Double Suicide

Runtime : 105 mins

Genre : Drama Romance

Vote Rating : 7/10

Release Date : 24 May 1969

Plot : Successful and married with children, paper-mill owner Jihei knows better than to contradict the strict social and moral codes of 18th-century Japan. But when he meets the lovely courtesan Koharu, he becomes a man obsessed. Koharu returns his love, even foregoing other customers while Jihei schemes to somehow buy her freedom. His efforts yield ruinous consequences for his business and his family life, and Koharu is meanwhile purchased by another client.

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Cast Members

Jihei
played by
Kichiemon Nakamura II

Koharu and Osan
played by
Shima Iwashita

Tahei
played by
Hōsei Komatsu

Mogoemon
played by
Yûsuke Takita

Owner of the Yamatoya
played by
Kamatari Fujiwara

Gosaemon
played by
Yoshi Katō

Osans Mother
played by
Shizue Kawarazaki

Osugi
played by
Tokie Hidari

Proprietress
played by
Sumiko Hidaka

Reviews

Even though I'm Christian and have always been brought up considering the act of suicide a 'taboo' subject, I have always held great respect for both the Japanese way of doing so to save face, and the thoroughly romantic notion, say, from the likes of 'Romeo and Juliet' (with Shakespeare's writings being probably the cornerstone of Western thought)--so from two completely different cultural perspectives--that a life without the one you love is not worth living. I had previously only seen two of Masahiro Shinoda's other works for The Criterion Collection--the earlier works 'Pale Flower' and 'Samurai Spy', and I don't know if it was on purpose by the company in selecting the titles, but I marveled at the breathtaking variety of his scripts, all from such a short timespan (1964-69). Being a patron of the theatre (in many different modes) and as anthropologically cosmopolitan in my approach to life as is conceivable, I salute Shinoda with a profound respect, and look forward to investigating as many of his other works as possible.