Funakoshi Eiji is Mr. Kaze. Nice man, except that he happens to have nine mistresses. What makes things weirder is that the women are all aware of each other, and have started to get together. Now they are planning to murder the man. Easier said than done though, because one of the women is still in love with Kaze, and wants him (alive) for herself. Many plot-twists occur in a wonderful dark comedy narrative.
The cast of A-list actresses is wonderful, but I got the biggest laughs from Funakoshi's Mr. Kaze. My favorite scene was midway through, when he finds out about the women's shared plan to kill him. He does not get afraid, but instead gets confused, and seems genuinely offended by the nastiness of the idea. The comedy's play with gender roles is fun, and has progressive messages hidden in there. The concept is unique and works, though the tone shifts in a couple of places. Another fun element is, that by profession, Mr. Kaze is a television producer. Television, in 1961, was killing the market for movies, so in this Ichikawa film we can see "subtle" criticism of the medium.
