Nijiotoko

A newspaperwoman tries to prove her friend didn't kill her uncle at his home and cover it up by setting the place on fire. As the police investigate, they discover a family obsessed by rainbows, and the threat of a 'rainbow man' who makes weird things happen.

It's director Kiyohiko Ushihara's first movie after a 12-year layoff during the Second World War, and his last fiction film - he directed a documentary that was released in 1958. This one combines Old Dark House tropes, as well as the sort of scientific bafflegab that would become a standard of science fiction movies, as well as drug use. I found this film to be interesting in its handling and inventive in its camerawork, but there's something off about its pacing that I can't be sure is intended to complement its themes.

Since I am big scifi fan and love seeking out the old B&W, the obscure, foreign, and the campy to the classic films, I certainly had to see this film. After all, "Nijioitoko" (Rainbow Man) has been touted as Japan's first scifi film!

Essentially, "Nijioitoko" is a 40's film noir/old dark house film that concerns a brutal murder of a member for the allegedly cursed Maya family. Subsequent victims associated with the Mayas see a rainbow before they die, and cry out that the "Rainbow Man" is going to kill them.

As the investigation into the murder proceeds, two star reporters from competing newspapers, cover the story and fall in love with each other. In their course of discovery, they uncover a legend that the ancestral Maya family conducted religious practices that included making pacts with spirits of the rainbows. At some point, a Maya ancestor broke this pact and that unleashed a Rainbow Man of vengeance on the family.

In the course of this B&W film, a multi colored patterned grid or 'rainbow" does in fact manifest itself. The minor scifi element here is what causes the "rainbow".

Most of action takes place in the shadowy Maya mansion. In the basement laboratory, the father of the Maya family is shown to be an eccentric scientist who is obsessed with unlocking the cosmic secrets of rainbows. His wife (Shimako) futilely tries to maintain a calm demeanor. Katsuto is the semi-mad oldest son and artist who unnerves everyone with his Picasso-like paintings. Toyohiko is the estranged youngest son who skulks around in a beard and sunglasses. Meanwhile, Yurie Obata is the young woman, who happens to be prime suspect in the case, and has had a complete emotional meltdown.

Aside from scifi novelty of this film, "Nijioitoko" is solid effort and well worth seeing. Unusual for the period, the star female reporter (Mimi) is highly successful and self-sufficient. Through out this film, Mimi maintains her poise, professionalism, as well as her empathy for friend Yurie. The character of Mimi is certainly a refreshing role model for women.

Nijiotoko(1949) is a Japanese movie that I recently watched on a random streaming site. The storyline follows a family with a long history of being haunted and misfortunes. When a woman is murdered in the forest a young lady is listed as a prime suspect. The young lady and her friends will try to prove the haunted forest around the haunted family is responsible and prove the girl's innocence.

This movie is directed by Kiyohiko Ushihara (Shingun) and stars Manabu Morita (The Tale of Zatoichi), Kenjirô Uemura (The Quiet Duel), Kumeko Urabe (House of Many Pleasures) and Keiju Kobayashi (Sanjuro).

This movie does a good job of being methodical and relying on its writing to carry the storyline. There's a constant mystery on if there's ghosts or not the entire film. The characters and circumstances are interesting, unique and unpredictable. The cinematography is beautiful, especially the train scenes, and there's solid creepy background music through the entire film. The are limited horror elements and this felt more like a murder/mystery to me; although, I will say I loved the conclusion.

Overall, this is a unique picture that's worth your time if you're looking for something different. I would score this a 6.5/10 and recommend seeing it once.