Onimasa

If I was forced to name just one favorite actor of mine, I would probably say Nakadai Tatsuya, the versatile and always captivating Japanese film presence. Besides Kobayashi, with whom he is universally associated because of their famous masterpieces, Nakadai was a central actor in the filmographies of several other directors, one of them being Gosha Hideo. In the 1960's, Gosha was in top shape, and made several highly enjoyable chanbara films. "Goyokin" (1969), starring Nakadai, would crack my all-time top 100 films list. I recommend checking it out, in the case you haven't.

Yet in his later career, the quality of Gosha's films dropped. He made several b-movies and exploitation narratives, and overall did not live up to his earlier films. "Kiryûin Hanako no shôgai" (1982) is an attempt to do a more serious yakuza picture, which was not helped by the English-language title "Onimasa - A Japanese Godfather". This title shifts the focus of the narrative away from the protagonist, who is a young girl adopted by the yakuza boss played by Nakadai. It also makes you expect and hope for a film that would be as artistically creative as "The Godfather", so all in all, the comparison does not help. (The Japanese actually made a serious of "Godfather" wanna-be's in the 1970's). This film, set in the first half of the 20th century, is a growing up narrative under difficult circumstances. There is potential, but the screenplay is all over the place, and the long film loses direction several times over.

I liked the premise, but there is still too much yakuza clichés for the audience to view this as a serious drama. Nakadai makes his first appearance in a fedora hat, and I half expected him to follow this with a dance number, the "Smooth Criminal" that he is. His performance is played too massively, and it is hard to take the father character seriously, because he has been written poorly. There is also a dog fighting sequence, which I feel will turn off many viewers, as it was unnecessary and difficult to watch.

All in all, not a top 10 film for Gosha, and not a top 50 performance for Nakadai.

Shown in the Film Forum's 28-film Tatsuya Nakadai retrospective (NYC, Summer 2008) under the title "Onimasa," Hideo Gosha's 1982 gangster family epic "Kiryûin Hanako no shôgai" fully qualifies as "The Japanese Godfather." Is there any doubt that Gosha hoped to cash in on the box office and Academy Award successes of its U.S.-made predecessors, "The Godfather" (1972) and "The Godfather Part II" (1974)? For me, at least, and, I suspect, for others who are not charmed by Scorsese-style glamorized gangsters and their macho excesses and despite its two awards and nine Japanese Academy nominations, this multi-decade saga of the Kiryûin clan — patriarch Masagaro (aka Onimasa), wife Uta, adopted daughter Matsue, biological daughter Hanako and Onimasa's household staff of bully boys, servants and concubines — and its enemies amounts to a colossal waste of time, treasure and talent. This is not to say that Nakadai and company did not turn in highly skilled and memorable performances. They certainly did that and, in the process, reached every step on an actor's emotive ladder from extreme subtlety to massive scenery-chewing. Nevertheless, the great Nakadai's frequent full-circle mood changes were not always fully convincing, drawing attention to the actor and away from the character. (Was the director to blame for these lapses?) The dreadful music by Mitsuaki Kanno left this reviewer wondering whether or not it was intentionally ugly.

An underlying theme of "Onimasa" was its portrayal of 20th century Japanese gangsters as cartoonish reincarnations of the ancient samurai caste (the armed enforcers of feudal rule) in the era of modern capitalism. This leitmotif could have been the basis for significant socio-historical observations but the film does not pursue such lofty aims. Instead, while Gosha does not ignore Japan's tumultuous labor struggles of the 1930s, his approach is the all-too-familiar one of market-oriented filmmakers: subdued sympathy mixed with trivialization. Thus, at the behest of his Big Boss, Suda, (who is seen getting his orders from the railroad owner), Onimasa tries to intimidate the leaders of a railway strike into submission. But the forthright and courageous behavior of one of these men, Tanabe, (which includes taking a vicious beating without saying "uncle") causes Onimasa to undergo a change of heart. (The word "capitalism" actually appears in this sequence!) The gangster then risks his position by defying the Big Boss and, even more unbelievably, invites Tanabe to become his son-in-law! But it is one thing to sentimentalize a gangster and quite another to show more than a modest degree of sympathy for a "red." Subsequently, the politically-demoralized Tanabe describes himself as "too weak." To avoid interfering with their glamorization, we are not shown the sordid details of the means by which the gangsters extract their income. Even the English subtitles conspire in this effort. Inexplicably, the word "yakuza" (gangster) is rendered repeatedly as the much tamer "gambler."

For me, the only rewarding aspect of this gangster soap was its female component. Several of the women and girls in this epic not only inhabited meaty and pivotal roles but acquitted themselves admirably, with power and guts. The character of adopted daughter Matsue was an especially compelling one, both played as a girl by Nobuko Sendo and as a woman by Masako Natsume. Growing up under the unfeeling "care" of Onimasa's unloved wife, the tough-as-nails Uta (played by Shima Iwashita), the girl becomes beloved and protected by the gang of ruffians that also inhabits the house, in a relationship reminiscent of Donizetti's opera "La Fille du Regiment." Among the daily domestic chores of young Matsue is that of conveying to his concubines which one (or two) Onimasa has chosen for the night. Despite all efforts by her "family" to reduce her to servant status, Matsue insists on attending primary school and, after she secretly passes her examinations, high school. When "father" Onimasa vigorously objects that girls don't need high school, the willful Matsue prevails anyway. (There is more than a taste here of the oppression and degradation of women in male-dominated society and Gosha certainly deserves credit for making it unmistakable.) Maturing into an educated, perceptive and courageous woman, Matsue was, for me, a symbol of what this film could have been. Also powerful was Uta's death scene, in which she achingly recalls her husband's original love for her. These humane touches, however, were not sufficient to counteract the film's many repugnant qualities. It is unfortunate that Gosha's evident compassion for human suffering did not fully inform his understanding of society in general.

Barry Freed

Hideo Gosha's Onimasa (1982) comes across as Japan's answer to The Godfather, while it doesn't quite live up to that billing-it was a very interesting film. Tatusya Nakadai always puts in a lively performance-this time as a chivalrous yakuza boss with several mistresses and the focus of this film is a girl he take sin as a daughter from a poor family. She has a very strong will and soon becomes his favorite because of her grit and strong will. She insists on being educated and becomes a teacher and eventually takes up with an intellectual and is the de facto narrator of the story of the rise and fall of Onimasa. The story is set in the Taisho era and the set designs ad to the overall impression of the film. I can't help but think the dog fighting scenes earlier in the film would have caused a certain amount of controversy in America. Overall it was a entertaining film.

This movie is somewhat famous amongst Masako Natsume fans, and more than half the value of seeing this movie is in seeing beautiful Masako Natsume in her prime before she met her untimely death.

Based on a novel by Sumiko Miyao, this movie tells the story of 50 years of human tapestry that is woven my the people of Masagoro Kiryuin's (Onimasa) clan seen from the vantage point of Matsue (Masako Natsume) who were adopted into this family when she was 12. Matsue witnesses the entire history of this family to its very end.

The movie's character Onimasa is actually a former yakuza, and he's a merchant selling dried goods but his old habits die hard, and him and his clan is almost a clan of yakuza. But the focus is more on the women of this yakuza family, set in late Taisho to early Showa period of Japan in Kochi prefecture. The entire meaning of this movie is vague, since Hanako Kiryuin who is the title of this movie (in Japan) is just a spoiled girl, and does almost nothing.

There are many good looking actresses in this movie asides from Masako Natsume, such as Emi Shindo, and Akiko Nakamura. A very young Nobuko Sendo makes her debut in the role of young Matsue.

The one liner Mastue says towards the end of the movie "Nametara ikanzeyo !!" (Don't underestimate us !) was a famous one liner that remains in the annals of Japanese movie history.

To be honest, the only reason to watch this film for me was to watch the beautiful Masako Natsume in action. She is that great in this movie. Thank you to director Hideo Gosha for changing the cast from Shinobu Ootake to Masako Natsume at the last minute.

This movie should not in anyway be compared to anything like Coppolas The Godfather.

Its nothing like it whatsoever.

So don't let the name fool you.

I am not going to critique the movie or discuss the directors or the actors in anyway.

I will leave it up to you to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Obviously this review is written in 2023 so its been 40 years since this was made.

For people who arent familiar with Japanese or Asian cinema or people who arent familiar with the genre this is a great introduction or a great watch for those who are getting into it.

The film is well shot. Well directed and fantastically acted. The lighting, camera angels and set design are all well orchestrated .

The movie will trigger emotions, and keep you entertained.

If you are reading this review because you are considering watching this movie.

Then watch it! You wont be dissapointed!