is a 1932 Japanese silent

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-g ...

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, ...

, based on a novel by Shunyo Yanagawa. It is the first surviving

feature-length film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

by the director.

Plot

After five years overseas, star actress Tamae returns to Japan to reunite with her daughter Shigeko, whom she left behind with her then husband Atsumi in favour of her career. In her absence, Atsumi has married again, and the bond between Shigeko and her stepmother Masako has grown as strong as between a blood-related child and mother. When Atsumi's company goes bankrupt and his family is forced to move to lower-class surroundings, Tamae sees her chance to lure Shigeko away, but eventually has to accept that her wealth can't compensate for Shigeko's and Masako's mutual love.

Cast

* Yoshiko Okada as Tamae Kiyooka * Shin'yō Nara as Shunsaku Atsumi * Yukiko Tsukuba as Masako, Atsumi's wife * Toshiko Kojima as Shigeko, Atsumi's daughter * Fumiko Katsuragi as Kishiyo, Atsumi's mother * Jōji Oka as Masaya Kusakabe * Ichirō Yūki as Keiji Makino * Shozaburo Abe as "Gen the Pelican"

Analysis

Naruse biographer Catherine Russell linked ''No Blood Relation'' to other Naruse films of the same era like ''Three Sisters With Maiden Hearts'', ''

Wife! Be Like a Rose! ''Wife! Be Like a Rose!'' ''Kimiko'' ( ja, 妻よ薔薇のやうに, Tsuma yo bara no yô ni) is a 1935 Japanese comedy drama film directed by Mikio Naruse. It is based on the shinpa play ''Futari tsuma'' (二人妻, lit. ''Two Wives'') by Mino ...

'' and '' The Girl in the Rumor'', by using the popular but controversial figure of the '' moga'' (modern Japanese girl with Western values and Western fashion style), who contrasted with another woman or sister.

Legacy

''No Blood Relation'' was screened at the

Cinémathèque Française The Cinémathèque Française (), founded in 1936, is a French non-profit film organization that holds one of the largest archives of film documents and film-related objects in the world. Based in Paris's 12th arrondissement, the archive offers ...

in 2006 and at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

in 2007 in its "Retrospektive" program.

References

External links

* * * {{Mikio Naruse 1932 films 1932 drama films Japanese black-and-white films Japanese drama films 1930s Japanese-language films Japanese silent films Films based on works by Japanese writers Films directed by Mikio Naruse Shochiku films Silent drama films