, also titled ''Human'', is a 1962 Japanese

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written and directed by Kaneto Shindō. It is based on the novel ''Kaijin maru'' (海神丸) by Yaeko Nogami.

Plot

A ship loses all means of navigation in a storm. The crew becomes increasingly desperate as food and water run out. The captain, Kamegoro, prays to the sailor's god

Kompira Konpira Gongen (金毘羅権現) is a Japanese god of the Shugendō sect originating in the mountain Kotohira of Kagawa Prefecture. He is the god of merchant sailors. He is worshipped at According to legend came into existence when a priest ...

to rescue them and rations their food and water. His grandson, Sankichi, follows his grandfather, but the other two crew members, Hachizo and Gorosuke rebel and insist on eating their rations of food all at once. In a vision, Kamegoro sees Kompira, who promises to deliver rain. Then the rain comes and the threat of dying of thirst is gone, but there is no food. Each member of the crew revisits pleasant times, which are recreated as flashbacks in the film. Kamegoro also has less pleasant memories of his war service, where he saw another soldier turn to cannibalism. After weeks of hunger, Hachizo and Gorosuke think of killing and eating Sankichi. They trick him with the promise of food and then kill him with an axe. Kamegoro goes to find him. Hachizo tries to fight but they are both weakened by hunger. Gorosuke repents and begs for forgiveness. They bury Sankichi at sea. Kamegoro lies to the two remaining crew members that he has had another vision of Kompira, who has blown a ship from San Francisco off course with a typhoon so that it will find them. A ship which genuinely has been blown off course exactly as Kamegoro says then appears. They are rescued. While recovering on the deck of the ship, Gorosuke goes into a mad dance, falls into a cargo hold, and dies. Then Hachizo also commits suicide, leaving only Kamegoro alive.

Cast

* Taiji Tonoyama as Kamegoro * Nobuko Otowa as Gorozuke * Kei Satō as Hachizo * Kei Yamamoto as Sankichi *

Hideo Kanze was a Japanese actor and director, who specialized in the Noh form of musical drama. He was the second son of Kanze Tetsunojō VII, a descendant of Kan'ami and Zeami, who founded the Noh movement in the 14th century. Trained alongside his brot ...

as Kompira * Kentaro Kaji as the bosun

Awards

• 1962

Agency for Cultural Affairs The is a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It was set up in 1968 to promote Japanese arts and culture. The agency's budget for FY 2018 rose to ¥107.7 billion. Overview The age ...

Art Festival Award

Legacy

''Ningen'' was screened at the Harvard Film Archive in 2013 as part of its retrospective on the

Art Theatre Guild The Art Theatre Guild (ATG) was a Japanese film production and distribution company which started in 1961, releasing mostly Japanese New Wave and art films. The programming was complemented by a print magazine called ''Art Theatre'' containing ...

References

External links

* * * {{Kaneto Shindo 1962 films 1962 drama films Japanese drama films 1960s Japanese-language films Films directed by Kaneto Shindo Films based on Japanese novels 1960s Japanese films Films scored by Hikaru Hayashi