
Overview
French silkworm trader Hervé is married to the beautiful Hélène. When an outbreak of disease ravages European silkworms, Hervé must travel to Japan to retrieve healthy eggs. After a long journey, Hervé finally arrives at a village where he can buy them. He becomes infatuated with a young concubine and goes to great lengths to see her again. But, when war breaks out in Japan, the concubine flees, forcing Hervé to return home to his wife.
Trailer
Crew
DirectorFrançois Girard
WriterFrançois Girard, Michael Golding
Cast

Keira Knightley
Hélène Joncour

Michael Pitt
Hervé Joncour

Alfred Molina
Baldabiou

Koji Yakusho
Hara Jubei

Sei Ashina
The Girl

Miki Nakatani
Madame Blanche

Kenneth Welsh
Mayor Joncour

Callum Keith Rennie
Schuyler

Mark Rendall
Ludovic Berbek

Martha Burns
Mme. Joncour

Naoko Watanabe
Japanese Girl

Tony Vogel
Café Verdun Man #1
Hiroya Morita
Japanese Elder #1
Hiroshi Ohguchi
Japanese Elder #2

Toru Tezuka
Japanese Guide

Akinori Ando
Ronin

Jun Kunimura
Umon

Kanata Hongo
Japanese Boy

Yuya Takagawa
Japanese Trader #1

Tarō Suwa
Japanese Trader #2
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Keywords
japanbased on novel or booksilk19th century
Details
Budget
$20M
TMDb Votes
223
Added May 14, 2026Updated Jun 4, 2026







