Black Lizard
1968 · Japan · 86 min
- Director
- Kinji Fukasaku
- Screenplay
- Edogawa Ranpo
- Music
- Isao Tomita
- Production company
- Shochiku
Cast
What it is about
Black Lizard follows a cunning jewel thief who plans to kidnap Sanae Iwase, the daughter of a jeweler, in order to seize the Star of Egypt, an expensive diamond kept in the shop. To thwart the scheme, the jeweler hires the celebrated detective Kogorō Akechi. A comic but respectful rivalry develops between the two, each trying to outwit the other. Despite his efforts, the gang manages to abduct the young woman and the diamond, and the story moves to a remote island.
How it was made
Directed by Kinji Fukasaku, the film draws on a novel by Ranpo Edogawa and a stage play by Yukio Mishima, which had earlier been filmed in 1962 by Umetsugu Inoue. Shochiku produced it, and Isao Tomita composed the score. Akihiro Maruyama plays the criminal, at a time when Mishima was involved with him. The writer himself appears briefly as one of the dolls.
Reception and legacy
Released in Japan in August 1968, it was very popular on its first run, according to the director, and Shochiku offered him a follow-up. Over time it has become a cult film, valued by fans of kitsch and camp cinema. Akechi, modeled on Sherlock Holmes, remains an icon of Japanese popular culture.
Stills
Trivia
Double adaptation
Yukio Mishima's stage play had already been adapted for film in 1962 by Umetsugu Inoue.
Mishima on screen
The writer plays one of the dolls in the villain's lair, credited as a taxidermic specimen.
More films by Kinji Fukasaku
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Battle Royale
Virus
Battle Royale II: Requiem
The Green Slime
Under the Flag of the Rising SunOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.