Tamasaburo Bando performs Kabuki Dance

Tamasaburo Bando, Kabuki’s greatest performer of female roles, appears in the classic dance story, Musume Dojoji. A beautiful woman inveigles her way into a temple compound at the time of a ceremony to consecrate a new bell. She secretly burns with anger because she believes that one of the monks betrayed his vow to marry her. She changes from one gorgeous kimono to another until the maiden turns into a frightening demon who melts the new bell.

Performed at Tokyo’s Kabuki-Za Theatre, Tamasaburo is seen here at the height of his powers as a dancer.

Tamasaburo is world reknowned for his performances in film and on stage with Maurice Béjart, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Yo-Yo Ma. Now in this staging of one of the great classics of Japan, Tamasaburo shows himself to be a consummate artist of the Kabuki tradition.

This DVD features an excellent, comprehensive English language commentary by Oxford University scholar Paul M. Griffith explaining the history and details of the play and of the performance.

MUSUME DOJOJI is part of a six part series of DVDs featuring Tamasaburo.

“…who will forget Tamasaburo, with hands like long translucent carvings?” New York Times
“ …one of Japan’s greatest stars,” Maurice Béjart
“ I have just seen a great actor…” The Guardian

For More Information

Contact Marty Gross Film Productions, Inc. 416.536.3355 or
email videos@martygrossfilms.com for more information about purchasing or licensing this film for broadcast.