Japanese Classics: “Harakiri”

Wednesday, November 7, 2018, 2 PM

Watch the trailer.

After his clan collapses, an unemployed samurai (Tatsuya Nakadai) arrives at Lord Iyi’s manor, begging for permission to commit ritual suicide on the property. Iyi’s clansmen, believing the desperate ronin is merely angling for a new position, try to force his hand—but they have underestimated his beliefs and sense of honor. Winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s Special Jury Prize, Harakiri is a fierce evocation of individual agency within a corrupt and hypocritical system. (Dir.: Masaki Kobayashi, Japan, 1962, 133 min., 35mm, Japanese with English subtitles)

  • Venue: Freer Gallery of Art
  • Event Location: Meyer Auditorium
  • Cost: Free