The film depicts carnivalesque atmosphere summed up by the cry "Ee ja nai ka" ("Why not?") in Japan in 1867 and 1868 in the days leading to the Meiji Restoration. It examines the effects of the political and social upheaval of the time, and culminates in a revelrous march on the Kokyo, which turns into a massacre. Characteristically, Imamura focuses not on the leaders of the country, but on characters in the lower classes and on the fringes of society.
Credits
Why Not? Cast
| Name |
Character |
|
Yasuaki Kurata
He was 35, now 78 years old
|
as Hanjiro |
|
Yūko Tanaka
She was 25, now 69 years old
|
as Omatsu |
|
Minori Terada
He was 38, now 82 years old
|
as Ijuin |
|
Mitsuko Baisho
She was 34, now 78 years old
|
as Oko |
|
Taiji Tonoyama
He was 65, 73 years old when he died
|
as Jyosyuya |
|
Kazuo Kitamura
He was 53, 80 years old when he died
|
as Koide |
|
Junzaburo Ban
He was 70, 71 years old when he died
|
as Toramatsu |
|
Kazuko Shirakawa
She was 33, now 77 years old
|
as Yamikumo-dayu |
|
Ken Ogata
He was 43, 71 years old when he died
|
as Furukawa |
|
Shôhei Hino
|
as Magoshichi |
|
Masao Kusakari
He was 28, now 72 years old
|
as Itoman |
|
Etsuko Ikuta
She was 33, 71 years old when she died
|
as Nui |
|
Shoichi Ozawa
He was 52, 83 years old when he died
|
as Sakunojo |
|
Nenji Kobayashi
He was 37, now 81 years old
|
as Matakichi |
|
Kaori Momoi
She was 28, now 72 years old
|
as Ine |
|
Shigeru Tsuyuguchi
He was 48, now 92 years old
|
as Kinzo |
|
Sanshô Shinsui
|
as Densuke |
|
Shino Ikenami
She was 25, now 69 years old
|
as Yoshino |
|
Shigeru Izumiya
He was 32, now 76 years old
|
as Genji |
|
Norihei Miki
He was 56, 74 years old when he died
|
as Masuya |
|
Ako (actress)
She was 22, now 66 years old
|
as Oyoshi |
Why Not? Crew
| Name |
Department |
|
Keiichi Uraoka as Editor. He was 50 (78) years old when He died
|
Editing |
|
Shinsaku Himeda as Director of Photography. He was 64 (80) years old when He died
|
Camera |
|
Shohei Imamura as Director. He was 54 (79) years old when He died
|
Directing |
|
Shohei Imamura as Producer. He was 54 (79) years old when He died
|
Production |
|
Shohei Imamura as Screenplay. He was 54 (79) years old when He died
|
Writing |
|
Shinichirô Ikebe as Original Music Composer. He was 37 (now 81) years old
|
Sound |
|
Shigemi Sugisaki as Producer. |
Production |
|
Shoichi Ozawa as Producer. He was 52 (83) years old when He died
|
Production |
|
Tsubomi (actress) as Production Manager. Tsubomi (actress) was 6 (now 37) years old
|
Production |
