An Actor's Revenge

Having starred in the 1935 version, veteran actor Kazuo Hasegawa reprises the dual role of Yukinojo the female impersonator and Yamitaro, the bandit who befriends him. Revelling in his scheme to destroy the triumverate responsible for the suicide of his parents - he starts by seducing the daughter of one of the men - Hasegawa gives a performance of rare immersion and control. While remaining faithful to Daisuke Ito's 1935 original, director Kon Ichikawa creates a nice sense of nostalgia and irony by re-creating not only the conventions of Kabuki theatre, but also the look of Japanese painting and the films of the early sound era.