A tragic period film about a gangster who comes out of prison and finds it hard to find a place again in society. Considered a lost film.

“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

古代的箱根西部一带，是日本最贫困的地区之一。由于天旱少雨，只出产黍子、荞麦、小米，在德川幕府的黑暗统治下，农民长期因为交不上官粮而妻离子散。急公好义的商人友野有感于此，下决心开挖一条水渠，解决这里的缺水问题。具体计划是凿开湖尻岭，把芦湖的水引向深良村。这项伟大的工程从一开始，就因为芦湖是显圣老爷“静修之地”，再加上某些人维护个人利益的需要，一开始就遭到了以御万太君、大老酒井为首的幕府保守势力的强烈反对。后来虽然迫于地方乡绅舆论压力，不得不同意开工，但又在工程进行过程中，百般阻挠破坏。造谣、诬蔑、陷害友野，甚至不惜雇用杀手，阴谋置友野于死地。但是，在友野的努力下，在友野妻子阿律夫人和村长为首的善良、热心的农民支持下，水渠终于开挖成功。成功之日，友野被酒井一伙以勾结暴民，煽动反叛为由，被抓进监狱。在村中点起篝火，庆祝水渠开闸放水的日子，友野被酒井一伙暗杀在监狱里。令他欣慰的是，当利刃刺向他的一刻，他终于看到了盼望已久的、胜利的篝火，他那饱经沧桑的脸上为此露出了欣慰的笑容，箱根水渠成为了他永久的纪念碑。 幕后花絮： 这部电影是日本导演山本萨夫于1952年公映的作品，由许多爱护日本电影的日本人士集体合作而成。长春电影制片厂译制片分厂于1954年译制该片并向全国公映。 译制单位：中央电影局东北电影制片厂（长春电影制片厂前身）1954年配音复制 配音导演：黄野 配音演员：向隽殊、徐雁、高荣第、吴代尧等

​A powerful priest uses his magical abilities to imprison the rain gods within a waterfall, causing a devastating drought. The imperial court sends a princess to his remote mountain retreat to seduce him and break his spiritual concentration.

About the struggles of day labourers to achieve dignity and a standard of living above the starvation level. Utilising the Zenshinza theatrical troupe.

Shinobu and her brother Genichiro plead with famous swordsman Musashi Miyamoto to teach them to avenge their father's death. The perpetrators of their father's demise see the siblings practicing, and so enlist the help of another revered swordsman, Kojiro Sasaki, giving the latter an excuse to battle Miyamoto.

本片是山中貞雄的遺作，也是他的“時代劇的庶民電影”的代表作之一。他在片中吸取了美國電影和法國電影的影響，並受到摯友兼老師小津安二郎的“小庶民電影 ”美學影響，將歷史上江戶時代的小人物形像注入現代庶民的語言、性格、行止、靈魂，成就了一部難得的社會現實主義的佳作。故事發生於十八世紀德川幕府時代，以悲涼調子訴說德川幕府時期低下層的生活，開頭與結尾都是自殺場景，映照出舊時日本社會草根階層的悲哀。另外，山中的剪輯流暢自如，視覺風格鋒如日本繪畫，演員表演也很自然。此片公認為山中最好的作品，也是他僅存的三部電影之一。 Humanity and Paper Balloons,unlike most other Japanese films of this period,is a historical film with a critical edge.Refusing to glorify samurai,the film insteaddeflates the myth around them with a gentle humanity. The film opens directly after a penurious ronin samurai has taken his own life.At his funeral his neighbors from his slum mourn his death. Here the film introduces another ronin samurai who lives in equal poverty. Having pawned his sword for food,the samurai searches for work but to no avail. The family's only income comes from the little balloon children's toys made by the wife.Out of desperation,the samurai abets in an attempted kidnapping. After finding out,the wife kills him in his sleep and then takes her own life, closing the film's narrative circle. Brian Whitener, All Movie Guide.

A boy steals a knife from an old samurai, unaware of its value, setting off a strange chain of events.