(Shin Heike Monogatari)
| release title: The Taira Clan Saga |
| transl title : The New Tale of Heike |
Released 9/26/55(Wed) 135minutes/ Daiei Kyoto/ Standard screen Daiei color. 108minutes
| Producer | Masaichi Nagata |
| Planning | Matsutaro Kawaguchi, Hideo Matsuyama |
| Director | Kenji Mizoguchi |
| Original Story | Eiji Yoshikawa |
| Screenplay | Yoshikata Yoda, Masashige Narusawa, Kyuichi Tsuji |
| Photography | Kazuo Miyagawa |
| Art Director | Hiroshi Mizutani |
| Lighting | Kenichi Okamoto |
| Sound recording | Iwao Otani |
| Music | Fumio Hayasaka |
| Assistant Director | Kazuo Hirotsu |
| Cast | Kiyomori Taira, Yoshiko Kuga(Tokiko), Naritoshi Hayashi(Tokitada), Michiyo Kogure(Yasuko), Ichijiro Oya(Tadamori), Koreya Senda(Minister of the Left), Eitaro Shindo(Banboku), Eijiro Yanagi(Exemperor Shirakawa), Tamao Nakamura(Shigeko), Tatsuya Ishiguro(Fujiwara Tokinobu), Mitsusaburo Ramon(Ryokan the Priest), Akitake Kono(Heiroku) |
The popular novel Shin Heike Monogatari traces the rise and fall of the legendary Taira Clan during the 12th century. In this film, the first of a projected series (two others were made/Shin Heike Monogatari: Yoshinaka wo meguru sannin no onna-1956-/Shin Heike Monogatari: Shizuka to Yoshitsune-1956-), a young warrior of the Taira Clan, Kiyomori, challenges corrupt court and religious practices. At the end of the film the Tairas are triumphant, but history records their victory as short-lived.
Focusing on pageantry rather than action, New Tales of the Taira Clan depicts the era of the rising samurai class excellently. (from [Japan in Film] by Japan Society New York 1984)
By 1137 A.D., the ruling aristocracy of the Heian period, the Fujiwara family, had lost much of their power and were being opposed by the rise of the Ex-Emperor Shirakawa, and the grownth of both the samurai class and the Buddhist priests. Taira Tadanori returning to Kyoto from a victorious battle against pirates, reports to Ex-Emperor Shirakawa but receives no reward because the Emperor's retainers believe it unnecessary to praise mere samurai. To get money for sake for his retainers, Tadamori
