A celebrity photograph sparks a court case as a tabloid magazine spins a scandalous yarn over a painter and a famous singer.
Direction
Kurosawa's seasonal symbolism—winter despair melting into fragile hope.
Acting
Mifune's wounded dignity; Takashi Shimura's crumbling conscience.
Cinematography
Stark black-and-white newsprint textures mirror the story.
Director
Akira Kurosawa
Toshirō Mifune
Ichirô Aoye
Yoshiko Yamaguchi
Miyako Saijo
Yōko Katsuragi
Masako Hiruta
Noriko Sengoku
Sumie
Eitarō Ozawa
Hori
Takashi Shimura
Attorney Hiruta
Shinichi Himori
Kōji Mitsui
Cameraman A
Fumiko Okamura
Miyako's mother
Masao Shimizu
Judge
Tanie Kitabayashi
Yasu Hiruta
Kokuten Kōdō
Old Man #1
Kichijirō Ueda
Old Man #2
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Kurosawa made this to fulfill a studio contract obligation—he considered it a 'weak' film, yet it outsold Rashomon initially.
The 'scandal magazine' phenomenon was exploding in Occupied Japan; Kurosawa's story was ripped from actual headlines about celebrity privacy invasions.
JP
