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| Festival Year |
Festival Section |
| 2005 |
Light from the East: Celebrating Japanese Cinema
Shochiku 110 - Naruse 100 -- Prog. 7 |
| Film Title |
OGON NO DANGAN |
| Alternative Title 1 |
[IL PROIETTILE D’ORO] |
| Alternative Title 2 |
[THE GOLDEN BULLET] |
| Alternative Title 3 |
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| Country |
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| Release Date |
9 January 1927 |
| Production Co. |
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| Director |
Hiroshi Innami |
| Format |
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Speed (fps) |
| 35mm |
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18 |
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| Footage |
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Time |
| 5329 ft. |
|
79' |
| Archive Source |
National Film Center, Tokyo |
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| Print Notes |
Didascalie in giapponese sottotitolate in inglese / Japanese intertitles, English subtitles.
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| Cast |
| Kenichi Miyajima, Toppa Ichiki, Eijiro Oiwa, Yuriko Chigusa, Sonoe Nakamura, Tomio Shimada, Masami Tsukioka |
| |
| Other Credits |
| sogg./story: da un romanzo di/from a novel by Herman Landon; adatt./adapt: Ryo Takei; f./ph: Heiichiro Ono |
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| Other Information |
| Filmed in 1926 |
| |
| Program Notes |
The mansion of a certain duke is invaded by a mysterious robber known as the Benevolent Picaroon. Apparently nothing is stolen, but the duke’s daughter knows what has been taken: a golden bullet, which killed old Wake a few days before. The daughter, engaged to marry Wake’s nephew, had hidden the bullet in order to save her fiancé, as she believed him to be his uncle’s murderer. The detective Inomata investigates both the murder case and the mysterious burglary. Kawanami, who is friends with Inomata, and is in fact himself the Benevolent Picaroon, reveals the true murderer to be the old man living next door to Wake.
This film is based on a portion of the “Benevolent Picaroon” series by the Swedish-American author Herman Landon, which was popular in Japan, as was his “Gray Phantom” series. It marks the directorial debut of Hiroshi Innami (1902-38), who had a university degree, which was still rare for a film director at the time. Innami often moved from one studio to another, and primarily made contemporary films with a Western flavor. This film is important because it is one of the very few extant films of the period in which Western stories are narrated virtually unchanged, i.e., without being adapted to look more Japanese. The spectacular chase sequence, involving cars, motorbikes, and horses, which goes on for 2 reels at the end of the film, is not to be missed! – FUMIKO TSUNEISHI
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