Kamatari Fujiwara
Encyclopedia
Kamatari Fujiwara was a Japan
ese actor
.
Born in Tokyo
, he was a long-time member of director Akira Kurosawa
's stock company, making his first appearance in a Kurosawa film alongside Takashi Shimura
in 1952's Ikiru
. He continued to appear in Kurosawa's films until his death. Though a capable and highly professional actor, his subtle technique was very often overshadowed by the charismatic performances of Shimura and Toshirō Mifune
. Today he is remembered primarily for his supporting appearances in Kurosawa's films, particularly as the suspicious farmer Manzo in Seven Samurai, the deranged former mayor in Yojimbo, the spidery treasure-seeking farmer in The Hidden Fortress
, and the drunken
Kabuki
actor in The Lower Depths
.
Kama, as he was affectionately known, had difficulty remembering lines. When Arthur Penn
, an American film director
, needed a Japanese actor for his film Mickey One
, Kurosawa suggested Fujiwara. It was his only role in a non-Japanese film, and, considering that it contained no lines, it was suited to the forgetful actor's sensibilities.
Fujiwara retired in the late 1970s, though he continued to make occasional television
appearances. His final film role was a memorable cameo in Juzo Itami
's The Funeral (お葬式, 1984).
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Born in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, he was a long-time member of director Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
's stock company, making his first appearance in a Kurosawa film alongside Takashi Shimura
Takashi Shimura
was a Japanese actor.He was born in Ikuno, Hyogo, Japan.His debut as actor was the film Akanishi Kakita and cast in the Kenji Mizoguchi's film Osaka Elegy ....
in 1952's Ikiru
Ikiru
is a 1952 Japanese film co-written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film examines the struggles of a minor Tokyo bureaucrat and his final quest for meaning. The film stars Takashi Shimura as Kanji Watanabe.-Plot:...
. He continued to appear in Kurosawa's films until his death. Though a capable and highly professional actor, his subtle technique was very often overshadowed by the charismatic performances of Shimura and Toshirō Mifune
Toshiro Mifune
Toshirō Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, from 1948 to 1965, in works such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo...
. Today he is remembered primarily for his supporting appearances in Kurosawa's films, particularly as the suspicious farmer Manzo in Seven Samurai, the deranged former mayor in Yojimbo, the spidery treasure-seeking farmer in The Hidden Fortress
The Hidden Fortress
is a 1958 jidai-geki film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshirō Mifune as General and Misa Uehara as Princess Yuki. A literal translation of the Japanese title is The Three Villains of the Hidden Fortress.-Plot:...
, and the drunken
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
Kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
actor in The Lower Depths
The Lower Depths (1957 film)
is a 1957 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa, based on the play The Lower Depths by Maxim Gorky. The film's setting was changed to Edo-period Japan.-Cast:*Sutekichi -- Toshirō Mifune*Osugi -- Isuzu Yamada*Kahei -- Bokuzen Hidari*Okayo -- Kyôko Kagawa...
.
Kama, as he was affectionately known, had difficulty remembering lines. When Arthur Penn
Arthur Penn
Arthur Hiller Penn was an American film director and producer with a career as a theater director as well. Penn amassed a critically acclaimed body of work throughout the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:...
, an American film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, needed a Japanese actor for his film Mickey One
Mickey One
Mickey One is a 1965 surrealistic dramatic film starring Warren Beatty and directed by Arthur Penn from a script by Alan Surgal. Its kaleidoscopic camerawork, film noir atmosphere, lighting and design aspects, Kafkaesque paranoia, philosophical themes and Warren Beatty's performance in the title...
, Kurosawa suggested Fujiwara. It was his only role in a non-Japanese film, and, considering that it contained no lines, it was suited to the forgetful actor's sensibilities.
Fujiwara retired in the late 1970s, though he continued to make occasional television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
appearances. His final film role was a memorable cameo in Juzo Itami
Juzo Itami
, born , was an actor and a popular modern Japanese film director. Many critics came to regard him as Japan's greatest director since Akira Kurosawa. His 10 movies, all of which he wrote himself, are comic satires on elements of Japanese culture....
's The Funeral (お葬式, 1984).
Filmography
- The Skin of the SouthThe Skin of the Southis a 1952 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Ishirō Honda.The film crew includes Akira Watanabe as art director, Kentaro Kondo as lightning technician, sound recordist Yoshio Nishikawa and director of photography Kiyoe Kawamura.-Cast:* Hajime Izu...
(南国の肌 Nangoku no hada) (1952) - Tomei NingenTomei Ningenis a black-and-white Japanese action / horror film, originally released in 1954. Produced by the Toho studio, the film is a loose adaption of the science fiction novella entitled The Invisible Man, written by British author H.G. Wells in 1897...
(透明人間) (1954) - The Lone JourneyThe Lone Journey, also known as The Road, is a 1955 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki.Production design was by Takeo Kita and Makoto Sono and sound recording was by Choshichiro Mikami...
(旅路 Tabiji) aka The Road (1955) - Romantic DaughtersRomantic Daughtersis a 1956 color Japanese film directed by Toshio Sugie. It is romance comedy film.Production designer was Shinobu Muraki, sound recordist was Shoichi Fujinawa and lighting technician was Mitsuo Kaneko.- Cast :* Hibari Misora* Chiemi Eri* Izumi Yukimura...
(ロマンス娘 Romansu musume) (1956) - The Hidden FortressThe Hidden Fortressis a 1958 jidai-geki film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshirō Mifune as General and Misa Uehara as Princess Yuki. A literal translation of the Japanese title is The Three Villains of the Hidden Fortress.-Plot:...
(隠し砦の三悪人 Kakushi toride no san akunin) (1958) - The Funeral (お葬式), 1984