The Horse Boy

The story

A humble page fathers a child by the daughter of a clan official and is banished. Years later, the child, now a stable boy, is reunited with his father, but feudal codes threaten their happiness. Uchida’s poignant masterpiece condemns the inflexible class system and launches an indictment of values that favor symbolic objects over human life. The film’s focus is on character rather than swordplay, and charged performances - especially child actor Motoharu Ueki - add to the emotional power.

Cast

S Shūji Sano I Isuzu Yamada M Motoharu Ueki S Shinobu Chihara K Kenji Susukida K Kokuten Kōdō E Eitarō Shindō T Tsuyako Okajima Y Yoshio Yoshida K Koji Arima N Naojiro Uemura S Shigetoshi Yoda

See more cast

不 不二和子 C Chietaro Kataoka R Ryuji Kazuki K Kinnosuke Fujiki H Hideo Shimada R Reiko Miyama N Namiji Umemura S Satomi Oka T Tsukie Matsuura K Kikue Mōri T Tamami Natsu M Masao Hori K Kinnosuke Takamatsu