小伙子卡西克有着完美的工作,遇到一个完美的姑娘,拥有着完美的生活。然而突然有一天晚上,一个神秘的来电,一个自称是卡西克的男人的来电,该男子在电话中说,他是来改变卡西克的生活的.....。抗日战争中期,国民党新编22军被日寇重兵围困在陵城。军长梁梦征违心地签署了接受改编投降日军的一纸命令。在自杀前,他关照外甥女儿李兰和312师师长白云森成亲,把心爱的手枪送给了跟随他多年的手枪营营长周浩。军部被倾向改编的副军长毕元奇控制,白师长被软禁。在军官会上,毕元奇拿出军长手令让大家传阅,被白云森扣住,并宣布:军长被毕元奇谋害,手令纯属伪造。他当众击毙了毕元奇,得到了军长的侄子、311师师长梁皖育和手枪营营长周浩的支持,并控制了会场,议定当晚突围。担架队抬着军长的遗体,士兵们杀开一条血路,冲出重围。这时白云森命令放下军长遗体,抬上伤员;周浩极力反对,并发誓要把军长背走。周浩的行动激怒了白云森,他决心公布军长的手令。当梁皖育和李兰知道后,想尽办法也没阻止住。第二天,白云森在军官会上宣布梁梦征是汉奸,会上又炸了锅,311师的军官们不能容忍白云森出尔反尔,把枪口对准了他。312师的军官们为了保卫自己的师长也拔出了枪。两师对阵气氛异常紧张。白云森先发制人,先解下自己的佩枪,吼道:要开枪先冲着我来。命令312师先交枪,然后逼梁皖育和311师都交了枪。他又控制了局面,然后让大家传看手令。311师的马团长抢走手令,并破口大骂白云森。这时白云森以搅乱会场为名,当场枪毙了马团长。手令重新传看,军官们看着手令都不吭声。白云森认为目的已达到。他刚走到一块大石头边,周浩的枪响了。白云森应声倒下。军官们闻声而来,谁也不能靠近。原来周浩已神志失常。为了安抚部队,防止火并,收拾残局,梁皖育命令把周浩就地处决。而李兰由于白云森的死,精神也失常了,亦被梁皖育打死。疲惫不堪的22军,向重庆电告突围成功,重庆复电追悼“为国捐躯”的梁梦征、白云森、毕元奇,并任命梁皖育为军长,晋升中将。。Eburi is a 36 year-old man. Nothing enthuses him any more. While being drunk, he promises to contribute a story to a magazine. When he sobers down, he decides to write about the life of a salaried employee like himself who is very ordinary, not particularly talented.
The following is his story:
In 1949, Eburi gets married to Natsuko. His monthly salary is 8,000 yen and hers 4,000 yen. Therefore, both have to work to support themselves. Eburi has developed a habituIl tendency to pester around when he gets drunk. One year after their marriage, son Shosuke is born. In 1959, Eburi's mother dies in despair of her husband who has become listless due to the several ups and downs of gaining big profits and going bankrupt. His father is still alive and Eburi is enable to find a way to pay his father's debts. He is doubtful if he can make his wife and child happy. Nevertheless, he has somehow managed to survive so far, living in one of the houses at the employee housing quarters. He gives the title "The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman" to his story of half novel and half essay style. When it is published, it receives the Naoki Literary Prize (the award given in memory of popular writer Naoki Sanjugo). At a party to celebrate his award, he gets drunk and pesters around.
Notes
The film is based on a novel written in the style of an essay under the same title by Yamaguchi Hitomi, depicting everyday life of a man categorized as "During-the-war Generation" who spent school days during the war and get married to start new life in the struggling post-war era. "Everyman" in the title means an average salaried employee who makes up an overwhelming majority of the city population in Japan, and "The Elegant Life" indicates sarcasm on betterment of the standard of living of ordinary salaried employees accompanied with Japan's economic growth after only a decade from the destroyed post-war period. As depicted in the film, the author Yamaguchi Hitomi was awarded the Naoki Literature Prize for this story. When he established himself well enough to become independent, he quit working as a salaried employee. Director Okamoto Kihachi and the leading actor Kobayashi Keiju belong to the same generation as the author. Exploiting innovative effects such as inserting animation sequences, the film humorously presents compassion of a middle-aged salaried employee. Kobayashi Keiju, who was originally noted for his excellent portrayal of salaried employee, won the best leading actor award of the Mainichi Film Contest for his superb performance in this picture.。