Mekura no Oichi Jigokuhada
Trapped, the Crimson Bat
- Release Date
- June, 21st, 1969
- Running Time
- 87 min
- Genre
- Feature
- Color
- -
- Screening Format
- -
[ Directed by ]
[ Cast ]
[ Staff ]
- TANASHITA Teruo ── Original Story
- MATSUDA Hiroo ── Screenplay
- SUZUKI Ikuro ── Screenplay
[ Production Company ]
SHOCHIKU
[ Distributor (Japan) ]
SHOCHIKU
[ Story ]
The conflict between Oichi (Yoko Matsuyama), a blind young swordswoman who wanders around winning prize money by killing men wanted by the police, and O-en (Kikko Matsuoka), a woman hoodlum who has as her weapon a whip made of human hair, seems without end.
O-en challenges Oichi, after she interrupts her cheating a millionaire. Just when O-en seems defeated, she throws a poisonous snake at Oichi which bites her and she faints.
Oichi finds herself at the house of Mosaku (Yasunori Irikawa), a kind farmer, who soon becomes enchanted by her beauty, and moved by his sincerity, she decides to give up her desperate life and marries him.
However, their happiness is only shortlived. Bunzo (Toru Abe), the gangster boss of the village, knows through O-en, his sister who has returned to the village, about Oichi's marvelous sword-fighting technique, and attempts to force her by trick to kill Hanbei (Jushiro Konoe), a ronin.
Hanbei, adored by the farmers, has been accusing Bunzo who blackmails the poor farmers who hide rice which is to be collected as tax for the government.
Oichi, knowing Bunzo and O-en's ugly behavior, finally gives up her peaceful life with her husband. She leaves home early one morning with the cane-sword in hand, which she had hoped never to use again.
Oichi stands amidst the hoodlums headed by Bunzo and O-en who had been expecting her to have killed the ronin. She kills all, including Bunzo and O-en, angered that they compelled her to give up her peaceful life.
【Quoted from Unijapan Film Quarterly 1969 12.4】
[ Contact (International) ]
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