by Eileen Swee Lian Goh

Created on: April 23, 2009

Based on a novel, "Kurutta Kajitsu", by the current Governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, and starring the governor's younger brother, Yujiro Ishihara, "Crazed Fruit" (1956) can easily rival any Oscar-winning film had Nikkatsu Pictures produced the former in the English language.

The year is 1956. The Allied Occupation of Japan has just ended, but American influence is rife in Japanese society.

With money to burn and time to kill, a group of privileged Japanese in their late teens and early twenties - the Sun Tribe - adopt a lifestyle of wine, women and song by the beach. Rebelling against everything which symbolizes Japanese tradition, the members of the Sun Tribe acknowledge themselves as "low lifes".

The unofficial leader of the Sun Tribe is Frank Hirosawa (Masumi Okada), a suarve, charismatic albeit melancholy youth, whose wealthy Japanese father had divorced Frank's American mother to marry a Japanese barmaid.

Among the other members of the Sun Tribe are Natsuhisa (Yujiro Ishihara) and his younger brother, Haruji (Masahiko Tsugawa), who become two of Frank's closest friends. The relationship between Natsuhisa and Haruji is fine until a strikingly beautiful girl, Eri (Mie Kitahara), enters their lives.

Twenty-year-old Eri is secretly married to an American (Harold Conway) twice her age. With her husband constantly away from Japan, Eri takes on many lovers among her Japanese acquaintances.

The virginal Haruji quickly wins Eri's heart, but his more seasoned elder brother, upon discovering Eri's secret, blackmails Eri into having an affair with him at the same time.

Life becomes more complicated for everyone concerned when Natsuhisa, who had initially sought to have a fling with Eri, falls in love with her. As Natsuhisa's confidant, Frank finds himself caught in between the two brothers, and is forced to intervene in an attempt to end the bitter rivalry between Natsuhisa and Haruji over Eri.

Directed by Ko Nakahira, "Crazed Fruit" is a companion film to "Season of the Sun" (1956) and showcases the immense talents of its predominantly young cast, in particular, those of its four lead characters - Yujiro Ishihara, Masahiko Tsugawa, Mie Kitahara and Masumi Okada. This film helped to launch the acting careers of Masumi Okada and Masahiko Tsugawa, both of whom have since risen to become distinguished personalities in the entertainment industry, alongside Yujiro Ishihara. In 1960, Mie Kitahara married Yujiro Ishihara and retired from show business.

Although much of the film's success can be attributed to the brilliant performances of its cast, "Crazed Fruit" also scores for direction, film editing, cinematography, screenplay adaptation, background music and English subtitling.

The visual effects are stunning - particularly in the closing scenes, where Haruji's revenge provides a spectacular ending to a superb film.

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