is a 1956 Japanese

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Mikio Naruse was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967. Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook. He made primarily shomin-geki ("common people drama") films with female protagonists, ...

Plot

Kiyoko lives with her husband Shinji and Shinji's mother in the family's house, where the married couple runs a not-too-successful food store. Although their marriage is not happy, it is pragmatic, and both agree on the plan to open an additional coffee shop in the house, despite the mother's objections. Kiyoko asks her friend Sumiko's brother Kenkichi, a bank clerk, for a loan, which he approves. Shortly after, Shinji's older brother Zenichi loses his job. Together with his wife and mother, Zenichi puts pressure on Kiyoko and Shinji to give the money to him to start his own business. Although both Kiyoko and Shinji are against Zenichi's plan, they slowly retreat. Kiyoki feels humiliated when she is told that Shinji visited a hot spring with a friend and two geisha. At the same time, she and Kenkichi develop a mutual affection, which they never openly acknowledge. When Shinji learns that Kiyoko was seen with Kenkichi in public, he offers to let her go, but Kiyoko eventually stays with her husband, affirming that they should carry on with their project to open a café.

Cast

Hideko Takamine was a Japanese actress who began as a child actress and maintained her fame in a career that spanned 50 years. She is particularly known for her collaborations with directors Mikio Naruse and Keisuke Kinoshita, with '' Twenty-Four Eyes'' (195 ...

as Kiyoko * Keiju Kobayashi as Shinji *

Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 150 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration (1948–1965) with Akira Kurosawa in such works as ''Rashomon'', ''Seven Samurai'', ''The Hidden Fortress'', ''Throne of Blood'', and ' ...

as Kenkichi * Yoko Sugi as Yumiko, Kenkichi's sister * Eiko Miyoshi as Shinji's mother *

Minoru Chiaki was a Japanese actor who appeared in eleven of Akira Kurosawa's films, including ''Rashomon'', ''Seven Samurai'', ''Throne of Blood'', and ''The Hidden Fortress''. He was also one of Kon Ichikawa's favorite actors. He attended, but did not grad ...

as Zenichi, Shinji's brother * Chieko Nakakita as Kaoru, Zenichi's wife * Akemi Negishi as Sumiko, Shinji's sister *

Haruo Tanaka was a Japanese film actor noted for his supporting roles in a career that spanned seven decades. Career Tanaka was born in Kyoto and quit school in order to become a film actor, joining the Nikkatsu studio in 1925. He eventually moved up to seco ...

as Kunio *

Ranko Hanai was a Japanese actress. Her birth name was Shimizu Yoshiko. She appeared in more than 190 films between 1931 and 1961. She died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1961 at the age of 42. Selected filmography * '' The Million Ryo Pot'' (1935) * '' Falle ...

as Kunio's wife and madame * Machiko Kitagawa as geisha * Toki Shiozawa as geisha *

Sadako Sawamura was a Japanese actress. She appeared in more than 140 films between 1935 and 1985. Her brothers were the actors Daisuke Katō and Kunitarō Sawamura. Her autobiography, ''My Asakusa'', has been translated into English. Sawamura married fellow ...

as Namiko *

Daisuke Katō was a Japanese actor. He appeared in over 200 films, including Akira Kurosawa's ''Seven Samurai'', ''Rashomon'', '' Yojimbo'', and ''Ikiru''. He also worked repeatedly for noted directors such as Yasujirō Ozu, Mikio Naruse and Kenji Mizoguchi ...

as chef * Yoshio Tsuchiya

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wifes Heart, A 1956 films 1956 drama films 1950s Japanese-language films Japanese black-and-white films Films directed by Mikio Naruse Toho films Films produced by Sanezumi Fujimoto Films scored by Ichirō Saitō