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The Thick-Walled Room

Original title: Kabe atsuki heya
  • 19561956
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
556
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Kabe atsuki heya (1956)
  • Drama
A group of rank-and-file Japanese soldiers are jailed for crimes against humanity, themselves victims of a nation refusing to bear its burdens as a whole.A group of rank-and-file Japanese soldiers are jailed for crimes against humanity, themselves victims of a nation refusing to bear its burdens as a whole.A group of rank-and-file Japanese soldiers are jailed for crimes against humanity, themselves victims of a nation refusing to bear its burdens as a whole.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
556
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Masaki Kobayashi
  • Writer
    • Kôbô Abe
  • Stars
    • Kô Mishima
    • Torahiko Hamada
    • Keiko Kishi
Top credits
  • Director
    • Masaki Kobayashi
  • Writer
    • Kôbô Abe
  • Stars
    • Kô Mishima
    • Torahiko Hamada
    • Keiko Kishi
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 3User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos7

    Kabe atsuki heya (1956)
    Kabe atsuki heya (1956)
    Kabe atsuki heya (1956)
    Kabe atsuki heya (1956)
    Kabe atsuki heya (1956)
    Kabe atsuki heya (1956)

    Top cast

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    Kô Mishima
    • Yokotaas Yokota
    Torahiko Hamada
    • Yamashitaas Yamashita
    Keiko Kishi
    Keiko Kishi
    • Yoshikoas Yoshiko
    Toshiko Kobayashi
    • Yamashita's sisteras Yamashita's sister
    Eitarô Ozawa
    Eitarô Ozawa
    Junko Anami
    Tomio Aoki
    Tomio Aoki
    Yoshiko Ashigawa
    Tadashi Azuma
    Shûichi Doki
    Shigemichi Dôsan
    Shôichi Fujioka
    Toshirô Hayano
    Kan Hayashi
    Michiya Higuchi
    Hiroshi Hijikata
    Chûkan Inagawa
    Shôbun Inoue
    Shôbun Inoue
    • Director
      • Masaki Kobayashi
    • Writer
      • Kôbô Abe
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    From the Criterion Collection: "Among the first Japanese films to deal directly with the scars of World War II, this drama about a group of rank-and-file Japanese soldiers jailed for crimes against humanity was adapted from the diaries of real prisoners. Because of the inflammatory content, the film was shelved by the studio for three years before being released." —Santteresa
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    • Plot summary
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    • Genre
      • Drama
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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Masaki Kobayashi's first major film. Its political subject matter was considered controversial at the time it was made, and Kobayashi was asked to make severe cuts and alterations. He opted instead to shelve it, and the film was released unaltered four years later. During those four years he mostly made innocuous domestic dramas, before returning to more politically-charged filmmaking with Ningen no jôken (1959).

    User reviews3

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Kobayashi's study of a world gone mad
    "Kabe atsuki heya" (or "The Thick-Walled Room") was the third film of director Masaki Kobayashi, who would go on to make such masterworks as "The Human Condition", "Hara-kiri", and "Samurai Rebellion". In "The Thick-Walled Room", one can see many of the elements Kobayashi would use to greater effect in those later films – the sense of political consciousness, the criticism of corruption within society, and the focus on human failings.

    The film takes place four years after the end of World War II, and concerns a group of low-ranking Japanese soldiers imprisoned by the Americans for war crimes. It soon becomes clear that these people are small fry, forced into their actions by their superiors and doomed to take the fall for the actions of the army. Meanwhile, their superiors, who are shown to be brutal and actually bear most of the guilt, manage to escape unscathed.

    As you can imagine, this subject matter was considered most controversial during the time the film was being made. The studio, afraid the film would offend Americans, demanded the film be severely cut. Kobayashi refused to do this, and so the film was shelved for three years. Although completed in 1953, it did not come out until 1956. Then it was lost in obscurity once again – that is, until the Criterion Collection finally released it on DVD as part of its Eclipse Series. At last, as of April 2013, "The Thick-Walled Room" can be widely seen.

    Of course, the film isn't as polished as Kobayashi's greatest work, and it is clear that at this point he was still maturing as a filmmaker. But there is, nevertheless, a lot that is very good about this film. The prisoners are not depicted as wronged saints but as fallible human beings. They can be arrogant, deluded. They have tempers. They can be cruel to one another. The backstories and histories of these characters are also quite well-handled. Through these histories, Kobayashi is able to broaden his scope and analyze the after-effects of the war all across Japan, and not just focus on the goings-on inside the prison. One example of how Kobayashi does this is when one of the prisoners recollects a girl he met during the war. He is infatuated with the memory of her, idealizing her innocence and purity, and has hopes of settling down with her if he ever is set free. But the prisoner's brother, who comes sometimes to visit him, knows the hollowness of these fantasies. That innocent girl has grown into a cynical prostitute. Her character makes a bitter remark on the state of the nation that rings throughout the film: "The war made us insane. And we're still insane."

    "The Thick-Walled Room" is an interesting study of degradation and corruption in postwar Japan. It is also compelling for what it shows about Masaki Kobayashi's early career. Hopefully, now that the film is more readily available, more people will have the chance to see it.
    helpful•24
    1
    • TheHighVoltageMessiah
    • Apr 17, 2013

    Details

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    • Release date
      • October 31, 1956 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Languages
      • Japanese
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Rummet med de tjocka väggarna
    • Production companies
      • Shinei Productions
      • Shochiku
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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