SCANDAL (1950) in 35mm
Special Features: Introduction by Michael Jeck on July 15
[SHÛBUN] [醜聞]
While staying in a remote mountain village, painter Ichiro Aoye (Toshirô Mifune) gives lost tourist Miyako Saijo (Shirley Yamaguchi) a lift on his motorcycle. Unbeknownst to him, she is a famous pop star. When tabloid journalists spot the two together and print a scandalous story in their magazine, Aoye retains a lawyer (Takashi Shimura) for a lawsuit. Inspired in part by a real-life incident, the film is a critique of the unfettered liberties of Japan's post-war press and a fascinating courtroom drama. "The most intense moment of the film, the trial scene…is so good…one wonders at Kurosawa's never again taking his camera into the courtroom…he makes the most of it." – Donald Richie. DIR/SCR Akira Kurosawa; SCR Ryûzô Kikushima; PROD Akashi Code. Japan, 1950, b&w, 105 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
About Michael Jeck
Michael Jeck was the film programmer of the AFI Theater at the Kennedy Center for a decade, and for the first years of the AFI Silver Theatre. His company R5/S8 Presents premiered the uncut version of Akira Kurosawa's THE HIDDEN FORTRESS and relaunched Kihachi Okamoto's ZATOICHI MEETS YOJIMBO. He has done audio commentaries for The Criterion Collection editions of SEVEN SAMURAI and THRONE OF BLOOD, taught a class on Japanese Cinema for 12 years at George Mason University and for 30 years has written the calendar notes for the repertory programs at New York City's famed Film Forum.
Run Time: 105 Minutes
Opening Date: Friday, July 15, 2022
Genre: Drama
