The Rickshaw Man
Nippon Cinema ª
Special Screening
Hiroshi INAGAKI’s 1943 film THE RICKSHAW MAN was only shown in a censored version during World War II. In 1958, INAGAKI won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for his remake. We present the restored 4K version of the original, accompanied by a short documentary on its historical significance.
Guests:
Eric NYARI
Thu., May 29 2025, 18:00
Kino des DFF
German premiere in presence of the producer Eric NYARI
Original with English subtitles
NOT approved for persons under 18 years (NC has not applied for age rating)
Classic Drama World War II
Hiroshi INAGAKI
The Rickshaw Man
無法松の一生
Japan at the beginning of the 20th century: The daring rickshaw driver Matsugoro takes young Toshio to the hospital and befriends his family. After Toshio’s father, an officer, passes away, Matsugoro looks after the boy. However, his love for Toshio’s mother Yoshiko remains unfulfilled.
無法松の一生
Muhomatsu no issho
Japan 1943
80 minutes
Director
Hiroshi INAGAKI
Script
Mansaku ITAMI based on a novel by Shunsaku IWASHITA
Cinematography
Kazuo MIYAGAWA
World sales
KADOKAWA
Cast
Tsumasaburo BANDO, Yasushi NAGATA, Keiko SONOI, Kamon KAWAMURA, Hiroyuki NAGATO
Ema RYAN YAMAZAKI 山崎エマ
Wheels Of Fate: The Story Of The Rickshaw Man
ウィール・オブ・フェイト～映画『無法松の一生』をめぐる数奇な運命～
Masahiro MIYAJIMA worked for cinematographer Kazuo MIYAGAWA, who shot THE RICKSHAW MAN in 1943. For many years, MIYAJIMA worked to preserve this humanistic masterpiece from wartime. Director Ema RYAN YAMAZAKI accompanied him and sheds light on the story of this nearly lost cinematic gem.
ウィール・オブ・フェイト～映画『無法松の一生』をめぐる数奇な運命～
Wiru obu feito ~ Eiga "Muhomatsu no issho" o meguru suki na unmei~
USA, Japan 2020
19 minutes
World sales
KADOKAWA
Voice acting
Lily Franky
About Ema RYAN YAMAZAKI
山崎エマ
Ema RYAN YAMAZAKI was born in Osaka to a British father and a Japanese mother in 1989. After graduating from New York University, she worked as an assistant for documentary filmmaker Sam POLLARD and began her career as a film editor. Her directorial debut was the feature-length documentary MONKEY BUSINESS: THE ADVENTURES OF CURIOUS GEORGE’S CREATORS (2017), which won the audience award at the Nantucket Film Festival. Her subsequent documentaries KOSHIEN: JAPAN’S FIELD OF DREAMS (2019 / NC ’21) and THE MAKING OF A JAPANESE (2023 / NC ’24) were screened at international film festivals.