, also titled ''A Picture of Madame Yuki'', is a 1950 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-g ...

directed by

Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter, who directed about one hundred films during his career between 1923 and 1956. His most acclaimed works include ''The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums'' (1939), ''The Life of Oharu'' (1952), ''Uget ...

Plot

Yuki Shinano, a descendant of the once powerful Shinano family, is living in an unhappy marriage with her husband Naoyuki. Although he treats her disdainfully and has a candid affair with his mistress Ayako, whom he even brings to Yuki's residence in

Atami is a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 36,865 in 21,593 households and a population density of 600 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Atami is located in the far ea ...

, she is tied to him through sexual dependency. Yuki and

koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...

teacher Masaya share a mutual affection since childhood, but are both too weak-willed to change the situation. In an attempt to gain autonomy, Yuki opens an inn in her residence, but Naoyuki makes Ayako the head of the business, only to find out later that he himself has been bought out by Ayako and his lawyer Tateoka. Yuki, pregnant from her husband but suspected of adultery through a scheme contrived by Tateoka, drowns herself in the lake.

Cast

Michiyo Kogure (31 January 1918 – 13 June 1990) was a Japanese film actress. She appeared in nearly 200 films in a career which spanned 45 years, starring in works by Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu, Mikio Naruse, and others. Film histor ...

as Yuki Shinano *

Yoshiko Kuga is a Japanese people, Japanese actress. Biography and personal life Kuga was born in Tokyo, Japan. Her father, , was a marquis and a member of the House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers. In 1946, while still attending Gakushuin Junior High Sc ...

as Hamako Abe *

Ken Uehara was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1935 and 1990. He starred in ''Entotsu no mieru basho'', which was entered in the 3rd Berlin International Film Festival. His son is the singer and actor Yūzō Kayama. Sel ...

as Masaya Kikunaka *

Eijirō Yanagi (16 September 1895 – 24 April 1984) was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 160 films from 1940 to 1975. Career Starting out in shingeki theater, Yanagi moved to shinpa (also rendered ''shimpa'') is a form of theater in Japan, ...

as Naoyuki Shinano *

Sō Yamamura was a Japanese actor and film director. He was also known by the name Satoshi Yamamura, while his actual birth name is Koga Hirosada. Yamamura graduated from University of Tokyo. In 1942, Yamamura and Isao Yamagata formed the ''Bunkaza Theatre ...

as Tateoka * Yuriko Hamada as Ayako *

Kumeko Urabe Kumeko Urabe ( ja, link=no, 浦辺粂子) (October 5, 1902 – October 26, 1989) was a Japanese movie actress, and one of the first in the country. Born Kimura Kume, she also adopted the stage names Kumeko Ichijo, Toyama Midori, Chidori Sh ...

as housekeeper * Haruya Kato as Seitaro

References

External links

* * * {{Kenji Mizoguchi Japanese black-and-white films 1950 films Films directed by Kenji Mizoguchi Films scored by Fumio Hayasaka Films with screenplays by Yoshikata Yoda Films based on Japanese novels Japanese drama films 1950 drama films Films set in Atami 1950s Japanese films