Black Sun (1964 film)

Black Sun (黒い貸与) is a 1964 Nikkatsu film by Koreyoshi Kurahara. It features Tamio Kawachi, Chico Roland, Yuko Chishiro, Hideji Otaki, Shogen Nitta, Zenji Yamada, and Tatsuya Fuji. The movie follows a Jazz loving Japanese man, Mei, and his encounter with a black American GI, Gil.

Plot

The movie begins with Mei committing some thefts and buying a Jazz record. He runs into some commotion in town where there is an American GI being carted off dead, killed by another GI who is now on the run. Mei returns home, which is a half-destroyed church, and greets his dog Monk. All of a sudden the GI comes out from behind a curtain pointing a gun at Mei, he is injured in the leg. He is black and as such Mei is overjoyed! He thinks the man will love Jazz and tries to converse with him about it and plays some for him. However this only makes him angry and in the commotion Monk is killed. This upsets Mei. There are several more scenes where the American makes Mei angry and he says he won’t help him but in the end he always goes back to helping him, which the American doesn’t realize he is trying to help him. Eventually he understands and asks Mei to take him to the sea. On their way they become friends but run into the MPs. They find their way to the top of a building overlooking the sea where Gil, the American, ties himself to a balloon and asks Mei to cut the rope so that he can sail out to sea and see his mama. Mei reluctantly fulfills this request just before the MPs catch him and they watch as a dying Gil is floating out towards sea.

References

Koreyoshi Kurahara,"Black Sun",1964