Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme: The Elegant Life Of Mr Everyman

江分利満氏の優雅な生活 (Eburi man shi no yugana seikatsu)

Eburi is a lowly salaryman who drunkenly promises two magazine editors that he will write them a masterpiece. Once sober, Eburi commits himself to his promise and after deliberating over what to write about, he decides to write a novella using himself, his middle class life and his experiences as the theme.

Based on the popular magazine series by Hitomi Yamaguchi and falling within the framework of Toho’s popular genre of Salaryman Comedies, this classic film depicts the life of Eburi (played by Keiju Kobayashi in a career-defining role), showing his mixed feelings about Japan’s social and economic situation following the Second World War. Featuring animation and audacious editing, this idiosyncratic and inventive film is a timeless treatment of life in postwar Japan.

The Elegant Life Of Mr Everyman, dir. Kihachi Okamoto, Japan 1963, 102 mins, Japanese with English subtitles

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The ICA Cinema is now completely ad-free. Please note that there will be no trailers shown before this feature. This film is rated 12.