Daisogen no wataridori - A recycling
of genre conventions familiar to American audiences, but with a Japanese twist,
"Eastern Westerns" like The Rambler Rides Again were a popular subgenre within
Nikkatsu Action, most of them featuring a good-hearted hero battling injustice
against the majestic outdoor backdrop of mountainous, remote
Hokkaido.
In part two of the nine-part Wanderer series (1959-1962),
Taki, a man with the looks of a Western hero--from a horse to fringe, a guitar
and even a trusty bullwhip, comes upon a village in Hokkaido populated by the
Ainu, aboriginal people of Japan. He brings in tow Nobuo, a boy abandoned by his
mother, whom Taki is searching for.
He soon becomes drawn into a conflict the villagers are having
with Kodo, a developer who wants to turn their land into an airstrip. In
addition to having the landowner's niece fall in love with him, Taki finds a
rival then an ally in Masa as they exchange snappy banter and slick moves
throughout the film.
Director: Buichi Saito
Stars: Akira Kobayashi, Ruriko Asaoka and Jo
Shishido
1960 – JAPANESE with OPTIONAL ENGLISH SUBTITLES – COLOR – 16:9
ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN - 83 MINUTES
