The Water Magician (瀧の白糸)

THE WATER MAGICIAN

Original Story: Kyoka Izumi

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi

Cast:

Tokihiko Okada as Kinya Murakoshi

Ichiro Sugai as Iwabuchi Hirohisa Murata as Minami Bontaro Miake as Shinzo

Kumeko Urabe as Ogin Suzuko Taki as Nadeshiko Koji Oizumi as Gonji

Joe Ohara as Tanjiro Etsuji Oki as Old Prosecutor

Nobuo Kosaka as Detective T akashi Kawase as Minami

T akako Irie as Taki no Shiraito

Early summer of 1890.

Among the troupes with tents up alongside Asano River in Kanazawa,

there was a water art.ist named Taki no Shiraito.

Rumor had it that no one in the area compares to her beauty or skills.

And she knew it too.

She had quite a following.

Come one, come all! Check it out!

The one and only T aki no Shiraito! Come on in folks!

Don't miss it! Come one, come all!

The highlight of the show! The main attraction now!

Shiraito, as an established artist, was a woman ofpride and impulse.

And was loved by her troupe members too.

But for the past few days, she 'd been smiling softly to herself.

It's a sin to s mi rk like that!

Come on. Share the fun.

What are you talking about?

But as certain as the sun rises, there was something.

Three days earlier...

Aboard a carriage headed from Takaoka to Isurugi.

This flower of modern civilization is said to be faster than a rickshaw.

But a rickshaw passed it before their eyes.

The passengers weren 't happy!

That ricks haw's passed us!

H ey boy!

You call this the "power of science"? What a joke! Shame on you!

If you're a man, prove it! Go faster!

Use the whip!

Come on, you fool!

Why don't you ask the horse?

I'm not the one pulling this.

Quite a character, this young driver.

Young sir, just a little faster.

Why not please the customers a little?

But Shiraito didn't even get a response from him.

Shiraito thought that he was waiting for a tip.

So she offers...

How about 50 sen?

Let her out a little!

Keep it!

Horses don't move for cash, so there's no use!

Little upstart!

Who do you think you are?

Outrun by a rickshaw!

The power of modern civilization?

You want me to pass that?

Out of spite and to take his revenge, he start.s running the horse for all it was worth!

Hey... hey there! Boy!

No tripping or slipping, right?

I don't know.

Guess it's straight on till the horse falls.

SIow it down a Iittle, you fool!

Quite a stubborn lad, this driver.

The horse at full speed now.

Passed the rickshaw in no time at all.

But one of the carriage "s axles gave out.

Shiraito figured he deserved it.

Now our young driver doesn 't look quite so proud.

W ell?

W e'll make it to I s urugi by evening?

Popped an axle.

Overdid it a bit.

What'II I do about this?

No good?

That's too bad.

Guess this'll take more than a tip.

"FIower of science"?

I'd heard it was fast, but never imagined this.

By evening, right?

Get down from there, sister.

What?

Come now, miss!

What are you doing?

Getting you to Isurugi by nightfall.

Now!

After dragging her down, he pulled her up behind him on the horse.

There he goes...!

What about us?

When they arrived at Isurugi, Shiraito was unconscious.

When Shiraito regained consciousness, he set off back to Takaoka.

He wasn 't like any other men she knew.

He left a great impression on her, who till now lived for her art.

What's his name?

Everyone calls him Kin-san.

I see.

Kin-san...

He left behind a book.

A difficult law book. Not typical reading for a carriage driver.

This was the reason for Shiraito 's little smile.

Three days had passed.

She wants to see him again.

Shiraito, your cue! You al right?

Y es, yes.

I 'm coming.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

I bring you the pride of our show!

The one and only Taki no Shiraito!

We've been waiting for you!

A Goddess!

Taki no Shiraito!

A vixen playing battledore and shuttlecock!

Breathtaking!

A cascading goddess!

Like the Goddess of Crystal Palace.

She mesmerized the audience.

The curtain falls in the midst of this excitement.

The annual Asano River summer show.

Monkey acts, a girl acrobatic troupe, stunt performers,

knife throwers, living dolls, view boxes and electric magic.

Even among such a variety of spectacles, Shiraito was quite a crowd pleaser.

Still the day passes and night spreads her veil.

Almost like in a dream,

the cheering crowds leave.

The night then brings the performers their first free time of the day.

The glimmering moon in the sky shines on the white peony that is Shiraito.

What a Iovely night!

T oo good for sleeping.

The only sound carried in the breeze was the water's meandering.

I 'm all worn out. So tired!

Dressed Iike a young girl when I'm already 24!

But still, what a night!

Shiraito let the breeze carry her away.

Her gaze moved up along Utatsubashi Bridge.

A young man sleeping peacefully under the moon.

Who's that?

Shinzo the barker?

What do you know?

It's cool up here with some breeze.

Shinzo, you'II catch a cold.

Go ahead, catch a cold.

See if I care.

She was convinced it was Shinzo.

But when the moon lit up the man's face

She saw...!

The pale face of the carriage driver she could not forget.

Oh my...

It's Kin-san!

Shiraito wondered if she was dreaming.

How many times had she thought of him?

Had the keeper of destiny heard her prayers?

Here they were, alone on this bridge at night.

Her cheeks blushing, Shiraito stared at his sleeping face there in the moonlight.

Ki n-san...

You sleep Iike a baby.

Sweet Kin-san!

Kin-san!

Ouch! That hurts!

You'II catch a cold sleeping out here.

Oh, did you put this cover over me?

I've been thinking about you. How've you been?

Huh?

Who are you?

I've never seen you before.

It's me. You remember?

How very kind of you.

I remember.

Kin-san.

Don't try and tell me that you don't remember me!

Wait! Wait a second.

I...and you...

I don't...

On the way to Isurugi, raced a rickshaw on a carriage.

Remember?

You pulled me down and threw me on a horse.

Don't you remember that woman?

That was you?

You mean I really had to tell you?

Stop being coy.

I'm not trying to be, but

with 20 or 30 customers a day,

am I supposed to remember all of their faces?

Oh.

But do you drag women away on horseback

every day?

Of course not.

I couldn't do that every day!

Kin-san! Hey Kin-san!

He surely isn't happy.

What brings you here to Kanazawa?

What brings you here to Kanazawa?

I Iost that job because of you.

Because of me?

You must be joking! Sure, because of me!

So you're angry at me?

I see.

Hey,

Iend me your pipe, will you?

Okay?

Pushy, aren't you!

What's wrong with this pipe?

You can't even taste the tobacco.