RIKYU [IMPORT]

Details

• Release Year: 1989
• Genre: Drama
• Plot: Sen-no Rikyu (Rentaro Mikuni), a Buddhist priest, brought the art of the tea ceremony (often said to embody the essence of Japanese culture) to perfection four centuries ago. Living is one of the most turbulent moments in Japanese history, Rikyu gained unexpected political influence as the confidant and cultural mentor to the powerful warlord, Hideyoshi Toyotomi (Tsutomu Yamazaki). Rikyu's relationship with Hideyoshi is a story that has taken on epic proportions in Japanese cultural history. The film illustrates the classic struggle between art and politics, and between the impulse to create and the impulse to destroy. Like England's Thomas Beckett and Sir Thomas More, Rikyu was a spiritual mentor whose integrity eventually offended his powerful master, who demanded his death. Rikyu plays like a Japanese version of Beckett or A man for All Seasons.
• Cast: Rentarô Mikuni, Yoshiko Mita, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kyôko Kishida, Tanie Kitabayashi, Sayaka Yamaguchi, Ryô Tamura, Kôshirô Matsumoto, Kichiemon Nakamura, Yasosuke Bando, Akira Kubo, Keishi Arashi, Hisashi Igawa, Ichirô Zaitsu, Hideo Kanze, Masao Imafuku, Ruis Marques, Donald Richie, Hiroshi Teshigahara, Genpei Akasegawa, Yaeko Nogami
• Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara
• Runtime: 1:56
• Company: Slingshot Entertainment, Capitol Entertainment
• Media Format: Movie