無法松の一生 Good Old Days' Scenery

懐かしき風景

　

　先日テレビで映画「無法松の一生」を見た。昭和１８年制作だから、わたしが生まれた年で、もう８０年ほど前の映画である。主演は坂東妻三郎。脇役に月形龍之介が出演していた。二人とも私が少年時代のチャンバラ映画の花形である。

　主人公・松五郎は人力車の車夫。お世話になった旦那が亡くなり、「お坊ちゃん」と呼ばれる旦那の子を我が子のように可愛がり、強く育てていく話である。松五郎の人情あふれる男らしい生き方は心を打つものがあった。

　しかし、それ以上に感嘆したことは映画のロケの風景である。マンションがない、全て瓦葺の屋根、登場人物は全て着物姿、土の道には車どころか自転車さえ走っていない。松並木が時代劇のような風情を醸し出し、田んぼが広がり、日本の原風景にしばし浸った。  

　今日の日本の風景は、まるで異国のようで狂っているのではないか。あの空気の澄んだ、落ち着いた昔の風景は懐かしく、心を慰めてくれた。

Good Old Days' Scenery

　A few days ago, I saw a movie, “Muhomatsu no Issho” (Muhomatu’s life) on TV. It was made in 1943, the year I was born. So, it is about 80 years old. The main character was Tsumasaburo Banto, and the secondary character was Ryunosuke Tsukigata. Both of them were popular movie stars who often appeared in chanbara (samurai) movies.

   Matsugoro, the main character, is a rickshaw driver. When his master dies, he takes care of his master’s son, who is called Obochan or a good family’s son. Matsugoro loves the son and nurtures him to be a strong man. His way of life moved me.

   However, what moved me more was the scenery of the location. There were no condominiums; all the roofs were covered with kawara or tiles; all the characters were clad in kimono; no automobiles nor even bicycles were running in the uncovered roads. The scenery of pine-trees along the roads gave an atmosphere of Edo era. Rice fields extended far and wide. I wallowed in the old Japanese landscapes during the movie.

  The scenery of Japan today is like that of a foreign country. It has changed drastically, or I should say, in a mad, mad way, hasn’t it? The clean air and calm scenery in the movie comforted me a lot.