Buraikan

A film that will probably befuddle a lot of non-Japanese viewers especially since it really has no compelling plot, the main characters are under-explained and the movie doesn't really have a dramatic rhythm to make the climax seem very important. But, that said there are a lot of wonderful aspects to this film if you are willing to go for it.

A trio of characters in Edo intersect during a time of puritanical social reform. A ner-do-well, Naojiro, wants to become an actor and get his face in prints (this was the Japanese version of the supermarket tabloids in olden times) and he wants to marry a geisha but his overbearing mother disapproves. A man who abandoned his wife and child returns to discover tragedy has befallen his small family. A "buraikan" plots to overthrow the despotic lord who is imposing the strict social reforms.

A distinctive style permeates the entire film. The image composition is excellent with wonderful color design. The strong soundtrack is a quirky but enjoyable mix of Henry Mancini style jazz, traditional Japanese music and some odd musical styling. The acting is strong and does a lot to carry the film for those of us baffled by some of the goings on. While the film is named for the "buraikan" (played by Tetsuro Tamba), it seems the the center of attention is really Naojiro, played by Tatsuya Nakadai. No problem, he's an interesting enough character.

Recommended for those who want something different.

A strange and thought-provoking film. At first glance, "The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan" is a period drama, retelling the repressive "reforms" of Lord Mizuno in 1841-42: he banned theater, gambling, prostitution, luxurious food. The film follows residents of Edo's Red Light District - geishas, gamblers, desperate losers, dreamers - and their response to life under Mizuno's "reforms".

The story is played out in a highly theatrical manner: there are some heroic actions, but no real heroes in this story. Like Kurosawa's "Dodes'ka-den" (also released in 1970), all the characters are comical flat caricatures, amusing "types" that demonstrate the absurdity and horror of society and the human condition. Some might find this lack of "realism" off-putting, but I enjoyed the stagey-ness, as director Shinoda's well-considered artistic choice. The viewer isn't allowed to get close to any of these cartoonish characters; and yet, the story becomes a kind of timeless allegory, rather than a tale of real people in a particular time and place.

I came across this film while researching the late 60s - early 70s films of the Art Theater Guild, which produced so many radical films embodying the radical student politics and culture of the era. At first I thought, " Ah good, here we are in the 1800s - at least we won't have to deal with hippie angst and extreme destruction of the narrative frame." But in fact..."The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan" has much in common with those radical ATG films ("Funeral Parade of Roses", "Throw Away Your Books", "This Transient Life", etc). Despite appearances, "Buraikan" is not really about the 1800s, it's very much about 1970. Here, revolution lies within claiming pleasure and enacting freedom as a form of life; but as students and hippies discovered, success is far from guaranteed. At some moments near the film's conclusion, the allegory hits repeated bulls-eyes, and profound truths are revealed about the political dilemmas of 1970...and maybe our own era, as well.

Nominally this movie fits into the "Jidaigeki" (Period Drama) genre. However, this movie is much more interesting with funny, complex characters. Tamba Testsuro (the head of Japanese secret service in "You Only Live Twice") is outstanding is the "lone wolf" Buraikan - a kind of good-hearted, if ruthless and highly clever monk. Nakadai Tatsuyo is also funny, eerie and compelling as the handsome, never-do-well, lazy fortune teller.

The story is set during the "Tempo Reform" period of Mizuno Tadakuni (1793-1851). Lord Mizuno was an extreme moralist and tried to outlaw more or less anything pleasurable. His reasoning was that things like staged plays, posters of actors, popular novels, expensive meals, cakes, dolls, paintings, etc... were wastes of the country's resources and contributed to the decline of the national moral fiber. Not a very fun-loving guy.

The story in the movie concerns several characters living in an entertainment area (probably Asakusa or Yoshiwara) who become involved with a band of rebellious underground actors.

The movie has everything: multiple, well-developed, interleaved story lines. Well developed individual characters. Some eroticism, a lot of traditional art, many funny sequences, suspense, action.

This is an excellent movie, especially for lovers of Japanese history and art.