Double Suicide of Sonezaki
Japan has long employed suicide as a tool of social protest. In this film set in 1703, the development of a new merchant class transforms samurai society. Elements of the social contract are beginning to unravel, and some unscrupulous individuals take advantage of these developments prior to the reestablishment of social order. In this story, a wealthy businessman pays his employee with an IOU. When the clerk gives the paper to the merchant at the agreed upon time and asks for payment, the merchant becomes enraged and believes the clerk is attempting to swindle him. Then, he orders his goons to give a beating to the clerk.
Released: 1978-04-29