Fighting Elegy

Infobox Film
name = Fighting Elegy


caption =
director = Seijun Suzuki
producer = Kazu Otsuka
writer = Kaneto Shindō
Takashi Suzuki (novel)
starring = Hideki Takahashi
Junko Asano
Yusuki Kawazu
music = Naozumi Yamamoto
cinematography = Kenji Hagiwara
editing = Mutsuo Tanji
distributor = Nikkatsu
released = November 9, 1966
runtime = 86 minutes
country = Japan
language = Japanese
budget =
website =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
amg_id = 1:179590
imdb_id = 0060586nihongo|"Fighting Elegy"|けんかえれじい|"Kenka erejii" is a 1966 Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki. Filmmaker Kaneto Shindō adapted the the script from the novel by Takashi Suzuki. The film has also screened under the titles "Violence Elegy", "Elegy to Violence", "Elegy for a Quarrel" and "The Born Fighter" at various film festivals and retrospectives.

ynopsis

Kiroku Nanbu (Hideki Takahashi) is a Catholic, teenager attending a military-tooled middle school in 1935 Bizen, Okayama. Living in a boardinghouse, he is infatuated with his landlady's chaste daughter, Michiko (Junko Asano). Unable to express his feelings or quell his libido with masturbation, due to peer pressure, shyness, and Catholic guilt, Nanbu turns to the only outlet left available to him: crazed, brutal violence.

Taken under the wing of Turtle (Yusuki Kawazu), Nanbu is taught how to fight through an elaborate training regiment. He then joins a school gang, the OSMS. A conflict between gang leader Takuan (Mitsuo Kataoka) and Turtle ensues concluding with Nanbu's usurpation of OSMS leadership. Setting a more aggressive manifesto of actively breaking all school rules, and avoiding girls entirely, he has a run in with the school drill sergeant and is suspended. Turtle speaks to the school administration on Nanbu's behalf resulting in both students fleeing Okayama, leaving Michiko behind.

Now living in the Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima with his aunt and uncle Nanbu reenlists in school but is repulsed by his classmates weakness. He forms a new group and heightened conflicts commence with a local gang. Michiko visits to say goodbye to Nanbu and tell him that she has decided to join a convent as she is unable to bear children. She is later waylaid by marching soldiers. Distraught to new heights, Nanbu spots a poster for (real life) radical, political advocist, Ikki Kita (Hiroshi Midorigawa), who he had met briefly in a tea house, and, reinvigorated, marches on to join in the events of Ni-niroku jiken.

equel

The events of the film cover only the first half of the novel it was based on. Suzuki had planned, and co-written the script, for a sequel covering the latter half of the story but was fired after his next film, "Branded to Kill", and the project entered development limbo. In the book Nanbu joins the army, goes on to fight in China and is killed.cite web
url = http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=269&eid=395&section=essay
title = Fighting Elegy
accessdate = 2007-09-04
last = Rayns
first = Tony
authorlink = Tony Rayns
year = 2005
month = January
publisher = The Criterion Collection]

Production

"Fighting Elegy" was directed by Seijun Suzuki for Nikkatsu. Unusually, rather than making the best of the script afforded him, Suzuki actively encouraged Nikkatsu to purchase the rights to the novel by Takashi Suzuki. It was adapted by filmmaker Kaneto Shindō. Suzuki took many liberties with the script.

tarring

*Hideki Takahashi - Kiroku Nanbu
*Junko Asano - Michiko
*Yusuke Kawazu - Turtle
*Mitsuo Kataoka - Takuan
*Chikako Miyagi - Yoshino Nanbu
*Isao Tamagawa - Principal of Kitakata J.H.S.
*Keisuke Noro - Kaneda
*Hiroshi Midorigawa - Ikki Kita
*Seijiro Onda - Kiroku’s father

References

External links

* [http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=269&eid=395&section=essay Criterion Collection essay by Tony Rayns]
* [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fighting_elegy/ "Fighting Elegy" reviews] at Rotten Tomatoes
*
* " [http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1966/cp004130.htm Fighting Elegy] " ja icon at the Japanese Movie Database

ources

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