Scandal is one of famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's earlier efforts before he secured his international reputation with such classic films as Seven Samurai.
Kurosawa stated he made the film as an attack on tabloid journalism particularly in the way innocent people are exploited for financial gain.
The story begins with the motorcycle riding artist Ichiro Aoe (Toshiro Mifune) who takes a trip to up in the mountains to paint some of the scenic vistas in that area. Aoe ends up giving a well-known classical singer Miyako Saijo (Shirley Yamaguchi) a ride back to the hotel where they both coincidentally are staying.
Saijo doesn't like to give interviews so the paparazzi from the scandal sheet Amour take a photograph of Aoe and Saijo together in her hotel room and then publish it along with a salacious story that the two are involved in a steamy relationship.
The story becomes a sensation throughout the country depressing both Aoe and Saijo who resent the crowds who attend their concerts and art exhibitions in droves.
Aoe decides to sue Amour much to the chagrin of the owner and main editor. The depictions of these characters are very believable and is the main reason why you should watch the film.
But Aoe and Saijo are peripheral figures in the drama. Enter ambulance chasing attorney Hiruta (Takashi Shimura) who calls on Aoe and offers his services pro bono.
Aoe isn't sure if he can trust Hiruta and pays a visit to his home where he meets his saintly daughter Masako (Yoko Katsuragi) bedridden with tuberculosis for five years. Aoe believes the attorney can't be that bad if he has such a good daughter and agrees to have him be his representative at trial.
And it's Masako who tries to steer her father straight. Knowing that he's a weak person, Hiruta continually refers to himself as a "worm." True to character, Hiruta takes a bribe from the Amour publisher and agrees to work against Aoe by failing to cross-examine witnesses or answer the defense attorney's probing questions.
Right before Masako tragically dies, she presciently declares that Aoe will win at trial. At the last minute, Hiruta (perhaps in an effort to honor his deceased daughter) confesses he received a 100,000-yen check from the Amour publisher to throw the trial. The check is introduced as evidence substantiating Aoe's claims of defamation.
While Kurosawa aptly condemns the gossipmongers and those tabloid journalists who exploit others for profit, he is also criticizing decent people who go wrong by giving in to temptation.
The fear of humiliation is far worse in Japanese culture than in western circles and therefore Kurosawa is saying accepting humiliation is far preferable to failing to "do the right thing." So, Hiruta's admission of guilt which may lead to criminal prosecution pales in comparison to the psychological humiliation he must endure.
To western ears, a character like Hiruta seems rather pathetic. But from a Japanese perspective this was a revolutionary act.
Unfortunately, Kurosawa's "good guys" remain just that throughout. The beleaguered artist and co-plaintiff singer are one-dimensional characters designed to reflect the triumph over a corrupt system. Unlike Kurosawa's antagonists-the Amour staff, owner, and editor-who are true to life, nothing much can be said of their opponents who predictably win in the end.
Kurosawa appears to have been heavily influenced by American cinema-some have remarked a few scenes are reminiscent of Frank Capra's work. Indeed, with all those Christmas songs and Hiruta's anguish (akin to George Bailey in his darkest moments), one can make a case Kurosawa had seen "It's a Wonderful Life" several times before undertaking this particular project.
Scandal features a heady verisimilitude in terms of its expose of tabloid journalism. But the rest of the story is too sentimental to be taken too seriously.
Kurosawa stated he made the film as an attack on tabloid journalism particularly in the way innocent people are exploited for financial gain.
The story begins with the motorcycle riding artist Ichiro Aoe (Toshiro Mifune) who takes a trip to up in the mountains to paint some of the scenic vistas in that area. Aoe ends up giving a well-known classical singer Miyako Saijo (Shirley Yamaguchi) a ride back to the hotel where they both coincidentally are staying.
Saijo doesn't like to give interviews so the paparazzi from the scandal sheet Amour take a photograph of Aoe and Saijo together in her hotel room and then publish it along with a salacious story that the two are involved in a steamy relationship.
The story becomes a sensation throughout the country depressing both Aoe and Saijo who resent the crowds who attend their concerts and art exhibitions in droves.
Aoe decides to sue Amour much to the chagrin of the owner and main editor. The depictions of these characters are very believable and is the main reason why you should watch the film.
But Aoe and Saijo are peripheral figures in the drama. Enter ambulance chasing attorney Hiruta (Takashi Shimura) who calls on Aoe and offers his services pro bono.
Aoe isn't sure if he can trust Hiruta and pays a visit to his home where he meets his saintly daughter Masako (Yoko Katsuragi) bedridden with tuberculosis for five years. Aoe believes the attorney can't be that bad if he has such a good daughter and agrees to have him be his representative at trial.
And it's Masako who tries to steer her father straight. Knowing that he's a weak person, Hiruta continually refers to himself as a "worm." True to character, Hiruta takes a bribe from the Amour publisher and agrees to work against Aoe by failing to cross-examine witnesses or answer the defense attorney's probing questions.
Right before Masako tragically dies, she presciently declares that Aoe will win at trial. At the last minute, Hiruta (perhaps in an effort to honor his deceased daughter) confesses he received a 100,000-yen check from the Amour publisher to throw the trial. The check is introduced as evidence substantiating Aoe's claims of defamation.
While Kurosawa aptly condemns the gossipmongers and those tabloid journalists who exploit others for profit, he is also criticizing decent people who go wrong by giving in to temptation.
The fear of humiliation is far worse in Japanese culture than in western circles and therefore Kurosawa is saying accepting humiliation is far preferable to failing to "do the right thing." So, Hiruta's admission of guilt which may lead to criminal prosecution pales in comparison to the psychological humiliation he must endure.
To western ears, a character like Hiruta seems rather pathetic. But from a Japanese perspective this was a revolutionary act.
Unfortunately, Kurosawa's "good guys" remain just that throughout. The beleaguered artist and co-plaintiff singer are one-dimensional characters designed to reflect the triumph over a corrupt system. Unlike Kurosawa's antagonists-the Amour staff, owner, and editor-who are true to life, nothing much can be said of their opponents who predictably win in the end.
Kurosawa appears to have been heavily influenced by American cinema-some have remarked a few scenes are reminiscent of Frank Capra's work. Indeed, with all those Christmas songs and Hiruta's anguish (akin to George Bailey in his darkest moments), one can make a case Kurosawa had seen "It's a Wonderful Life" several times before undertaking this particular project.
Scandal features a heady verisimilitude in terms of its expose of tabloid journalism. But the rest of the story is too sentimental to be taken too seriously.