The Fossil (film)

The Fossil
The Fossil
Kanji	化石
Revised Hepburn	Kaseki
Directed by	Masaki Kobayashi
Screenplay by	Shun Inagaki; Takeshi Yoshida;
Based on	Kaseki; by Yasushi Inoue
Produced by	Masayuki Sato; Gin'ichi Kishimoto;
Starring	Shin Saburi; Mayumi Ogawa; Keiko Kishi;
Cinematography	Kōzō Okazaki
Edited by	Keiichi Uraoka
Music by	Tōru Takemitsu
Production; companies	Haiyuza Theatre Company; Shiki no kai;
Distributed by	Toho (theatrical)
Release dates	1972 (TV); October 4, 1975 (theatrical);
Running time	450 minutes (TV); 200 minutes (theatrical);
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

The Fossil (化石, Kaseki) is a Japanese TV miniseries which screened in eight parts between 31 January and 20 March 1972. It was directed by Masaki Kobayashi and based on a novel by Yasushi Inoue.^[1]^[3] The series received the same year's Nippon Television Technology Award for photography.^[4]

A re-edited version was released theatrically in 1975.^[1]^[2]^[3] The theatrical version was Japan's submission to the 47th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film,^[5] but was not accepted as a nominee.

Plot

Tokyo business tycoon Tajihei Kazuki is given a diagnosis of terminal cancer and must now re-assess his life and values.

Cast

Shin Saburi as Tajihei Kazuki
Mayumi Ogawa as Akiko Kazuki
Keiko Kishi as Woman (Death)
Komaki Kurihara as Kiyoko Kazuki
Haruko Sugimura as Mother-in-law
Hisashi Igawa as Funazu

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "化石 (The Fossil)". TV Drama Database (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 August 2021.
^ ^a ^b "化石 (The Fossil)". Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 August 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "化石 (The Fossil)". Kinenote (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 August 2021.
^ "日本テレビ技術賞受賞一覧 (List of Nippon Television Technology Awards)" (in Japanese). Motion Picture and Television Engineering Society of Japan. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
^ "List of Japanese films submitted for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film" (in Japanese). Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. Retrieved 16 August 2021.