``Yatsu Tomb Village'' (1977 edition) What happened in the midst of the Yokomizo boom and Kadokawa films? [That's when movies were born Vol.3 middle part]

The reason why the script wasn't completed until just before filming

As the filming locations were being decided one after another, the screenplay by Shinobu Hashimoto finally began to look like it would be complete. The draft of the film was printed on July 2, 1976 with an untitled cover. The content is almost the same as the final draft, but it only goes up to scene 102, "The Tajimi Family Buddhist Altar." The draft ends with a gruesome scene in which Principal Kudo claws his throat and asks for water at the seventh day memorial service, coughing up a lot of blood and dying. At the end, there is a disclaimer that reads, "From scene (103) onwards, we will print the outlined script separately for preparation purposes." In other words, for filming purposes, the plan is to print out what has been completed so far and distribute it to the staff and cast, and then distribute the completed script later. In fact, the outlined script printed on July 7 is a 60-page booklet with an outline of each scene from scene 103 onwards, with the following disclaimer from Hashimoto:

"For the sake of preparation, I have printed out a small box for the composition. The texture is different from the scenario, so there may be some parts that are difficult to read, but please bear this in mind. Furthermore, when it comes to the actual scenario, the textures will be linked together, so it is possible that the content of the play may change to some extent from this small box for the composition. However, I don't think there will be any new characters or new scenes."

The biggest concern for the staff is the need to cast new characters or find new locations. In some cases, additional sets may have to be constructed, which affects the art budget. However, the second half of the structured script does not contain any lines, and only describes who appears in which scene and what they say, so while it may give the actors hints on how to act out the crucial climax, it is nothing more than a guidebook that is far from sufficient for preparation. In particular, it seems that Atsumi Kiyoshi, who plays Kindaichi, was unable to read from the structured script what kind of image of Kindaichi he should create.

Even so, perhaps the world of Yokomizo Seishi, which Suzuki Takayuki was unable to finish, was too difficult for his successor, Hashimoto Shinobu, to handle. On the other hand, there is another theory. It is said that Hashimoto intentionally only showed the script to Shochiku halfway through, or that he never wrote it at all. The reason for this rumor was the issue of Hashimoto's commission contract.

As mentioned above, The Village of the Eight Graves was not a partnership between Hashimoto Productions and Shochiku as with Castle of Sand, but rather a film produced solely by Shochiku. Hashimoto signed a contract with Shochiku as a screenwriter. However, wanting to follow the example of Castle of Sand, Hashimoto asked for a contract that would see him receive a percentage of the box office revenue. Around the same time, Takakura Ken, who was in negotiations to star in The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness (1977), also asked for a percentage of the box office revenue, leading to a dispute at Shochiku over how to handle the matter. The leading opposition was chairman Kido Shiro.

From the start, Kido disliked commission contracts, seeing them as a way to take a cut from film companies, and wanted to return to the traditional method of paying a fixed fee. It was said that Kido felt embarrassed that he had signed a contract that was advantageous to Hashimoto Productions for "Castle of Sand." However, the situation surrounding the film industry had changed dramatically. It had become an era when commission contracts were essential to attract Hashimoto and Takakura to Shochiku. Even after a cooling-off period, when Wakita Shigeru, deputy head of production, asked again, Kido's decision was not overturned.

Sugihara Yoyo, a veteran editor at Shochiku's Ofuna Studio, testified that Kido's decision caused delays in the script.

"If we had provided more money for 'The Village of the Eight Graves' sooner, the script would have been written sooner. But [author's note: Kido] said he wouldn't provide the money. So no matter what, the script got delayed. Mr. Wakita complained about that a lot." ("A Film History System Based on Collections of Conversations by Individuals and Fields")

Regarding this matter, Nomura also wrote, "Since Hashimoto-san never finished the script, I started to complain about his way of doing things, and arguments started to arise between Hashimoto and Nomura" (Nomura Yoshitaro, Master of Film), which suggests that trouble arose due to delays in the script.

Production announcement for a fait accompli