Proof of the Man (Starring: Yusaku Matsuda)

Released in 1977 as the second Kadokawa film, the TV commercial featured the opening lines of a poem by Yaso Saijo, which is a key element of this work:

“Mother, I wonder what happened to that hat of mine. Yes, that straw hat I dropped into the valley on the road from Usui to Kirizumi that summer...”

I heard those opening lines so many times when I was a child. (Oh, now my age is showing... well, it's too late for that now.) To give you a rough summary...
“Johnny, a young Black man who came from Harlem, New York, lost his life in an elevator in a high-rise building in Akasaka.
Around the same time, a Ginza hostess was involved in a hit-and-run and went missing.

From these two seemingly unrelated incidents, a parent and child emerge in the investigation.
Detective Munakata of the Kojimachi Police Station pleads with his superior to let him go to New York to get to the heart of the case.”

The moment Munakata saw the palm of Inspector Schuftan, who met him at the airport, the resentment he felt toward the occupation forces who had beaten his father to death when he was a child erupted.
And this would also lead to a sad encounter with popular fashion designer Kyoko Yasugi, whom he was investigating in connection with the case...

Kyohei Gori, Kyoko's son who had committed the hit-and-run on the Ginza hostess, had gone to the U.S. with his girlfriend.
Munakata, having tracked them down, left something Kyohei had dropped at the scene of the hit-and-run at the front desk of the hotel where Kyohei was staying.
Seeing this, Kyohei fled. After a car chase, the moment he pulled out a gun he had just bought, he was shot to death by Schuftan.

Upon returning to Japan, Munakata informs Kyoko, who is waiting for the results of a contest, that Kyohei has passed away.
Kyoko won the grand prize in the contest, but on the spot, she spoke of her thoughts and repentance for Kyohei and Johnny, declined the award, and fled by car.
She then headed for the Kirizumi Highlands, the place of memories with Johnny and his father, Wilshere.”

That is a very rough, quick summary. The key points of this film are:
“The tragedy brought about by the merits and demerits of World War II”
“Simple human 'feelings' can sometimes threaten status, honor, and family”
“The resentment carved into one's childhood does not easily fade, and the person who carved it is often unaware”
“In any era, the spoiled sons of the rich will mess up”
Well, to sum it up, it is “
a story of the karma, sorrow, and love of post-war Japanese people”.

By the way, this work has been remade into a TV drama several times even in the Heisei era, but each time the content has become less interesting.
(This is just my personal opinion, though.)
The most disappointing thing is that in order to adapt the era to the “modern day,” the part about “World War II” has been removed.
If you change this, the entire concept falls apart.

・Why Johnny and his father Wilshere were separated from Kyoko
・Why Kyoko had met Munakata in his childhood

・Why Munakata's father was beaten to death by the occupation forces・Why Kyoko killed her “old work colleague” who knew her past
・Why Munakata's superior initially objected to him going to New York
・Why Kyohei could only go to New York with his father's money

These details don't make sense unless it's “Showa-era Japan” or “post-war Japan,” and you would have to significantly alter the original work.
Well, I suppose that's acceptable for today's TV stations (oops, just talking to myself...)

By the way, it seems the version made with settings closest to the original was the TV drama broadcast on the MBS network in 1978, but I think the film version is the best because it has a star-studded cast, the music is by the great Yuji Ohno, the director is the “master” Junya Sato, and the theme song is sung by Joe Yamanaka, who played Johnny Hayward.
And above all, it's great that Yusaku Matsuda plays Munakata. By the way, it is said that even the great Matsuda stood at attention when greeting his superior, Koji Tsuruta.
Also, the fact that George Kennedy, who is irresistible to old movie lovers, plays Inspector Schuftan is another highlight.
Oh, the reason Koichi Iwaki's voice as Kyohei is “dubbed” is because he “

got into trouble with bad drugs

” during the production.
Haruki Kadokawa also got into trouble later (stop it).

*Sharing this article is very welcome! I follow back on note!
I would appreciate it if you could follow me.
https://note.com/hogetsu

Click here for Akiyoshi Hogetsu's self-introduction

Click here for Hogetsu's fortune-telling menu

*For links to each of Hogetsu's social media accounts, see the links below