Movie: W's Tragedy
Romaji: W no higeki
Japanese: Wの悲劇
Director: Shin'ichirô Sawai
Writer: Haruhiko Arai, Shinichirō Sawai
Producer: Ryoji Ito, Haruki Kadokawa, Mitsuru Kurosawa
Cinematographer: Seizô Sengen
Release Date: December 15, 1984
Runtime: 108 minutes
Distributor: Toei Company
Language: Japanese
Country: Japan
Plot
Natsuki's original book W no Higeki, the story of a rich family torn apart by the murder of their patriarch, and their heiress being accused of the crime, becomes a play and is acted out by a troupe of actors in Osaka. The role of the heroine is contended for by young Shizuka Mita (Yakushimaru), who dreams of fame and fortune. Shizuka is taken under the wing of famous actress Sho Hatori (Y. Mita), whose rich patron died in her arms one night, and who agrees to let Shizuka stand in for her. As the play is acted out, Shizuka realizes that many scenes in the play begin to have parallels with real life...
The film takes the form of a story within a story, in which the original book's characters are acted out by the film's characters.
Cast
Hiroko Yakushimaru as Shizuka Mita,
Yoshiko Mita as Sho Hatori
Miho Takagi
Ken Nishida
Kōjirō Kusanagi