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Why Not? poster
2h 31m

Why Not? (1981)

Overview

The film depicts carnivalesque atmosphere summed up by the cry "Ei ja nai ka" ("Why not?") in Japan in 1867 and 1868 in the days leading to the Meiji Restoration. It examines the effects of the political and social upheaval of the time, and culminates in a revelrous march on the Tokyo Imperial Palace, which turns into a massacre. Characteristically, Imamura focuses not on the leaders of the country, but on characters in the lower classes and on the fringes of society.
64%
Shōhei Imamura profile
Shōhei Imamura

Director

Ken Miyamoto profile
Ken Miyamoto

Screenplay

Cast

Shigeru Izumiya profile
Shigeru Izumiya

Genji

Kaori Momoi profile
Kaori Momoi

Ine

Masao Kusakari profile
Masao Kusakari

Itoman

Ken Ogata profile
Ken Ogata

Furukawa

Norihei Miki profile
Norihei Miki

Masuya

Junzaburō Ban profile
Junzaburō Ban

Toramatsu

Mitsuko Baisho profile
Mitsuko Baisho

Oko

Shigeru Tsuyuguchi profile
Shigeru Tsuyuguchi

Kinzo

Ако profile
Ако

Oyoshi

Shōhei Hino profile
Shōhei Hino

Magoshichi

Shino Ikenami profile
Shino Ikenami

Yoshino

Etsuko Ikuta profile
Etsuko Ikuta

Nui

Shigeru Izumiya profile
Shigeru Izumiya

Genji

Kaori Momoi profile
Kaori Momoi

Ine

Masao Kusakari profile
Masao Kusakari

Itoman

Ken Ogata profile
Ken Ogata

Furukawa

Norihei Miki profile
Norihei Miki

Masuya

Junzaburō Ban profile
Junzaburō Ban

Toramatsu

Mitsuko Baisho profile
Mitsuko Baisho

Oko

Shigeru Tsuyuguchi profile
Shigeru Tsuyuguchi

Kinzo

Ако profile
Ако

Oyoshi

Shōhei Hino profile
Shōhei Hino

Magoshichi

Shino Ikenami profile
Shino Ikenami

Yoshino

Etsuko Ikuta profile
Etsuko Ikuta

Nui

Extra

Release Date

January 8, 1981

Original Language

Japanese

Budget

$0.00

Production Company

Imamura Productions logoShochiku logo

Available On

Criterion Channel logoYou can visit JustWatch for more information.

Videos

Why Not (1981) // Bande-annonce (VO) thumbnail
Why Not (1981) // Bande-annonce (VO)

Images

movie backdrop 0

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