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The Song Lantern

Original title: Uta andon
  • 1943
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
184
YOUR RATING
The Song Lantern (1943)
Drama

A self-absorbed young actor humiliates an elderly Noh performer, who then commits suicide. His act of cruelty compels his father to disown him, leading the once promising actor to a life on ... Read allA self-absorbed young actor humiliates an elderly Noh performer, who then commits suicide. His act of cruelty compels his father to disown him, leading the once promising actor to a life on the streets. But his desire to win back the respect of his father and the affection of the... Read allA self-absorbed young actor humiliates an elderly Noh performer, who then commits suicide. His act of cruelty compels his father to disown him, leading the once promising actor to a life on the streets. But his desire to win back the respect of his father and the affection of the dead actor's daughter pushes him toward a more noble existence.

  • Director
    • Mikio Naruse
  • Writers
    • Kyôka Izumi
    • Mantaro Kubota
  • Stars
    • Shôtarô Hanayagi
    • Eijirô Yanagi
    • Ichijirô Ôya
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    184
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Mikio Naruse
    • Writers
      • Kyôka Izumi
      • Mantaro Kubota
    • Stars
      • Shôtarô Hanayagi
      • Eijirô Yanagi
      • Ichijirô Ôya
    • 1User review
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos8

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    Top cast19

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    Shôtarô Hanayagi
    Shôtarô Hanayagi
    • Onchi Kitahachi
    Eijirô Yanagi
    Eijirô Yanagi
    • Jirozou
    Ichijirô Ôya
    • Onchi Genjiro
    Kan Ishii
    • Henmi Sessou
    Isuzu Yamada
    Isuzu Yamada
    • O-Sode
    Eiichi Seto
    • Gen-ichi
    Masao Murata
    • Muneyama
    Ichirô Minami
    • Shounin (Merchant)
    Keitaro Yoshioka
    • Fuji-ya no shujin
    Ichirô Watanabe
    • Onchi-ke no deshi
    Masao Yamaguchi
    • Onchi-ke no deshi
    Hideo Nakagawa
    • Onchi-ke no deshi
    Kiyoshi Makino
    • Onchi-ke no deshi
    • (as Kiyoshi Harumoto)
    Akira Shima
    • Onchi-ke no deshi
    Akio Hanada
    • Onchi-ke no deshi
    Tamae Kiyokawa
    Keitarô Matsumiya
    • Masseur
    Tetsunosuke Tatsumi
    • Boatman
    • Director
      • Mikio Naruse
    • Writers
      • Kyôka Izumi
      • Mantaro Kubota
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews1

    7.0184
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    Featured reviews

    7simon-1303

    A morality tale in the world of Noh

    This is a modern fairy story. It's a little hard to talk about without revealing the plot, but major themes are the evil consequences of arrogance, the redeeming power of guilt, the importance of a woman's virtue, the need for expiation of one's sins, the role of family and the power of forgiveness.

    There's a fair bit of Noh in it, which is an acquired taste for some, but even if you don't understand any allusions, the film is still worth watching.

    As ever in Naruse, some beautiful scenes, excellent camera-work and convincing interaction. It is a little stilted and contrived compared with his other films, and the acting is less powerful, with much less emphasis on womens' characters, but this is doubtless a response to the Noh context.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Soundtracks
      Kagami-jishi
      Kabuki

      Played at opening scene

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • January 21, 2006 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • 歌行燈
    • Production companies
      • Shinsei Eigasha
      • Toho Film (Eiga) Co. Ltd.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 33m(93 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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