Samurai Saga

Japan Release: 1965
Running Time:
185 minutes

Red Beard


Japanese Title

赤ひげ
[Akahige]

Distributor: Production:

Toho
Toho

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Live Action

Box Office - Stock Footage - DVDs - CDs - Pictures - Background - Concept Art - Cut Scenes - Reviews

Titles

International Title

Red Beard

Initial US Title

Red Beard
US Distributor: Toho (1966) / Time: 185 minutes

Alternate Titles

Red Beard
[Literal translation]

 


Staff

Cast

Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Writing credits Akira Kurosawa, Ryuzo Kikushima, Hideo Oguni, Masato Ide, Shugoro Yamamoto
Produced by Ryuzo Kikushima, Tomoyuki Tanaka
Music by Masaru Sato
Cinematography by Asakazu Nakai, Takao Saito
Production Design by Yoshiro Muraki
Assistant Director Shiro Moritani
Kyojio Niide, Doctor "Red Beard" Toshiro Mifune
Noboru Yasumoto, Doctor Yuzo Kayama
Sahachi Tsutomu Yamazaki
Osugi Reiko Dan
Onaka Miyuki Kuwano
"Mantis", Madwoman Kyoko Kagawa
Genzo Tsugawa Tatsuyoshi Ehara
Otoyo Terumi Niki
Okuni, Mistress Akemi Negishi
Handayu Mori, Doctor Yoshio Tsuchiya
Goheiji Eijiro Tono
Mr. Yasumoto Chishu Ryu
Tokubei Izumiya Takashi Shimura
Kin, Madam Haruko Sugimura
Madame Yasumoto, Noboru's mother Kinuyo Tanaka
"Mantis"'s Father Eijiro Yanagi
Heikichi Koji Mitsui
Matsudaira Nobuo Chiba
Rokusuke Kamatari Fujiwara
Genpaku Amano, Masae's Father Ken Mitsuda
Chigusa, Masae's Sister Yoko Fujiyama
Masae Yoko Naito
Otoku Reiko Nanao
Okatsu Imari Tsuji
Ofuku Akiko Nomura
Otake Sue Mitobe
Choji Yoshitaka Zushi
Choji's mother Kin Sugai

Posters


DVDs and Blu-rays

United States Region 0 Red Beard SMOS (2002)
United States Region 1 Red Beard Criterion (2002) Order
Japan Region 2 Red Beard Toho (2002)
United States Region 4 Red Beard Madman (2005)

CD Soundtracks

Red Beard
Red Beard
(AK-0009)

Background and Trivia

  • Toho submitted the film to the US copyright office on March 27th, 1987 with the registration number of PA0000409341. The title used was its international title Red Beard with the alternate title being its Romaji title of Akahige.
  • The shoot for Red Beard ran way behind schedule. It ended up taking 18 months to shoot. As a result, the film was originally set for an August 1964 release and was delayed until being released in April of 1965 instead. Mentioned in Age of the Gods (self-published).
  • American actor Sidney Poitier visited the set while filming was going on, being there to witness Kamatari Fujiwara's death scene as Rokusuke. Noted in in Age of the Gods (self-published).
  • Was the top grossing domestic film of 1965 in Japan. Brought up in Japanese Cinema (ISBN: 9783822831564).

Reviews

Nicholas Driscoll Star Rating
August 3, 2009