Broken Drum (破れ太鼓)

SHOCHIKU CO., LTD

OFFICIAL ENTRY NATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS

BROKEN DRUM

Produced by KOICHIRO OGURA

Screenplay by KEISUKE KINOSHITA MASAKI KOBAYASHI

Cinematography by HIROYUKI KUSUDA

Lighting by SHIGEO TERADA

Recording by TARO TAKAHASHI

Art Direction by MOTOJI KOJIMA

Music by CHUJI KINOSHITA

Starring

TSUMASABURO BANDO

SACHIKO MURASE MASAYUKI MORI

CHUJI KINOSHITA AKIRA OIZUMI

TOSHIKO KOBAYASHI YOKO KATSURAGI

MASAYOSHI OTSUKA SADAKO SAWAMURA

JUKICHI UNO, OSAMU TAKIZAWA CHIEKO HIGASHIYAMA

EITARO OZAWA MITSUO NAGATA

Directed by KEISUKE KINOSHITA

I can't take it anymore.

No maid would stay in a home like that one.

I've put up with it for three months.

I may be a maid, not a scholar, but I am intelligent.

How dare that arrogant man call this woman stupid?

Could you stay calm after being called stupid?

It is a violation of our basic human rights

to make us work from 4:00 a.m. to midnight.

In this day and age, who would work under such conditions?

But the wife and daughters are nice people.

Yes, that's true.

But their kindness can't make up for the rudeness of the husband.

I can't tolerate being treated so badly by that man.

I'm leaving for good. Yes, I am.

Chako, Chako.

This is our good-bye.

Let me see your belly.

The little ones will be here before you know it.

Don't you let anyone push you around just because you're a girl.

- Good-bye, then. - Good-bye.

Take care of yourself.

Laundry boy!

Farewell to you.

- Are you leaving? - Yes.

Any feminist would agree with me on this.

I don't know.

What do you mean?

Look at the big house he bought.

The 'nouveau riche' showing off his wealth.

That man has bad taste in everything, yet he thinks he's great.

I'll miss you. You have much better taste than him.

I don't know about that.

You're clueless, aren't you?

No one will feed you secretly in our kitchen anymore.

Don't be mean.

I'm thinking about working at a cabaret.

I'm sure you'll do just fine.

Give me a ride to the station, will you?

Look. There's the daughter.

Oh, Miss Akiko.

You're really leaving.

I wanted to leave before your father comes home.

It's okay. I understand.

I wish you a happy marriage, and a happy life.

Excuse me, then.

Damn it!

Laundry boy!

She was a great maid.

Yes, but no one stays with us long

because my father can be so unbearable.

That's not good.

Men should be nice to women.

All my maids seem to like me.

My father always yells at them, which puts everybody ill at ease.

He didn't order you to go on this date, did he?

What if he did?

It would still be an honor.

Well, thank you for walking me home.

I had a good time, but I shouldn't keep you.

I don't mind.

You know what? I'm thirsty.

I'm sorry, but I can't offer you anything.

If you'll excuse me.

Good-bye.

Come to the party tomorrow

- Welcome back. - Good evening.

This is for my mother.

Mr. Hanada isn't with you?

Give me a break.

On the beach where I saw you last.

There was a...

It's Father's birthday, but no one's helping me.

Shall I play my newest song?

I have no time for that. Where's Akiko?

In her room, I suppose.

So many things to do.

Life can't possibly be this exhausting.

I don't know how much longer I can take it.

"To be or not to be, that is the question."

"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

and by opposing end them."

Who cares? Just come help me.

This is the essential part of the play.

"To die, to sleep, no more."

"And by a sleep to say we end."

What's the next line?

How tragic!

- Mother! I need 20,000 yen. - You think I'm crazy?

It's for a microscope for anatomy class.

Ask your father.

I would if I could. Will you ask him for me?

I'll ask him if you fry the cutlets for me.

Okay! That's why I love you!

Why didn't you invite Mr. Hanada into the house?

Mother.

How did you feel about getting married? How did you feel?

I didn't have the luxury of considering my own feelings.

I wasn't happy at all. I was crying on my wedding day.

My makeup was totally ruined.

But you still married Father.

I just accepted it as my fate, I guess.

Sometimes you make the defining decision of your life without strong convictions.

Did you two get along well?

He thinks so, but I can't say for sure.

What about me?

What about you?

"I'll give thee this plague for thy dowry."

"Be thou as chaste as ice, pure as snow,

thou shall not escape calumny."

"Get thee to a nunnery."

"Go, farewell."

I don't want to get married.

I don't even like that man.

I shouldn't marry him if I feel like this.

He may not be perfect,

but your father is eager for this arrangement.

Tell me, Mother.

What do you really think about this?

If you marry Teruo, your father will be happy.

But I can't force you to marry him if you don't want to.

You aren't formally engaged to him, so it's not too late to call it off.

Except that your father will be angry.

"Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool."

Haruko! Enough with that!

Maybe we should talk to your father when he's in a good mood.

Come help me in the kitchen.

This on top of the microscope...

"To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Farewell."

- To the kitchen, not a nunnery. - Yes.

Don't they teach anything useful in school?

For girls, learning how to cook is more important than acting.

Will you stop it? You're giving me a headache.

I need to buy more staff paper.

Don't be fancy. Just write it down in a notebook.

I'm home.

Hi there. Where's your father?

Mother.

I need to talk to you before he comes home.

- I'm busy. - It won't take long.

- What do you want? - Please sit down.

Heiji, you listen, too.

- I can't give you money. - It's not that.

Well, I want to quit working for Father.

Not again.

This time, I'm serious.

Stop tormenting me, would you?

Tormenting you? I just want your advice.

Mother.

Welcome home, Brother.

What shall I do in the kitchen?

"Get thee to a nunnery and find out."

I see. "Farewell."

Quit and then what?

Aunt Motoko and I will start a joint venture.

Mother. We want to expand her music box company.

Everything is set to go. We can start operation in a few days.

All we need is a little more capital.

- Just as I thought, it's about money. - Calm down.

No time to calm down. He'll be home any minute.

Mother. Did I make enough cutlets?

You didn't have to bring them into the living room.

We should eat them while they're hot.

Yes, let's eat.

- It's not your birthday. - True.

- Put that on the dining table. - Okay.

Mother. The future of Father's company is not so rosy.

Sooner or later, his business will go bust.

It's for the best if I go into a different line now.

Watch what you say! It's his birthday!

Anyway, about that capital,

Aunt Motoko has managed to keep the operation modest,

but we need at least two million yen for mass production.

You must be joking!

Mother!

- Akiko, help us in the kitchen. - I'm not done.

Curry rice and some croquettes.

What's going on?

- Is everything ready? - How are these meatballs?

Are these for playing catch?