Name: Pressure of Guilt
Released: 1964
Duration: 1 min 53 s
Cast: Keiju Kobayashi, Tatsuya Nakadai, Hisashi Igawa, Koreya Senda, Akira Nishimura

Cast & Crew

Film Details

Also Known As

Shiro to kuro

Release Date

Jan 1964

Premiere Information

Los Angeles opening: 31 Jan 1964

Production Company

Toho Co.

Country

Japan

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 53m

Synopsis

Hamano, lawyer to Munakata, an elderly attorney, is also the young Mrs. Munakata's lover. During an argument with her one evening, Hamano loses his temper and strangles her. Under intensive questioning by the police, the young lawyer is about to confess to the crime when the police announce they have arrested Wakida, a burglar suspected of entering the Munakata house on the night of the murder. Prosecutor Ochiai now focuses his investigation on Wakida and after five days of interrogation, Ochiai obtains a confession. Hamano, wracked with guilt when he realizes that Wakida could be executed for a crime he did not commit, arranges for Munakata, a noted opponent of capital punishment, to defend the burglar. Meanwhile, Ochiai becomes suspicious when Hamano taunts him for not having complete proof of Wakida's guilt. Investigating further, the prosecutor learns of the affair between Hamano and Mrs. Munakata and that, when she had found her lover was planning to marry the daughter of a millionaire, she accused him of opportunism and he strangled her. Confronted with the evidence, Hamano confesses to the crime. Ochiai's efforts are made public, but it is then revealed that Mrs. Munakata made a phone call shortly after the time Hamano claims to have strangled her. Further investigation discloses that Mrs. Munakata had recovered from Hamano's attack only to be killed by the burglar, who entered the house after Hamano left. Ochiai, exhausted by his efforts, is hospitalized, while Hamano, publicly disgraced by the investigation, commits suicide.