An episodic film about life in and around a rural police station and the people it serves.

Hikoroku Laughs a lot

“19 vassals of Lord Hosokawa ask permission to commit harakiri with him, as a demonstration of their loyalty. Only Yaichiemon Abe is refused permission, forced instead into the vassalage of his lord’s successor. Humiliated and derided, Yaichiemon eventually commits harakiri without permission. His eldest son is then punished for Yaichiemon’s suicide, and when he resists, is sentenced to death. The entire Abe clan rebels upon the son’s execution, and the clan is annihilated.” --Alan Poul, Japan Society

This, the first Enoken film, was made in 1934. Production was proposed to Pierre Brillante (PB), Enoken's theatrical troupe based at the Shochikuza Theater in Asakusa, by Iwao Mori, a producer at P.C.L. (Photo Science Laboratory), a new film company that had just been established in 1932. P.C.L. was known for its modern style, as exemplified by its first film, “Hoyoyohi Jinsei” (1933). For Enoken, who was strongly influenced by Hollywood musicals and Broadway reviews, the prospect of making a P.C.L. film that would be released in a Western-style theater was a no-brainer. Therefore, he chose Kajiro Yamamoto, who had been active at Nikkatsu Kyoto, to direct the film. The reason for this was “because he understands musical scores.
Enoken and Yamamoto's goal seems to have been to make a Hollywood style musical. In particular, they took their inspiration from the Eddie Cantor comedies that were released in rapid succession between 1931 and 1933. Cantor, who moves chokomaka with his small body, is characterized, like Enoken, by his large, circling eyeballs. The opening song, Printemps, sung by Sadakazu Futamura, Kanta Kisaragi and Enoken with the female students in the open air, is Yes, Yes, My Baby Said Yes, Yes (composed by Con Conrad), a song from Cantor's Whoopee! (1931). It is also performed in the middle of Romantic and Crazy in a scene where Enomoto is teased by Rirako and other female students, but visually, a similar situation can be seen in the Yes. Yes! number in Whoopee. Boku wa yuutsu da sung while studying for exams is also originally My Baby Just Cares For Me also from Cantor's Whoope!.

ヴィクトル・ユゴーの『レ・ミゼラブル』を映画化した、伊丹万作最後の監督作品。時代を幕末から明治維新直後に設定し、前科者で何度も脱獄を試みたものの失敗、19年の刑に処された大沼という男が、ついには役人を殺して脱獄に成功、時代の混乱に乗じて世の中を渡り歩いていく姿を描く。ある時、彼は不幸な少女・千代子を引き取り、育て上げていくのだが……。これまでにもゴルズワジーの『逃走』を翻案した「逃げ行く小平次」、モルナールの『リリオム』の翻案「金的力太郎」で多大な評価を得ていた伊丹が、再び『レ・ミゼラブル』を見事に日本の風土に展開した作品。この頃から闘病生活に入った彼は、以後、稲垣浩の「無法松の一生」「手をつなぐ子ら」など脚本を担当したのみで、ついに監督に復帰することなく、1946年、世を去った。

Five poor musicians make up the worst traveling brass band in Japan. For a few days they hook up with an awful circus whose male performers are on strike.

Three sisters earn money for their bossy mother by being samisen street musicians. This means mainly playing a banjo type instrument for tips in bars...