The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1945)

Original title

虎の尾を踏む男達

Directed by

Akira Kurosawa

Genre

drama film

Country

Japan

Runtime

59 min

Rating

6.7 of 10 from 101 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A 12th century Japanese lord and his samurai travel through enemy lands disguised as monks. The group must keep their true identities hidden while facing suspicion and danger.

tensetheatricalhistoricseriousfast-pacedsuspensefulstylized

What happens

The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (Japanese: 虎の尾を踏む男達, Hepburn: Tora no O o Fumu Otokotachi) is a 1952 Japanese period drama film written and directed by Akira Kurosawa, based on the kabuki play Kanjinchō, which is in turn based on the Noh play Ataka. It depicts a famous 12th century incident in which Yoshitsune and a small group of samurai cross into enemy territory disguised as monks. The film was initially banned by the occupying Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP), likely due to its portrayal of feudal values. Kurosawa blamed bureaucratic sabotage by the wartime Japanese censors, who also disapproved. It was later released in 1952 following the signing of the Treaty of San Francisco. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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