Description:

Guitar wo motta wataridori - An ex-cop-turned-travelling-musician comes to town and fights evil doers who control the people.

It’s towards the end of the 1950’s and rambling guitarist Shinji Taki roams the Japanese countryside on horseback. The young man, a cross between Elvis Presley and Jesse James, is as handy with a six-string guitar as he is with a six-shooter gun.

One morning he strolls into Hakodate with guitar on his back, his skills land him a job with a big shot local land owner, but he’s nearly killed when an illegal import deal goes array at sea. The result is action entertainment reminiscent of a Western movie, with songs, anger filled fist-fights and gun battles.

The first in a series of nine films that enchanted the Japanese between 1959 and 1962. The Rambling Guitarist blurs the distinctions between the genres, it's at the crossroads between Thriller, Western and Musical, the film has both moments of action (shoot-outs, a burning ranch) and romantic interludes.

Director: Buichi Saito

Stars: Akira Kobayashi, Ruriko Asaoka and Jo Shishido

1959 – JAPANESE with OPTIONAL ENGLISH SUBTITLES – COLOR – 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN - 77 MINUTES