| Pale Flower | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Masahiro Shinoda |
| Written by | Masaru Baba Masahiro Shinoda |
| Story by | Shintaro Ishihara |
| Produced by | Masao Shirai Shigeru Wakatsuki |
| Starring | Ryō Ikebe Mariko Kaga Isao Sasaki Takashi Fujiki Chisako Hara |
| Cinematography | Masao Kosugi |
| Edited by | Yoshi Sugihara |
| Music by | Toru Takemitsu |
| Distributed by | Shochiku |
Release date |
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Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Pale Flower (乾いた花, Kawaita hana) is a 1964 Japanese film noir directed by Masahiro Shinoda. The film is about Muraki (Ryō Ikebe) a Yakuza hitman just released from prison. At an illegal gambling parlor, he finds himself drawn to a mysterious young woman named Saeko (Mariko Kaga). Though Saeko loses large sums of money, she asks Muraki to find games with larger and larger stakes. The two become involved in an intense mutually destructive relationship.[1] Film critic Roger Ebert gave Pale Flower four stars and placed it on his list of Great Movies.[2]