Sharaku (1995)
Original title: 写楽
Sharaku is a 1995 Japanese-language drama movie directed by Masahiro Shinoda, with a running time of 2h 20m. It stars Hiroyuki Sanada, Shima Iwashita and Frankie Sakai.
A crippled kabuki player is taken into a strolling company of itinerant actors. An influential publisher notices his honest, bold drawings, and nurtures him despite persecution and betrayal. The film explores the eternal relationship between artist and producer, and describes the emanicipation of a man who refuses to let himself become the plaything of power and money.
Cast
- Hiroyuki Sanada as Tonbo
- Shima Iwashita as Okan
- Frankie Sakai as Tsutaya
- Tsurutaro Kataoka as Ikugorō
- Shiro Sano as Utamaro
- Riona Hazuki as Hanasato
- Toshiya Nagasawa as Tetsuzō
- Haruko Katō as Ofuji
- Taiko Shinbashi as Osato
- Masumi Miyazaki as Gohi
- Chōichirō Kawarasaki as Santō Kyōden
- Takashi Tsumura as Manager Yohei