Humanity and Paper Balloons
1937 · Movie · 86 min · ★ 7.9 · 84% critics
In a cramped Edo slum, a jobless former samurai clings to the hope of help from an old connection while a proud hairdresser tries to restore his standing through a reckless scheme. Their struggles unfold among neighbors scraping by, mixing dark humor with a bleak view of class and survival.
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Details
- Original title
- 人情紙風船
- Years
- 1937
- Release date
- 1937-08-25
- Language
- Japanese
- Runtime
- 86 min
- Critic score
- 84/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.9/10 (50 votes)
About
You may like this if you enjoy humane period dramas about poverty, pride, and social pressure in the vein of Samurai Rebellion or The Only Son; Not for you if you want fast pacing or clear-cut heroes.
Pros: vivid slum setting; humane ensemble drama; bleak humor | Cons: uneven final stretch; mixed tones; somewhat slow pace
Themes
- honor
- ronin
- pawnshop
Cast & crew
Chōjūrō Kawarasaki
as Matajuro Unno
Kan'emon Nakamura
as Shinza
Shizue Kawarazaki
as Otaki
Noboru Kiritachi
as Okoma
- SI
Sensho Ichikawa
- KM
Kō Mihashi
- TN
Tsuruzo Nakamura
as Genko
- SS
Sukezō Sukedakaya
as Landlord
- KS
Kikunojo Segawa
as Chushichi
- CB
Chōemon Bandō
as Yabushi
Directed by Sadao Yamanaka