Though recognized worldwide almost exclusively for his colorful kaiju fare, director Ishirō Honda (Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra) was a natural humanist with a particular understanding of the relationship between people and their social environs. His debut fiction feature, The Blue Pearl (Aoi Shinju) – virtually unseen in the west until now – depicts the melodramatic, but keenly-observed interplay between a young man from Tokyo and two ama (pearl divers; literally “women of the sea”) in a superstitious coastal town. Though raised within the same tradition-bound crucible, the two women – Noe and Riu – are portrayed as diametric opposites; the former meek but affectionate, the latter strong-willed but jaded by a tryst with metropolitan life. Nonetheless, Honda provides equal weight to their desires and their ambitions to break free from the social mold imposed upon them from birth.
Credits
The Blue Pearl Cast
The Blue Pearl Crew
| Name |
Department |
|
Sôjirô Motoki as Producer. He was 37 (62) years old when He died
|
Production |
|
Ishirō Honda as Director. He was 40 (81) years old when He died
|
Directing |
|
Ishirō Honda as Writer. He was 40 (81) years old when He died
|
Writing |
|
Kihachi Okamoto as Second Unit Director. He was 27 (81) years old when He died
|
Directing |
|
Kihachi Okamoto as Assistant Director. He was 27 (81) years old when He died
|
Directing |
|
Tadashi Hattori as Music. He was 25 (now 47) years old
|
Sound |
