Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets

is a 1971 Japanese experimental film written and directed by Shūji Terayama in his feature-length directorial debut. The film was adapted from Terayama's 1967 essay collection and subsequent 1968 stage play of the same name, and stars Hideaki Sasaki, , Yukiko Kobayashi, and . Centering on an unnamed protagonist navigating the counterculture of 1970s Tokyo, the film features a nonlinear narrative frequently interspersed with staged set pieces, street interviews, and musical interludes.

Cast

• Hideaki Sasaki as Hideaki Kitamura (), the protagonist, referred to throughout only as "Me" ()
• as Masaharu Kitamura (), or the Father ()
• Yukiko Kobayashi as Setsuko Kitamura (), or the Sister ()
• as Hatsu Kitamura (), or the Grandmother ()
• Sei Hiraizumi as Ōmi ()
• Akihiro Miwa as Maya of Hell ()
• as Midori the Prostitute ()
• Maki Asakawa as Prostitute on the Stairs ()
• Izumi Suzuki as Female Doctor ()
• J. A. Seazer as Long-Haired Poet ()

Production

Development

Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets was first published as an essay collection in 1967. This publication laid the thematic groundwork for the film, exploring youth rebellion and the concept of musical expression as modern isolation. The material was adapted into a 1968 Tenjō Sajiki stage play of the same name, which toured Japan until 1970.

Throw Away Your Books was financed under the Art Theatre Guild's standard "ten million yen film" model, in which the ATG and the director contribute to the film's budget equally. To fund his half, director Shūji Terayama established the independent production company Jinriki Hikōki Sha.

Casting

Lead actor Hideaki Sasaki was cast following his performances in Terayama's 1968 stage play of the same name. Sasaki coincidentally shared the character's given name, , and his erratic, existential ethos. Drag queen singer Akihiro Miwa was cast as the prostitute Maya of Hell, as a retooling of the actor's role as Marie in Terayama's 1967 play '.

Kinema Junpo ranked the film as the 9th best Japanese film of 1971. At the 14th ' in 1971, the film tied for the ', the festival's highest honor.