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High and Low (1963)

 High and Low (1963)
type
TVTItem
 High and Low (1963)
label
High and Low (1963)
 High and Low (1963)
page
HighAndLow1963
 High and Low (1963)
comment
Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })Tengoku to Jigoku (English Title: High and Lownote The Japanese title literally means "Heaven and Hell") is a 1963 film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai, based on King's Ransom, an 87th Precinct novel by Ed McBain.Kingo Gondo (Mifune) is a wealthy executive (the factory manager) for National Shoes. He's caught in a power struggle between a trio of directors who want to wrest control from the company's president, and the autocratic president himself. Behind the scenes, he's arranged a leveraged buyout that will give him control of the company so that he can run it his way. Just as he's committed himself to this course of action, mortgaging everything he has, Gondo is informed that his child Jun has been kidnapped, and the kidnapper demands a ludicrously high ransom.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })Gondo is prepared to pay even if it ruins him, but then learns that his son is safe. Instead, the kidnapper has accidentally taken Shinichi, the son of Gondo's chauffeur. Gondo must now struggle with the moral dilemma of either bankrupting himself for another man's child...or letting the child die at the hands of the kidnapper.While Gondo suffers from this dilemma, and the results of his decision, the police, led by Chief Detective Tokura (Nakadai) attempt to match wits with the kidnapper and bring him to justice.Do not confuse with the High&Low franchise by EXILE TRIBE, also Japanese made.
 High and Low (1963)
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2021-07-07T05:23:45Z
 High and Low (1963)
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2021-07-07T05:23:45Z
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DBTropes
 High and Low (1963) / int_1ee9819e
type
Scary Shiny Glasses
 High and Low (1963) / int_1ee9819e
comment
Scary Shiny Glasses: The kidnapper's sunglasses always manage to have bright light reflecting in them.
 High and Low (1963) / int_1ee9819e
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 High and Low (1963) / int_379dcdf2
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Cowboys and Indians
 High and Low (1963) / int_379dcdf2
comment
Cowboys and Indians: Jun and Shinichi play "Sheriff and Outlaw", then switch roles and outfits; this leads to the wrong boy being kidnapped.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_3e353a08
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Accidental Kidnapping
 High and Low (1963) / int_3e353a08
comment
Accidental Kidnapping: The kidnapper gets confused and winds up taking the chauffeur's son instead of Gondo's, since Shinichi and Jun exchange clothing when swapping their role as Sheriff and Outlaw.
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Make It Look Like an Accident
 High and Low (1963) / int_3f0b2f50
comment
Make It Look Like an Accident: The kidnapper uses as his partners in crime two heroin junkies. He then murders them with heroin overdoses by deliberately giving them 95% pure heroin.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_40f3b23a
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FilmOfTheBook
 High and Low (1963) / int_40f3b23a
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Film of the Book: Based on the novel King's Ransom by Ed McBain (pen name of Evan Hunter).
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 High and Low (1963) / int_46118dc5
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Adult Fear
 High and Low (1963) / int_46118dc5
comment
Adult Fear: Your child being kidnapped? Check. Financial ruin? Double check.
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Big Fancy House
 High and Low (1963) / int_4814d132
comment
Big Fancy House: Gondo's large modern house with the amazing view at the top of the hill ("High") overlooking the city ("Low"). The first half is set entirely within that house.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_4f7c3890
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Shoddy Knockoff Product
 High and Low (1963) / int_4f7c3890
comment
Shoddy Knockoff Product: At the beginning of the movie, Gondo is being convinced to support three directors who are attempting to take over National Shoes, who argue that the company can only survive by making more glamorous shoes that will fall apart faster, driving further sales. He argues for a middle route: better looking shoes than those they currently produce, but at a high level of quality.
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High and Low (1963) / int_4f7c3890
 High and Low (1963) / int_5b0e992
type
Guilt Complex
 High and Low (1963) / int_5b0e992
comment
Guilt Complex: Aoki blames himself for Gondo not only having to spend his own fortune to get Shinichi back, but also for the fact Gondo's life took a downturn after the kidnapping, so he pushes his son to try and remember all he can so the police will be able to catch the kidnappers. Gondo gently reproaches him for shouting at his son to try to get him to remember something useful, and then the detectives angrily reproach him for trying to find the house Shinichi was being held in without any police backup.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_68068108
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Evil Laugh
 High and Low (1963) / int_68068108
comment
Evil Laugh: The kidnapper has a pretty basic one: Abduct an executive's son and demand ransom. Unfortunately, he accidentally kidnaps one of the kid's friends.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_71268450
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Adaptation Title Change
 High and Low (1963) / int_71268450
comment
Adaptation Title Change: High and Low is based on the novel King's Ransom.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_7a555627
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Honest Corporate Executive
 High and Low (1963) / int_7a555627
comment
Honest Corporate Executive: Gondo, while engaging in some sneaky dealings, wants to produce good quality and stylish shoes at a reasonable price as this will produce more profits in the long run. His own employees note that while Gondo might be stern and even a stickler, he was always fair and respectful and never asked them to do stuff he wouldn't do. The dilemma for Gondo in the first half, when the kidnapper took the wrong kid Shinichi, is whether he is willing to sacrifice his life savings and fortune for someone who is not his own child, and indeed the son of one of his servant's. The movie goes out of its way to engineer a worst case scenario for Gendo — while he would otherwise be able to raise the money by taking out a loan, he is already mortgaged to the hilt in his attempt to buy stock ownership of the company he works for. Gondo ultimately does do the moral thing, but only after hesitating for a long time and after insisting several times that he couldn't sacrifice his wife and son's futures and possibly force them onto the street in the hope that the kidnapper would keep his word and the police would eventually be able to trace the money. The police are moved by his moral gesture, with one cop noting that it's almost enough to change his opinion about businessmen, at least until Gondo's bosses prove how exceptional and rare a thing this is.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_85537320
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Police Procedural
 High and Low (1963) / int_85537320
comment
Police Procedural: Particularly in the second part of the film, although the first half has plenty of police-related scheming.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_87504252
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The Big Board
 High and Low (1963) / int_87504252
comment
The Big Board: The cops in Yokohama have a large map of the city that they use in an effort to puzzle out where the kidnapper called from.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_8ce55ec6
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Ransom Drop
 High and Low (1963) / int_8ce55ec6
comment
Ransom Drop: From a train per the kidnapper's meticulous instructions: he specifically states that the briefcases can't be any wider than 2.5 inches or otherwise they wouldn't fit through the gap in the window of the train's toilet, which are the only windows in the train that open to any degree.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_957e5fc2
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Villainous Breakdown
 High and Low (1963) / int_957e5fc2
comment
Villainous Breakdown: The kidnapper breaks down sobbing and tries to swallow a heroin overdose when he is finally caught. And his brave front when he faces Gondo winds up dissolving into hysterical screaming.
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High and Low (1963) / int_957e5fc2
 High and Low (1963) / int_970c790a
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Big Bad
 High and Low (1963) / int_970c790a
comment
Big Bad: Ginjiro Takeuchi, the mastermind of Shinichi's kidnapping.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_9b54d536
type
Evil Counterpart
 High and Low (1963) / int_9b54d536
comment
Evil Counterpart: The kidnapper to Gondo, as both have backgrounds from the urban slums, and from which Gondo worked his way up from the bottom to reach the professional class, while the kidnapper might have had a chance to potentially work to becoming a medical professional, but threw away his life committing the crimes.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_9f62723d
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Get Out!
 High and Low (1963) / int_9f62723d
comment
Get Out!: After public opinion turned in Gondo's favor after the kidnapping and his paying the ransom, while turning against National Shoes when they fired him, Kawanishi, now working as a director at National Shoes, comes by to offer Gondo the chance to come back as an executive without any actual power, giving him a chance to earn a salary again and hopefully allow him to cut a deal with his creditors. Gondo will have none of it, and orders Kawanishi to get out.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_ab5eea65
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Dramatic Irony
 High and Low (1963) / int_ab5eea65
comment
Dramatic Irony: The kidnapper believes that he's striking a deserved blow against an uppity, privileged rich man who has always looked down (literally) on the poor of the slum district below. Except that Gondo himself came up from those same slums.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_acecb17d
type
Chekhov's Skill
 High and Low (1963) / int_acecb17d
comment
Chekhov's Skill: Gondo's youth as a cobbler's apprentice comes in handy when the police need to hide some capsules in the briefcases that burn with bright pink smoke or let out a horrible smell if they get wet.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_aec19d54
type
Hyperlink Story
 High and Low (1963) / int_aec19d54
comment
Hyperlink Story: The second half of the film is a drama without main characters largely following the cops as they investigate the kidnapper, it also switches by following the kidnapper, a brief episode where Shinichi's father tries to act like a hero and investigate on his own, and showing the fallout of the media publicity of Gondo's actions. The height of this is when both the kidnapper, currently being closely followed by the police, spots Gondo who is examining some womens' shoes in a storefront window. Eager to meet the man he has robbed, the kidnapper throws away his cigarette, puts a new one in his mouth, walks over to Gondo, and asks him for a light, which is obliges. He then watches Gondo leaving before catching a taxi to the hideout. Watching all this, the cops can't believe the bizarre incident.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_af3ea0e3
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Face–Heel Turn
 High and Low (1963) / int_af3ea0e3
comment
Face–Heel Turn: Gondo's secretary Kawanishi defects to the side of the directors; he tries to disguise this as a Heel–Face Turn, but Gondo easily sees through it. He justifies his actions by telling Gondo that his actions in agreeing to the ransom demand would have caused his downfall and ejection from National Shoes, destroying Kawanishi's life in the process as well. He later brings an offer from the National Shoes director to rehire Gondo in a powerless role, where at least Gondo would have an income and might be able to come to an agreement with his creditors. He once again acts as if this is a Heel–Face Turn, explaining that it as a result of his long loyalty to Gondo and how he had risked his own job to get the directors to agree to this offer. Gondo angrily refuses and orders him to leave..
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 High and Low (1963) / int_b3f77675
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Grass Is Greener
 High and Low (1963) / int_b3f77675
comment
Grass Is Greener: Why the kidnapper did what he did. He was a poor medical student who lived in a hovel gazing up at Gondo's fancy house at the top of the hill and directed all his rage towards him, seeing him as a symbol and representative of the class structure.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_b7b0c10d
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Phone-Trace Race
 High and Low (1963) / int_b7b0c10d
comment
Phone-Trace Race: Police trying to trace the phone calls.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_b9fd7929
type
Morality Chain
 High and Low (1963) / int_b9fd7929
comment
Morality Chain: Gondo's wife Reiko, at first, and later his son Jun.
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Splash of Color
 High and Low (1963) / int_bbb3a5a0
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Splash of Color: A plume of pink smoke when the kidnapper disposes of evidence appears in color.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_bc00493f
type
Precision F-Strike
 High and Low (1963) / int_bc00493f
comment
Precision F-Strike: When describing his meeting with the executives at National Shoes, Bos'n stands up angrily and says of them, "What a bunch of assholes."
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 High and Low (1963) / int_c3a57274
type
True Craftsman
 High and Low (1963) / int_c3a57274
comment
True Craftsman: Gondo cares about making quality shoes, and takes offense when more ethically challenged executives at National Shoes suggest making a deliberately shoddy product.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_c868a42a
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Freudian Excuse
 High and Low (1963) / int_c868a42a
comment
Freudian Excuse: It's hinted that the kidnapper's life has been hellish, including whatever gave him that nasty scar. But he decides not to tell Gondo about it, apparently because he doesn't want to be pitied, which of course begs the question as to why he's even telling Gondo about it.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_cbe687ab
type
Corrupt Corporate Executive
 High and Low (1963) / int_cbe687ab
comment
Corrupt Corporate Executive: The three directors want to take over National Shoes so that they can make gaudy but shoddy products at a high profit, assuming their customers will be easily fooled by advertising. The "Old Man", who is never seen, does not appear to be corrupt and favors making long-lasting shoes, but is autocratic and behind the times — the three directors derisively refer to the women's shoes he prefers to make as "army shoes", i.e. ugly but reliable, reducing the amount of money they can make from each customer.
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 High and Low (1963) / int_d3427b48
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Yamato Nadeshiko
 High and Low (1963) / int_d3427b48
comment
Yamato Nadeshiko: Reiko
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 High and Low (1963) / int_dca70c44
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Reasonable Authority Figure
 High and Low (1963) / int_dca70c44
comment
Reasonable Authority Figure: Tokura, the chief detective in charge of the case. He never pushes Gondo to pay the ransom, merely asking him to tell the kidnapper he's willing to pay, he tries to calm Aoki down when he pushes his son to remember what happened (see Guilt Complex above), and assures Shinichi he's helped a lot. On the DVD commentary, it's said Kurosawa told Tatsuya Nakadai to base his performance on the work of Henry Fonda, who played such figures late in his career (specifically his performance in 12 Angry Men).
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 High and Low (1963) / int_de2ee4e8
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Two-Act Structure
 High and Low (1963) / int_de2ee4e8
comment
Two-Act Structure: The first half of the film involves the kidnapping and Ransom Drop, which is complicated by Gondo's planned takeover of National Shoes and his reluctance to expose himself to complete financial ruin. The second half of the movie largely leaves Gondo behind and follows the meticulous police investigation that eventually tracks down the kidnapper. Kurosawa emphasizes this by the fact that the first act is entirely set inside the confines of the house, while the second half is set across the city's lower-depths, with the scene where Gondo makes the drop in the train the bridge of the story. The film is divided between "high" and "low".
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 High and Low (1963) / int_ed874c14
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Self-Made Man
 High and Low (1963) / int_ed874c14
comment
Self-Made Man: Gondo worked his way up from cobbler's apprentice to the position he now occupies, though his marriage to Reiko did give him much more wealth to work with. (And note that this kind of upward social mobility would have been extremely rare in Japan at the time, making Gondo's moral dilemma even more harrowing.) The fact that he was a leather worker implies that he was not simply poor, but a Burakumin, making his success even more extraordinary.
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Earn Your Happy Ending
 High and Low (1963) / int_f64a9cf7
comment
Earn Your Happy Ending: Gondo's plan to take over National Shoes fails, and he loses all his possessions when his creditors call in his loan. But he gets the cash back when the kidnapper is finally caught, and he gets a chance to start over again with a smaller shoe company where he has more control than he had at National Shoes.
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High and Low (1963)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 High and Low (1963)
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Accidental Kidnapping / int_36827f9e
 High and Low (1963)
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Adaptation Title Change / int_36827f9e
 High and Low (1963)
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Cowboys and Indians / int_36827f9e
 High and Low (1963)
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Evil Plan / int_36827f9e
 High and Low (1963)
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Phone-Trace Race / int_36827f9e
 High and Low (1963)
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Pillars of Moral Character / int_36827f9e
 High and Low (1963)
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Ransom Drop / int_36827f9e
 High and Low (1963)
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Self-Made Man / int_36827f9e
 High and Low (1963)
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True Craftsman / int_36827f9e
 High and Low (1963)
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Two-Act Structure / int_36827f9e