The Great Wall (1962 film)
| The Great Wall | |
|---|---|
| 秦・始皇帝 | |
| Directed by | Shigeo Tanaka |
| Written by | Fuji Yahiro |
| Produced by | Masaichi Nagata |
| Starring | Shintaro Katsu |
| Cinematography | Michio Takahashi |
| Edited by | Tatsuo Nakashizu |
| Music by | Akira Ifukube |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Daiei |
Release date |
|
Running time | 200 minutes (Japanese version) |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
The Great Wall (Japanese: 秦・始皇帝, Hepburn: Shin Shikōtei) is a 1962 Japanese historical epic film directed by Shigeo Tanaka and produced by Masaichi Nagata for Daiei.[1] The film stars Shintaro Katsu as Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor to unify China.[1]
The film became Daiei's second 70 mm production.[1][2] The public premiere took place at Tokyo's Yuraku-za Theatre on November 1, 1962.[3]
Plot
In 221 BC, King Zheng of Qin completes the conquest of rival states and proclaims himself the First Emperor (Qin Shi Huang). Under Chancellor Li Si, the new regime centralizes administration and suppresses dissent, including the persecution of scholars and book burnings.
At court, conspiracies and assassination attempts threaten the emperor while large state projects, including the construction of a frontier wall, intensify the suffering of conscripted laborers. The story follows both the political conflicts and the tragedy of common people caught in forced labor, culminating in a legend-associated collapse of a section of the wall during public unrest and grief.[1]
Cast
- Shintaro Katsu as Qin Shi Huang (the First Emperor)[1]
- Raizo Ichikawa as Jing Ke[1]
- Fujiko Yamamoto as Zhu Guier[1]
- Ayako Wakao as Meng Jiangnü[1]
- Ken Utsui as Crown Prince Dan of Yan[1]
- Kazuo Hasegawa as Yu Yue (a scholar)[1]
- Tamao Nakamura as Lan Ying[1]
- Isuzu Yamada as the Dowager Empress[1]
Production
Format and positioning
The Great Wall is a large-scale 70 mm Daiei production and the studio's second 70 mm release following Shaka (1961).[1][2][3]
Taiwan collaboration and location work
Daiei pursued collaboration with Taiwan's Central Motion Picture Corporation (CMPC) in part to manage costs and secure large-scale production support, and that exterior filming was conducted at locations including Hsinchu and Miaoli, with participation by Republic of China military personnel.[4]
Release
The film opened theatrically in Japan on November 1, 1962.[1][2][3]
International releases circulated under alternate titles. A poster-archive record documents an Italian poster under the title La grande muraglia and links it to the film's English title The Great Wall.[5]
Versions and running time
Running time is inconsistent across countries, suggesting multiple cuts. Japanese database listings give approximately 199–200 minutes for the Japanese roadshow release.[1][2][6] JMDB also notes a later 35 mm Technirama version dated January 27, 1963.[6]
By contrast, the rights-holder catalog lists a 160-minute running time, and Spanish- and Russian-language databases commonly list 104 minutes.[7][8][9]
The film screened in West Germany in a shortened 70 mm version under the title Der große Wall and notes distribution there by Columbia-Bavaria.[3]
Home media
A Japanese DVD release dated January 27, 2006 is listed with an approximately 160-minute running time and notes digital remastering and photo-gallery extras, including posters and press materials.[10] The rights-holder catalog lists a further DVD issue dated January 24, 2014 (catalog number DABA-90942).[7]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "秦・始皇帝 : 作品情報・キャスト・あらすじ". eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ a b c d "秦・始皇帝 (1962)". allcinema (in Japanese). Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ a b c d Witte, Gerhard (2018). 70mm Cinerama Films in Japan (PDF) (Report). in70mm.com. pp. 45–47. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ "林贊庭回憶日本大映發展70毫米電影並來臺合作拍攝《秦始皇》的緣由". 國家文化記憶庫 (National Cultural Memory Database, Taiwan) (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ "The Great Wall - Japanese Movie Global Poster Archive". Japanese Movie Global Poster Archive. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ a b "秦・始皇帝 (JMDB record)". JMDB (Japanese Movie Database) (in Japanese). Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ a b "作品情報：秦・始皇帝". 角川シネマコレクション (KADOKAWA Cinema Collection) (in Japanese). Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ "La gran muralla (1962)". FilmAffinity (in Spanish). Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ "Shin shikôtei (фильм, 1962)". Киномания (Kinomania) (in Russian). Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ "DVD 秦・始皇帝 (release information)". allcinema (in Japanese). Retrieved February 27, 2026.
External links
- The Great Wall at IMDb
- 70mm Cinerama Films in Japan (PDF) (Report). in70mm.com. 2018.