The Bad Sleep Well
Encyclopedia
is a 1960 film
directed by the Japan
ese director Akira Kurosawa
. It was the first film to be produced under Kurosawa's own independent production company. It was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival
.
The film stars Toshirō Mifune
as a young man who gets a prominent position in a corrupt postwar Japanese company in order to expose the men responsible for his father's death. It has its roots in Shakespeare
's Hamlet
. It is also a critique of corporate corruption.
in a kickback scheme. The reporters comment this incident is similar to an earlier scandal involving Iwabuchi, administrative officer Moriyama, and contract officer Shirai. That earlier case was hushed up after the apparent suicide of Assistant Chief Furuya, by jumping off the corporate office building, creating a dead end in the investigation before any of the company's higher-ups could be implicated. One of the film's recurring themes is the difficulty combating corporate corruption, due to a corporate culture in which lower level people feel obligated literally to die rather than allow their superiors' activities to be discovered.
Following the wedding, the police question Wada (Kamatari Fujiwara) and accountant Miura about bribery of government officials by the Unexploited Land Development Corporation. As a result of the inquiry, Miura commits suicide by running in front of a truck. When Wada attempts to take his own life by jumping into an active volcano
, Nishi stops Wada. Nishi convinces Wada that his superiors are unworthy of the sacrifice he had been willing to make. From that point forward, Nishi uses Wada to further his plans for revenge.
Nishi then focuses his efforts on contract officer Shirai (Ko Nishimura), setting him up so that Iwabuchi and Moriyama believe him to be a thief. In the office from which Furuya jumped, Nishi reveals to Wada and Shirai that he is actually an illegitimate son of Furuya, determined to avenge his father's death. Nishi's interrogation and intimidation of Shirai, though, robs him of his sanity. Soon, Moriyama is able to deduce that someone connected to Furuya is orchestrating all of these events. He investigates, discovers the truth and reveals to Iwabuchi the true identity of his son-in-law.
Iwabuchi's son overhears Moriyama's information. Furious that his sister was being used by Nishi, he angrily tries to kill Nishi when he returns to the house, but his shotgun blast misses as Nishi runs out the front door and into hiding. Nishi is able to abduct Moriyama and eventually force him into revealing the location of the hard evidence that will finally fully expose the corruption and all involved, once it is presented to the press. In the meantime, Wada slipped away and brought back Yoshiko in the hopes that the newlyweds will reconcile. Nishi tells his wife that he has grown to truly love her. Yoshiko accepts the truth about her father's evil deeds and reluctantly agrees to allow Nishi to complete his plans to expose him.
As Nishi calls for a press conference to be held the next day and prepares to retrieve the final evidence, Iwabuchi is able to deduce that his daughter has seen Nishi and knows where he is hiding. Iwabuchi tells her that her brother has left with his shotgun to find and kill Nishi. He asks her to tell him Nishi's location so that he can stop her brother from committing murder, saying that he will then confess his evil deeds and turn himself in. Yoshiko is taken in by her father's story and reveals to him Nishi's location.
When her brother returns home, she discovers that he had left with the shotgun only to go duck hunting, and she then realizes the truth about her father's plans. She tells her brother what has happened and they rush to Nishi's location. However, they arrive too late. They find only Nishi's best friend and accomplice, who informs them that Iwabuchi has already had both Nishi and Wada killed and disposed of all incriminating evidence. All three are devastated by this development, and though they know the truth of what has occurred, with no evidence to back up their story, there is nothing further that they can do.
The film ends with Iwabuchi's son and daughter confronting and denouncing him. He then calls his superior, apologizing for the recent trouble but informing them that he has now handled the situation. He then states his intention to retire from the company, his and his superiors' secrets all still safely hidden from public exposure. Before hanging up the phone, Iwabuchi confuses night for day and wishes his superior a good evening. Upon realizing his mistake he apologizes and explains that he hadn't slept at all the previous night.
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
directed by the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese director Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
. It was the first film to be produced under Kurosawa's own independent production company. It was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival
11th Berlin International Film Festival
The 11th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 23 to July 4, 1961.-Jury:* James Quinn * France Roche* Marc Turfkruyer* Satyajit Ray* Gian Luigi Rondi* Hirosugu Ozaki* Nicholas Ray* Falk Harnack* Hans Schaarwächter...
.
The film stars Toshirō Mifune
Toshiro Mifune
Toshirō Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, from 1948 to 1965, in works such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo...
as a young man who gets a prominent position in a corrupt postwar Japanese company in order to expose the men responsible for his father's death. It has its roots in Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
. It is also a critique of corporate corruption.
Plot
The film begins with a group of news reporters watching, and gossiping, at an elaborate wedding reception for Yoshiko Iwabuchi (Kyoko Kagawa), the daughter of Vice President Iwabuchi (Masayuki Mori, the villain character) of the Unexploited Land Development Corporation, a construction company, and Koichi Nishi, the president's secretary (a bespectacled Toshiro Mifune). The police interrupt the wedding when corporate assistant officer Wada, who is the wedding reception's master of ceremony, is arrested on charges of briberyBribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
in a kickback scheme. The reporters comment this incident is similar to an earlier scandal involving Iwabuchi, administrative officer Moriyama, and contract officer Shirai. That earlier case was hushed up after the apparent suicide of Assistant Chief Furuya, by jumping off the corporate office building, creating a dead end in the investigation before any of the company's higher-ups could be implicated. One of the film's recurring themes is the difficulty combating corporate corruption, due to a corporate culture in which lower level people feel obligated literally to die rather than allow their superiors' activities to be discovered.
Following the wedding, the police question Wada (Kamatari Fujiwara) and accountant Miura about bribery of government officials by the Unexploited Land Development Corporation. As a result of the inquiry, Miura commits suicide by running in front of a truck. When Wada attempts to take his own life by jumping into an active volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
, Nishi stops Wada. Nishi convinces Wada that his superiors are unworthy of the sacrifice he had been willing to make. From that point forward, Nishi uses Wada to further his plans for revenge.
Nishi then focuses his efforts on contract officer Shirai (Ko Nishimura), setting him up so that Iwabuchi and Moriyama believe him to be a thief. In the office from which Furuya jumped, Nishi reveals to Wada and Shirai that he is actually an illegitimate son of Furuya, determined to avenge his father's death. Nishi's interrogation and intimidation of Shirai, though, robs him of his sanity. Soon, Moriyama is able to deduce that someone connected to Furuya is orchestrating all of these events. He investigates, discovers the truth and reveals to Iwabuchi the true identity of his son-in-law.
Iwabuchi's son overhears Moriyama's information. Furious that his sister was being used by Nishi, he angrily tries to kill Nishi when he returns to the house, but his shotgun blast misses as Nishi runs out the front door and into hiding. Nishi is able to abduct Moriyama and eventually force him into revealing the location of the hard evidence that will finally fully expose the corruption and all involved, once it is presented to the press. In the meantime, Wada slipped away and brought back Yoshiko in the hopes that the newlyweds will reconcile. Nishi tells his wife that he has grown to truly love her. Yoshiko accepts the truth about her father's evil deeds and reluctantly agrees to allow Nishi to complete his plans to expose him.
As Nishi calls for a press conference to be held the next day and prepares to retrieve the final evidence, Iwabuchi is able to deduce that his daughter has seen Nishi and knows where he is hiding. Iwabuchi tells her that her brother has left with his shotgun to find and kill Nishi. He asks her to tell him Nishi's location so that he can stop her brother from committing murder, saying that he will then confess his evil deeds and turn himself in. Yoshiko is taken in by her father's story and reveals to him Nishi's location.
When her brother returns home, she discovers that he had left with the shotgun only to go duck hunting, and she then realizes the truth about her father's plans. She tells her brother what has happened and they rush to Nishi's location. However, they arrive too late. They find only Nishi's best friend and accomplice, who informs them that Iwabuchi has already had both Nishi and Wada killed and disposed of all incriminating evidence. All three are devastated by this development, and though they know the truth of what has occurred, with no evidence to back up their story, there is nothing further that they can do.
The film ends with Iwabuchi's son and daughter confronting and denouncing him. He then calls his superior, apologizing for the recent trouble but informing them that he has now handled the situation. He then states his intention to retire from the company, his and his superiors' secrets all still safely hidden from public exposure. Before hanging up the phone, Iwabuchi confuses night for day and wishes his superior a good evening. Upon realizing his mistake he apologizes and explains that he hadn't slept at all the previous night.
Cast
- Toshirô MifuneToshiro MifuneToshirō Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, from 1948 to 1965, in works such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo...
- Kôichi Nishi - Masayuki MoriMasayuki Mori (actor)was a Japanese actor, the son of Takeo Arishima, a Japanese novelist active during the late Meiji and Taishō periods. Mori appeared in many of Akira Kurosawa's films such as Rashomon and The Idiot...
- Public Corporation Vice President Iwabuchi - Kyōko KagawaKyôko Kagawais a Japanese actress. She has appeared in leading and supporting roles in such films as Akira Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well and High and Low, Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story, and Kenji Mizoguchi's Sansho the Bailiff.- Filmography :...
- Yoshiko Nishi - Tatsuya Mihashi - Tatsuo Iwabuchi
- Takashi ShimuraTakashi Shimurawas a Japanese actor.He was born in Ikuno, Hyogo, Japan.His debut as actor was the film Akanishi Kakita and cast in the Kenji Mizoguchi's film Osaka Elegy ....
- Administrative Officer Moriyama - Kô NishimuraKô Nishimurawas a Japanese actor who appeared in supporting roles in such films as Akira Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well and Yojimbo, Kihachi Okamoto's Sword of Doom, Yoshitaro Nomura's Zero Focus, and Kon Ichikawa's The Burmese Harp .-Film:* The Burmese Harp *Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate（1957）*The...
- Contract Officer Shirai - Takeshi KatôTakeshi Katowas a Japanese gymnast and Olympic champion.-Olympics:Kato competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City where he received a gold medal in team combined exercises, and a bronze medal in floor exercise....
- Itakura - Kamatari FujiwaraKamatari FujiwaraKamatari Fujiwara was a Japanese actor.Born in Tokyo, he was a long-time member of director Akira Kurosawa's stock company, making his first appearance in a Kurosawa film alongside Takashi Shimura in 1952's Ikiru. He continued to appear in Kurosawa's films until his death...
- Assistant-to-the-Chief Wada - Chishû RyûChishu Ryuwas a famous Japanese film actor, a favourite of the director Yasujiro Ozu. From 1928 to 1992 he appeared in at least 155 films, including Ozu's Tokyo Story and Yoshitaro Nomura's Castle of Sand...
- Public Prosecutor Nonaka - Seiji MiyaguchiSeiji Miyaguchiwas a Japanese actor who appeared in such films as Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai despite the actor's confession to have never handled a sword before the role , Ikiru as a yakuza boss from "restaurant row," and Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan...
- Prosecutor Okakura - Kôji Mitsui - Reporter A
- Ken MitsudaKen MitsudaKen Mitsuda was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in 53 films between 1940 and 1983.-Selected filmography:* Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs * An Inlet of Muddy Water...
- Public Corporation President Arimura - Nobuo NakamuraNobuo Nakamurawas a Japanese actor, who made notable appearances in the films of Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu in the 1950s and 1960s. Perhaps his most famous roles were those of the callous deputy mayor in Kurosawa's Ikiru , and the hairdresser's henpecked husband in Ozu's Tokyo Story .Nakamura is famous for...
- Legal Adviser - Susumu FujitaSusumu Fujitawas a Japanese film and television actor. He played the lead role in Akira Kurosawa's first feature, Sanshiro Sugata, and appeared other Kurosawa film including The Men Who Tread On the Tiger's Tail and The Hidden Fortress . Later, he was a supporting actor in Ishirō Honda's Mothra vs...
- Detective - Kōji NanbaraKoji Nanbarawas a Japanese actor. He was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. He died of a myocardial infarction in Chōfu, Tokyo at age 74.-External links:...
- Prosecutor Horiuchi
External links
- Criterion Collection essay by Chuck Stephens
- Kurosawa's Hamlet? by Kaori Ashizu
- The Bad Sleep Well at the Japanese Movie DatabaseJapanese Movie DatabaseThe , commonly referred to as JMDB, is an online database of information about Japanese movies, actors, and production crew personnel. It is similar to the Internet Movie Database, but lists only those films originally released in Japan. The site was started in 1997, and contains movies from Meiji...