Snow Trail (Ginrei no hate)
Directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
Written by Akira Kurosawa
1947/Japan
Toho Company
First viewing/Hulu Plus
[box] I’m not always great in pictures, but I’m always true to the Japanese spirit. — Toshiro Mifune[/box]
Toshiro Mifune made his screen debut in this film. He’s very good but I recommend you watch this for Takashi Shimura’s brilliant performance as a thief redeemed by a mountain.
A gang of three bank robbers have made the novel decision of hiding out disguised as ski tourists in Nagano. This is made odder still by the fact that none of them skis. They are Takasugi, Ejiima (Mifune), and Nojiro (Shimura), who is the gang leader. The police are confident they are trapped like rats in a corner because there is only one road leading down from the mountains and the conditions for cross country travel are too severe for non-mountaineers.
The gang initially hides out in a hot spring resort but is forced to flee when one of the other guests spots Nojiro’s tell-tale missing fingers while bathing. They are forced to make their way to an abandoned ranger’s hut. There they divide the money three ways in case they must split up. When they hear the police dogs in the distance, they set off again through the snow. During the chase, Takasugi’s gunfire causes an avalanche that kills him and blocks off the road so that the police cannot follow.
Through sheer determination Ejima and Nojiro make it to a remote ski lodge occupied by an old man, his granddaughter, and mountain climber Honda. They have heard nothing of the bank robbery and welcome the fugitives with simple hospitality. Nojiro’s hard heart is gradually melted by the warmth of the girl and the beauty of the surroundings. Ejima, on the other hand, proves that he is psychopath with no notion of how to behave in polite society. He reacts like a tiger trapped in a cage. Eventually Ejima can stand no more, and by threatening the granddaughter, forces Honda to guide the men over the mountain.
The journey is extremely dangerous. Ejima’s selfishness threatens all of them. Honda holds fast to his mountaineer’s code and risks his life repeatedly to prevent the men from falling to their deaths. By the end of the road, it is Nojiro that will have to prove what he is made of.
I had no idea what to expect from this and ended up loving it. It is beautifully and realistically shot on location. The mountain journey is quite suspenseful. But most of all, this is one of Shimura’s finest performances. His role starts out rather small and builds until one feels enormous empathy for his character. Recommended.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-muXnmgw-to
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