Humanity and Paper Balloons

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人情紙風船 Humanity and Paper Balloons
cover of 2005 UK DVD release
Directed by	Sadao Yamanaka
Produced by	Toho
Written by	Shintaro Mimura
Starring	Chojuro Kawarazaki Kanemon Nakamura Tsurozo Nakamura Choemon Bando Suzeko Suketakaya Emitaro Ichikawa Noboru Kiritachi Shizue Yamagishi
Music by	Tadashi Ota
Cinematography	Akira Mimura
Distributed by	Toho
Release date(s)	25 August 1937
Running time	86 min
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
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Humanity and Paper Balloons (人情紙風船 Ninjo Kami Fusen, 1937) is the last film completed by Japanese filmmaker Sadao Yamanaka. Largely unknown outside of Japan until recent years, the film has been hailed by critics (Tadao Sato, Donald Ritchie), and a number of other Japanese filmmakers (Akira Kurosawa among them) as one of the most influential examples of jidaigeki, or Japanese period films. The story is set in the 18th century, and dramatically depicts the struggles and schemes of a ronin, or masterless samurai in feudal Japan.

Yamanaka was drafted into the Japanese army, entering the service on the day Humanity and Paper Balloons was released theatrically, and died during the war at the age of 29, while stationed in Manchuria. With the exception of this film, and 2 others, Yamanaka's 30+ films were lost after the war.