kadokawa's samurai pic heavenly at B.O..
  5. Web site: Kadokawa Haruki . . 5 August 2020 . 13 April 2022.
  6. Web site: Kako haikyū shūnyū jōi sakuhin 1990-nen. Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. Japanese. 5 February 2011.
  7. Web site: 歴代ランキング . All-time box office top 100 . CINEMAランキング通信 . Kogyo Tsushinka . https://web.archive.org/web/20120610221935/http://www.kogyotsushin.com/archives/alltime/ . 2012-06-10 . 23 May 2020.
  8. Web site: Битва самураев (Ten to Chi to, 1990) . . 20 March 2022.