

Practical Effects
Ghost ship sets are gloriously creaky and obviously wooden.
Stunts
Utaemon Ichikawa's bored-to-death face mid-swordfight is art.

Director
Sadatsugu Matsuda
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 'Bored Hatamoto' series ran 25 films from 1951-1963, essentially Japan's answer to James Bond if 007 yawned through every mission. Utaemon Ichikawa's sleepy-eyed protagonist became iconic for making lethargy look cool.
Director Sadatsugu Matsuda shot this in twelve days. The ghost ship was repurposed from a 1954 pirate film, explaining why it looks suspiciously Caribbean for Edo-period Japan.
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