An acid satire on the traditions of Osaka's merchant class, Bonchi charts the rise and fall of Kikuji (Raizo Ichikawa), the scion of a wealthy family, as he goes from carefree young playboy to broken-down, nearly destitute, middle-aged single father of two adult sons. His troubles begin early on, when his first wife disgraces the family by daring to give birth at her family's home, rather than his. His mother and grandmother, stern keepers of family tradition, consider this a grave affront, and contrive to have the marriage annulled. Even worse, the child is male, and therefore useless in carrying on the family's matriarchal lineage. Egged on by his overbearing relatives, Kikuji takes on a succession of wives and mistresses, but never produces the sought-after daughter. Even the destruction of his town during World War II does nothing to change the situation; in one of Ichikawa's darkest bits of comedy, Kikuji and all the women in his life not only survive the bombing, but wind up in the same crumbling building. Based, like Ichikawa's earlier hit Odd Obsession, on a popular novel, Bonchi shares that film's exquisite colors, sweeping, widescreen compositions, and tragicomic sensibility. Often accused of being an anti-feminist film, it actually aims its barbs at the outdated traditions of a conservative merchant class unwilling to adapt to the modern era.
by Tom Vick
review
