Under the Blossomlng Cherry Trees
Produced by Ichiro Sato and Kiichi Ichikawa
Based on the novel by Ango Sakaguchi
Screenplay by Taeko Tomioka and Masahiro Shinoda
Cinematography by Tatsuo Suzuki
Original Music by Toru Takemitsu and Shinichiro lkebe
Cast
Tomisaburo Wakayama
Shima lwashita
Hiroko lsayama
Kou Nishimura
Directed by Masahiro Shinoda
When cherry trees blossom, people have parties.
They sit under the trees with food and beverages.
"Oh, how beautifull" "Spring is in its prime!"
That's all nonsense.
Cherry blossoms have just become an excuse for a party.
People have done this for the last few hundred years, since the Edo period.
Before that, the trees were considered horrifying.
Imagine being the only one underneath the blossoming cherry trees.
People thought that they'd lose their minds by walking under the blossoms.
Travelers made detours, going out of their way to avoid the flowering trees.
Well trodden paths formed far from the cherry trees.
No one walked through the trees then. lt was quiet.
Take it off!
Give me everything you have
Take it off!
Why are you clinging on to her?
You told me that you wouldn't kill me...
You.
You're too beautiful to kill
You're my wife now
Then carry me on your back
l'm not suited to mountain climbing.
Can't you walk faster? l thought you were a man.
You'd better walk from here
lt's dangerous to carry you.
l won't walk lf it's so dangerous for you to walk
...how am l supposed to walk by myseIf? Is it possible?
I see what you mean.
lt's not that walking uphill is too much for me...
but can l put you down just once?
Why ?
l can't see you when you are on my back.
l don't have eyes on the back of my head.
Let me put you down once so l can see your face
No, you won't do that.
l don't want to stop here. lt's so Ionely here.
You're a man, aren't you?
lf you can't endure carrying me without a break, l won't be your wife.
lf you're going to make me feeI lonely again, l'll kill myself.
All right, all right.
l'll do anything you ask.
Why do you have to climb this steep hill?
Why don't you go through the cherry trees over there?
No... There's no going through those trees.
Why not?
Because if we did, we would Iose our minds.
l have walked through them once
lt was calm, with no wind but there was a rumble.
lt was terrifying. The cherry blossoms...
You don't hesitate to kill people but you're afraid of flowers.
All the mountains you can see belong to me.
Yes? So what?
Listen.
All the mountains you see..
..every single tree in the mountains and every ravine...
Even the fog and cIouds in the mountains are mine
ls that bird yours too?
lt is
Then run after it and catch it for me.
Not with you on my back.
How frustrating!
Are you so tired that you can't run?
You aren't as strong as you Iook.
l thought l'd become the wife of the manliest of men
What am l to expect from this marriage?
Don't be silly...
Once l'm out of the hills
...l'll run like a deer.
But you're wheezing.
You're pale, too.
Water.
Get me some water!
Who are these wild women?
Them? They are..
..used to be my wives.
Wives? These women?
Filthy women...
l had never seen a beautifuI woman until l met you.
Kill that woman for me.
She doesn't have to be killed.
Think of her as a maid.
You killed my husband but you hesitate to kill your wife?
How can l be your wife then?
Kill her too!
Don't stop! She's hanging onto the tree!
There's one behind the bush!
Don't miss anybody!
You can spare that one.
l want her as my maid.
There's no reason to leave one alive
You silly thing.
She lives because l say so.
So this is your house
l must be the strongest man on earth.
What's this you're feeding me?
This is food for dogs. Do you expect me to eat it everyday?
For me this is a feast.
l'm only able to eat food like this once a month.
lt must be a feast for a man like you
But l'm not putting this in my mouth!
You took away my city Iife from me.
All l have now are the cries of crows and owls to listen to.
Aren't you ashamed of yourself?
Keeping me in the middle of nowhere
The least you can do is to feed me something exquisite.
l miss the Capital city...
l know you can't imagine how elegant things are in the city.
But here, l don't even have a woman's dire necessities like combs
Lip rouge.
Don't touch me!
You have animal bIood on your hands!
Buddha is with you wherever you are
Not in reality but in the heart that sees
ln the dawn when nothlng is awake
He comes to you in a dreamy haze
Where's the water?
Water?
Here's the water
What's so great about them?
You cannot touch them.
Why do you have to touch them every day?
They Iook so mysterious...
What's mysterious?
You know.
They're just mysterious.
Get some good, straight pieces of wood for me!
What's that thing called?
lt's called a lounge chair.
What do you use it for?
ls there anybody as strong as l am in the Capital?
l'm not even afraid of boar's tusks.
Does anybody have tusks in the Capital?
To hell with the city!
What are you thinking about?
ls there anybody with tusks in the Capital?
There are men with swords and bows.
l can hit a sparrow with an arrow from the other side of the valley.
Even in the Capital, nobody's skin is thick enough to break my sword.
How silly you are..
Warriors wear armor.
Armor? ls it strong enough to break my sword?
lt is
Even if my sword broke...
...l could wrestle a bear to the ground.
You are such a disappointment
You were so strong, wild and manly when l first met you.
That's why l agreed to be your wife.
Now you can do nothing to satisfy me
We're not in the city. We're in the mountains.
Stop saying how strong you are
Just take me to the Capital city.
And bring me everything l desire.
The Capital.
Take me back there
And dress me in the beautiful kimonos and jewelry that l Iove
Use your strength to please me.
l can do that so easily.
l'll get a pile of kimonos and jewelry for you within three days.
lt's been snowing for three days
When are we going to the city?
We should have left before the leaves began to fall.
You're too indecisive.
l'm sick and tired of life in the mountains
l have to see the cherry trees first.
The cherry bIossoms?
Soon the snow will stop and spring will follow.
The cherry blossoms will bIoom and l must see that before we leave.
What kind of nonsense is that?
l want to walk through the cherry trees.
Do you want to tell me why ?
Because of the bIossoms.
Because of the blossoms. Why?
When the cherry trees are in fulI blossom.
..a cold breeze goes through the trees making a rumbling sound.
You toId me that.
And if you walk through the trees you'll lose your mind.
Because it seems endless
You mean you can't see ahead?
Maybe l want to go through the cherry trees...
..and hear the rumbling sound
You'll lose your mind.
Sounds fun. Take me there
No, l can't.
l have to go by myself.
Turnips. How about some turnips?
Look at them, fresh out of the fieIds.
How about one for dinner? Nobody has turnips as fresh as these.
What do you want?
Just looking.
You're just looking!
lf you just want to look, then look at a painting of a turnip.
Liquor!
More!
He drinks Iike an animal.
He doesn't know how to use money.
Princess of Rokujo is passing by.
Behave yourself!
Get away from the carriage.
l said get away!
The princess has been waiting for you.
She's looking forward to seeing you, my Lord.
You're not Masatsune...
You are...
No!
You recognize me, don't you?
l'm Lord Dainagon The man you despise
l pretended to be Masatsune, the man you love and desire...
...to consummate my lustful desires.
l love you so much, l aImost hate you
How dare you deceive me like this?
l've been violated. l can never meet Masatsune again.
l'll begin a religious life. l'll become a nun.
Become a nun if you want to.
But l'll follow you all the way to hell if l have to.
Lord Dainagon.
Eat the princess's cheek
Oh, it's delicious.
Let's eat the princess's throat, too.
How about a bite of an eye balI?
This is too good to believe
Go ahead, bite and chew on it!
l didn't know that you'd returned.
They're aIl no good...
l want a fat, villainous character.
Someone who looks Iike he would kill the prinoess.
Hey! Did you move the head of an official?
You poor miserable man! You're in love with this girI!
lt wasn't me.
The maid, then. l told her not to touch anything!
The Kitayama family is here. Over there are the official's men.
Where did she move them? She's good for nothing...
The princess of Rokujo
She couldn't hate Lord Dainagon more if she tried.
She accepts her tragic fate though.
...and becomes a nun.
But Lord Dainagon visits her at the monastery...
...and rapes her head
The princess decides to take her own life but the Lord stops her..
Oh, l can't stand women like you!
And you are too heavy for me to carry !
Lord Dainagon...
You look like such a lecherous man.
Hello, there!
You idiot! Don't stick around here like a cow!
Out of my way!
What's your problem, idiot?
Torimaru! Torimaru!
Somebody, help my child!
Come any closer and l'll kill him!
Come out quietly.
lf you don't come out, we'll kill you.
Go in and catch him!
Who are those men in white?
They are the Pardoned ones.
The Pardoned ones
What's that mean?
They are criminaIs. Thieves. Murderers.
Horrible bunoh, those men
ln exchange for being pardoned they catch other criminals
They are scum. Lower than dogs.
What is it?
l'll let the boy go Then give me a pardon
There are too many people in the city.
l like you dogs
You don't talk.
Buddha is with you wherever you are
ln the dawn when nothing is awake
He comes to you in a dreamy haze
You're in a good mood.
The city's so boring
Aren't you bored with it?
Not really.
Do you like it here?
Yes, l do. The food's better here than in the mountains.
Pretty kimonos.
And lots of people l never get bored talking to them.
The more l talk, the more bored l get.
That's not true. You don't talk
lt's so aggravating having so many people around.
l don't feeI like talking
Just talk. You'll be fine.
What is there to talk about?
Anything you want to say
l have nothing to talk about
She was upset about the monk's head.
She wants a meaner looking monk.
You better get one if you want to sleep with her.
Buddha is with you wherever you are
Not in reality but in the heart that sees
Come on, young one
Suck on it.
The taste of a woman's nipple is quite exquisite too.
Have you ever had any body besides young boys?
How do you find the taste?
Suck harder.
Harder. Good.
l'lI take you to nirvana.
Another day ends. Soon night falls...
l'Il get more heads.
Another day begins.
The sun rises again.
The sun sets and night falls...
Not in reality but in the heart that sees
ln the dawn when nothlng is awake
He comes to you in a dreamy haze
Buddha is with you wherever you are
Not in reality but in the heart that sees
Don't you have enough heads?
Can you get me a dancer's head tonight?
l want a pretty one l'm going to make her dance
l'll make her dance to my songs.
l want more than one girl.
5 or 6 of them to make the party interesting.
l don't want to go any more.
What's got into you?
Night after night, you brought me so many heads...
Now you've become a coward.
That's right.
You're nothing but a coward
l'm not a coward.
What then!?
lt's never ending...
What a funny thing to say
Nothing ever ends. Anything's endless
We eat until we die. We sleep until we die. lt's the same thing
lt's not the same as beheading people.
Explain to me how different it is.
Girl dancers, understand?
Five dancers' heads all together!
Everyone, we'll drink the night away.
Come with me.
What's wrong?
Are you afraid of her?
No.
What's wrong then?
l don't know...
But l...
l can't make love to you anymore.
Do you still like it in the city?
l do
l want to get out of here.
l hate city life.
Are you going to Ieave her?
Could you really do it?
Where have you been?
Fix me something to eat now.
Can you spare anything to eat?
What's funny?
Who in the hell...
..begs from the beggars?
Thief! Catch him!
What do you want?
What have l done?
Just get him.
Why hasn't he come back yet?
We can't start the party without the dancers.
Am l right?
Don't you want to start drinking?
Don't you want to listen to my songs?
He may not be coming back.
He told me that he'd had enough of this place.
Or maybe he's found somebody even more beautiful than you.
Stop that nonsense!
How do you figure he can live without me?
l don't know...
He's tired of chopping off heads.
He's never stayed out before, has he?
Shut up!
You must be associated with the Head Chopper...
who's been terrorizing the Capital
Associated with?
l'm not some underling!
You mean, you're the Head Chopper?
You're a thief and a beggar! How can you be the Head Chopper?
Confess! Speak up!
lf you don't, you'll be beaten to death
Tell us where the Head Chopper is
then you'll be pardoned.
lf you're pardoned...
...you'll be one of us..
...beating somebody else with a stick.
l don't know
l'm not an underling.
The cherry trees are bIossoming...
The cherry trees in the mountains...
..must be in flower now...
Put that on if you want to live.
lf you don't put it on, you'll be beheaded tomorrow morning
We know about your crime.
Where's the golden lion you smuggled out of China?
Where is it?
lt's here!
Out of the way!
Oh, l see... l see. Thank you
Thank you very much Thank you
lt's hot. Let's have a swim.
We are on duty.
That's why we want to swim.
Once back at headquarters, we'Il have to behave ourselves.
l say you should swim with us too.
No, thank you.
lf you don't swim with us, we might get in trouble later..
You have to swim with us.
l'Il help you.
You call us scumbags but...
...you're not so different from us after all.
He's running away!
Get him, hurry !
l did you a favor and had you pardoned...
l'll show you what you get if you humiIiate an official
Let me remind you who l am
You think l'm just the Head Chopper's underling
You can't see what's in front of you!
Listen well.
l'm the Head Chopper, the terror of the Capital!
And l've been humiliated!
I'll show you
...how l chop off heads!
Where have you been?
How could you leave me for almost one week?
But you've come back to me.
How could l have asked you for the heads of five dancers?
l'm sorry Such an impossible request.
You have to forgive me.
l've been so lonely without you
You have to understand. So lonesome..
Care for anything more to eat?
l
l'm...
l'm going back to the mountains.
Are you going to leave me here?
How dare you do such a cruel thing to me?
You're going back to the mountains alone.
You have no mercy, no compassion!
l'm a fish out of water in the city.
Even if you're with me?
l'm exhausted from living here.
But l'm here! l'm the one you Iove
lf you don't want to be where l am...
...you probably don't love me any more.
lt's just so boring here.
While l was waiting for your return.
...all l was thinking about was you
But you're leaving me.
Because you love it here.
This is the only place you can live.
On the other hand
...l can only relax in the mountains.
You don't understand me at all, do you?
This is how things are. l can't live without you.
And l can't live in the oity.
You really are dense, aren't you!
Don't you know what l'm saying to you?
lf you're going back, l'm coming with you
l can't last even a single day without you.
l don't know how it's possible.
Are you sure you can live in the mountains?
l can live wherever you are.
There are no heads to bring you in the mountains.
lf l have to choose between you and heads..
...l'll choose you.
Are you sure?
l can easily give up the heads for you l just want you.
Let's go back then
Back to the mountains
To the mountains.
Back to my mountains.
We'll come back soon anyway.
There's no way l'm staying up there forever.
l will persuade him to come back. Do y ou understand?
So you wait for us.
Take care of the house, okay ?
The Pardoned.
The Pardoned!
Die!
Are people supposed to walk along here?
l can't see any path.
This is a shortcut
A shortcut that nobody uses.
lt was sunny just like this on the first day l met you.
l was thinking about that too.
The first time l saw your face...
l couldn't believe such a beautiful woman existed on earth.
Would you carry me on your back like you did then?
l can't walk here There's no path.
l'll carry you.
l must be dreaming. l'm back in the mountains with you.
This isn't a dream
l'm your wife I'll go wherever you go.
But hold on a minute...
This isn't the same way we took to your house.
This way we can see the cherry blossoms
Are you sure?
Won't we Iose our minds if we walk through the flowering cherry trees?
Don't worry.
You're so gentIe to me.
And we're going baok together. Nothing can scare me now.
No! She's not the demon! Where's the demon?
Why are you dead?
Why ?
My woman.
My wife.
She's dead
Don't touch me.