Sanji Goto
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The 'Japanese Charlie Chaplin'The 'Japanese Charlie Chaplin'The 'Japanese Charlie Chaplin'
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Charming
Thought lost for years, the first reel of this charming Japanese silent comedy was recently discovered in an English export print and preserved by the National Film Archive of Japan.
Dubbed "The Japanese Charlie Chaplin," Iwajiro Nakajima stars as Sanji Goto, a hapless bank teller who discovers he's heir to the fortune of a recently deceased relative, if only he can make it to America to claim the money. Seizing on the opportunity, his unscrupulous boss, himself embezzling from the bank to support his wealthy American mistress, decides to front Sanji the travel funds if he'll agree to share the inheritance. Bidding his wife adieu and boarding a charter ship, Sanji has just discovered his family's adorable dog stowed away in his luggage when the film runs out, offering a tantalizing cliffhanger of canine hijinks to come aboard the cruise liner.
In many instances explicitly aping both Chaplin's look and schtick, Nakajima nevertheless takes to his role with aplomb, proving an engaging protagonist and skilled comic actor. Similarly, the plethora of stock characters that make up the rest of the cast provide ample opportunity for added mayhem, from Nakajima's scheming boss and his coddled mistress to our protagonist's long-suffering wife and adorable baby. While not exactly a METROPOLIS-level rediscovery, this lengthy fragment proves engaging enough to make one wish the rest of the film had (or will) resurface, as well as providing another fascinating glimpse of the sadly decimated silent film history of Japan. Take the chance to see it, if you get the opportunity.
Dubbed "The Japanese Charlie Chaplin," Iwajiro Nakajima stars as Sanji Goto, a hapless bank teller who discovers he's heir to the fortune of a recently deceased relative, if only he can make it to America to claim the money. Seizing on the opportunity, his unscrupulous boss, himself embezzling from the bank to support his wealthy American mistress, decides to front Sanji the travel funds if he'll agree to share the inheritance. Bidding his wife adieu and boarding a charter ship, Sanji has just discovered his family's adorable dog stowed away in his luggage when the film runs out, offering a tantalizing cliffhanger of canine hijinks to come aboard the cruise liner.
In many instances explicitly aping both Chaplin's look and schtick, Nakajima nevertheless takes to his role with aplomb, proving an engaging protagonist and skilled comic actor. Similarly, the plethora of stock characters that make up the rest of the cast provide ample opportunity for added mayhem, from Nakajima's scheming boss and his coddled mistress to our protagonist's long-suffering wife and adorable baby. While not exactly a METROPOLIS-level rediscovery, this lengthy fragment proves engaging enough to make one wish the rest of the film had (or will) resurface, as well as providing another fascinating glimpse of the sadly decimated silent film history of Japan. Take the chance to see it, if you get the opportunity.
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- Davian_X
- Mar 24, 2019
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