Sanshiro Sugata Part II | |
---|---|
Directed by | Akira Kurosawa |
Screenplay by | Akira Kurosawa |
Based on | Sanshiro Sugata by Tsuneo Tomita |
Produced by | Motohiko Itō |
Starring | Susumu Fujita Denjirō Ōkōchi Kokuten Kōdō Ryūnosuke Tsukigata |
Music by | Seiichi Suzuki |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Toho (Japan) Film Distribution Inc. (USA) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 83 minutes |
Country | Japan |
Language | Japanese |
Sanshiro Sugata Part II (Japanese: 續姿三四郎, Hepburn: Zoku Sugata Sanshirō, a.k.a. Judo Saga II) is a 1945 Japanese action drama film written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. It is based on the novel by Tsuneo Tomita, son of Tomita Tsunejirō, the earliest disciple of judo. It was filmed in early 1945 in Japan towards the end of World War II. Unlike the original Sugata Sanshiro, the sequel is in part considered a propaganda film.[1]
It is believed by some to be the earliest known film sequel whose title is simply the original title followed by a number, predating the likes of Quatermass II (1957) by several years,[2] although possibly mistaken as the added kanji 續 (Zoku) is not a numeral but simply means "Continuation" or "Sequel" sort of in the style of Another Thin Man or The Invisible Man Returns.[3]
After Sanshiro Sugata, Kurosawa yielded to the times and produced two propaganda films – The Most Beautiful ... and the lacklustre Sanshiro Sugata Part II.