The Million Ryo Pot (1935)

 Sadao Yamanaka's "The Million Ryo Pot"


Going into Sadao Yamanaka's 1935 film "The Million Ryo Pot," I expected a drama centering on greed. Greed that extends from the titular pot worth one million Ryo. And, to a certain extent, I'm sure you can pull that theme out of the film, for sure. However, as the film went on, I felt myself caring less and less about the money or the valuable pot. It also seemed like the characters did as well. I mean, the straight up don't even want to sell the pot and the end of the film. Instead, I fell far more into the intimate dynamics between the characters and their sense of 'having each others' back.' 

The film centers on a quest to find a pot worth one million Ryo that has been sold to junk collectors. The junk collectors sell the pot to a child to use as a holder for pet goldfish. A cast of colorful characters all go looking for the pot. 

The film really drew me in with its unique and fleshed-out characters. All of the characters were so three-dimensional, that I began to think to myself "that's so [character.]" They had such distinct personalities and their sense of connection to each other became the heart of the film for me. I kept rooting for their unity and their togetherness, rather than rooting for someone to collect the pot.

I also loved the way Yamanaka blends the line between genre, as he weaves his way from melodrama to comedy to tragedy to anything else in between with such relative ease. This made the film even more enjoyable and even more engaging. The film had such a spirit of presence that it was hard to have it come to and end. I was a film I wanted to keep going. 



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