A Fugitive from the Past (1965) on Netflix
In 1947, two paroled convicts kill a pawnbroker in Hokkaido and flee with a third man, Takichi Inukai, through a typhoon. When two bodies wash ashore, a policeman grows suspicious.
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- Netflix4.0/5
- IMDb7.9/101,576 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
Two men released on parole rob a pawnbroker's home in Iwanai, Hokkaido, killing Sasada and his family, then set the house on fire to hide the crime. With a third man, Takichi Inukai, they cross to the Shimokita Peninsula during a typhoon. When a ferry goes down, the pair's corpses wash up on shore, and detective Yumisaka notices that neither appears on the passenger list, so he turns his attention to the missing Inukai. In Ominato, a prostitute named Yae Sugito shelters him and receives a large sum of money in return, enough to begin a new life. Questioned by Yumisaka, she says the man was not Inukai. He trails her to Tokyo and loses track of her.
Cast
- Tadashi Suganumaas Detective Sato
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about A Fugitive from the Past (1965)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The night scene of the ferry capsizing, staged with over 500 extras and a large number of cars, was delayed for days because, as Inuhiko Yomota noted, no typhoon conveniently struck, leaving director Tomu Uchida irritated and depressed. Filming ran two weeks behind schedule, ending in late October 1964.
- After Tomu Uchida refused producer Chiaki Imada's request to shorten the film, assistant director Koji Ota was ordered to make the cut and reluctantly removed 25 minutes; the dispute appeared in the press and Uchida asked that his name be taken off the film. Toei president Hiroshi Okawa then restored half of the cut material.
- For a grainy look, the film was shot on 16 mm and blown up to 35 mm, with Tomu Uchida and cinematographer Hanjiro Nakazawa using three techniques, including one that expanded footage to 25 to 30 times its original size. Uchida named the process the "W106 Method" and convinced Toei president Hiroshi Okawa it would save money.
- A labor dispute at Toei saw producer Kimiharu Tsujino replaced by Chiaki Imada, and the shooting delays wrecked the plan to premiere the film at the Agency for Cultural Affairs' annual National Arts Festival that November.
- Comedian Junzaburō Ban, who was not known for dramatic roles, got his part in the film largely because of his Tōhoku accent.
- Toei initially considered Yoshiko Sakuma for the role of Yae Sugito, which went to Sachiko Hidari, and Isamu Kosugi, first set to play Detective Yumisaka, dropped out because of scheduling conflicts.
