The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tale

Kurosawa was fond of his entertaining fourth feature, made just as the war was ending, and talked of remaking it with a bigger budget (he would give us Kagemusha and Ran instead). The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail is based on a 12th-century incident that inspired both a classical Noh drama (Ataka) and a beloved Kabuki play (Kanjincho). When a power struggle erupts between a young lord and his vengeful brother, a group of a samurai disguised as monks attempts to smuggle the lord, disguised as a porter, through hostile territory. Kurosawa’s telling of the tale draws on both the Noh and Kabuki versions, but offers one original, almost subversive twist: “Kurosawa added one character, an extra porter, and gave the part to the comedian Kenichi Enomoto, better know as Enoken — a bit like adding Jerry Lewis to the cast of Hamlet” (Donald Richie). Japanese officials, in the war’s immediate aftermath, accused Kurosawa of mocking a great classic; ironically, the film was then banned under the U.S. Occupation, when movies with “feudalistic” themes were prohibited. It remained unreleased until 1952. “Kurosawa’s [shortest] feature . . . is also one of the best of his early period" (Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader). B&W, 16mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. 59 mins.