Setsuko Hara

  • Shirô Toyoda – Kaze futatabi AKA The Wind Blows Twice (1952)

    1951-1960DramaJapanShirô Toyoda

    Kanae, who broke up with her husband and moved to her uncle’s house, meets two men when her father, a university professor, collapses. Michihara, a wealthy man and Miyashita, a youth scholar. Kanae is attracted to Miyashita, but …Read More »

  • Mikio Naruse – Shûu AKA Sudden Rain (1956)

    1951-1960ClassicsDramaJapanMikio Naruse

    Synopsis:
    THE SADNESS OF THE FIGHT IS THE SADNESS OF LOVE. THE JOY AND DECLINE OF LIFE THAT ONLY COUPLES KNOW.

    A husband and wife’s pet peeves and minor irritations escalate into major rifts and animosity.Read More »

  • Yasujirô Ozu – Bakushû aka Early summer (1951) (HD)

    Yasujiro Ozu1951-1960DramaJapan

    Quote:
    Noriko, 28, is a secretary in a small company in Tokyo. She is a modern young woman but she still lives with her parents, just like her brother, his wife and their two children. She is under great pressure from her family; in fact, it is not reasonable at this age not to have yet married. But the young girl rejoices in her independence. Her boss offers her a good deal of his knowledge but Noriko hesitates until a sort of illumination solves the problem for her, at least…Read More »

  • Mikio Naruse – Meshi AKA Repast (1951)

    1951-1960ArthouseDramaJapanMikio Naruse
    Meshi (1951)
    Meshi (1951)

    In many of his most successful films, Naruse depicted common people, living their lives. With Repast the director set his characters to the task of navigating their way amidst a pungent atmosphere of fading love. Set shortly after World War II, Repast is about a struggling marriage between salaryman Hatsunosuke (Ken Uehara) and his wife Michiyo (Setsuko Hara). It focuses on the emotional crisis of the bored housewife. The tedium of her domestic life – consumed by repetitive tasks such as cooking and cleaning – is brought into focus by a visit from Hatsunosuke’s niece, Satoko (Yukiko Shimazaki). Satoko’s arrival, and the amount of attention Hatsunosuke devotes to her charms, leads to further unhappiness for Michiyo, who is forced to confront her future. In the hands of master director Naruse, this adaptation of an unfinished novel by Fumiko Hayashi offers a fascinating exploration of married life, from the habitual routine of everyday existence to the hope for a better tomorrow that may or may not keep such relationships alive. Eureka VideoRead More »

  • Yasujirô Ozu – Banshun AKA Late Spring (1949)

    Yasujiro Ozu1941-1950AsianDramaJapan
    Banshun (1949)
    Banshun (1949)

    Quote:
    Shukichi is a professor, a widower, absorbed in his work. His unmarried daughter, Noriko, runs his household for him. Both are perfectly content with this arrangement until the old man’s sister declares that her niece should get married. Noriko is, after all, in her mid-20s; in Japan in 1949, a single woman that old is approaching the end of her shelf life. His sister warns the professor that after his death Noriko will be left alone in the world; it is his duty to push her out of the nest and find a husband who can support her. The professor reluctantly agrees. When his daughter opposes any idea of marriage, he tells her he is also going to remarry. That is a lie, but he will sacrifice his own comfort for his daughter’s future. She marries.Read More »

  • Yasujirô Ozu – Tôkyô monogatari aka Tokyo story (1953)

    Yasujiro Ozu1951-1960ClassicsDramaJapan
    Tôkyô monogatari (1953)
    Tôkyô monogatari (1953)

    東京物語

    They one hot beautiful summer day joyfully left home
    She one hot sad day stumbled sideways
    He strangely found himself back home
    one of those so beautiful noisy hot summer days one saysRead More »

  • Kôzaburô Yoshimura – Yuwaku AKA Temptation (1948)

    1941-1950DramaJapanKôzaburô YoshimuraRomance

    Synopsis
    “When the young lawyer Yano hears that Takako the daughter of his former teacher has become an orphan he is ready to help her. Takako becomes part of his household to teach his children and spreads love and warmth among the family. Soon both of them develop romantic feelings for each other…”Read More »

  • Akira Kurosawa – Hakuchi AKA The Idiot (1951)

    1951-1960Akira KurosawaArthouseDramaJapan

    After finishing what would become his international phenomenon Rashomon, Akira Kurosawa immediately turned to one of the most daring, and problem-plagued, productions of his career. The Idiot, an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s nineteenth-century masterpiece about a wayward, pure soul’s reintegration into society—updated by Kurosawa to capture Japan’s postwar aimlessness—was a victim of studio interference and, finally, public indifference. Today, this “folly” looks ever more fascinating, a stylish, otherworldly evocation of one man’s wintry mindscape.Read More »

  • Tadashi Imai – Bôrô no kesshitai AKA Suicide Troops of the Watchtower (1943)

    1941-1950ClassicsJapanTadashi ImaiWar

    Summary from IMDb:
    The story centres around a border security team in 1935 Korea. Upon receiving new recruits they hold a welcome party including a restaurant owner and his daughter. The border’s commander has a wife (Hara Setsuko) who helps deliver a neighbour’s baby. One day a border guard is killed by a Chinese bandit who is hiding in the area. The dead man’s sister comes to visit and is given help to further her studies. The film was shot in Korea featuring many Korean actors and crew.Read More »

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