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Movie Info & Details
Release Year1958
Runtime1h 40m
LanguageJapanese
CertificationNR
Genres—
Votes2
DirectorYoshihiko Okamoto
WritersTetsutarō Katō, Shinobu Hashimoto
TypeFeature Film
Rating10.0 out of 10
Cast10 credited
Also Known AsI Want to Be a Shellfish
About I Want to Be a Shellfish
Television production of I Want to Be a Shellfish. On a post-war peaceful day in Japan, Toyomatsu Shimizu, a barber as well as a good father and husband, is suddenly arrested by the Prefectural Police as a war criminal and sued for murder. According to the accusation by GHQ, Toyomatsu "attemped to kill a US prisoner", which was nothing but an order by his superior and failed after all with hurting the prisoner by weak Toyomatsu. Also, Toyomatsu was driven to corner at the trial by the fact that he fed the US prisoner some burdock roots to nourish him. Toyomatsu believes nothing but being not guilty, but he is sentenced to death by hanging. Prior to the execution, Toyomatsu writes a long farewell letter to his family, the wife and the only son: "If I ever incarnate, I hate to be a human being any more.... Oh yes, I would like to be...a shellfish living on the rock-bottom of the sea."
Directed by Yoshihiko Okamoto, I Want to Be a Shellfish leans on a strong ensemble — Frankie Sakai, Mutsuko Sakura, Toshie Takada — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 1958.
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