was a Japanese

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

known for

social realist Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structure ...

filmmaking informed by a

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

perspective. His most noted films include '' An Inlet of Muddy Water'' (1953) and ''

Bushido, Samurai Saga , also titled ''Bushido: The Cruel Code of the Samurai'' and ''Cruel Tale of Bushido'', is a 1963 Japanese drama film, drama and jidaigeki film directed by Tadashi Imai. It was entered into the 13th Berlin International Film Festival where it w ...

'' (1963).

Life

Although leaning towards left-wing politics already at

Tokyo University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

, where he joined a

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

student group, Imai's directing career, after serving as

continuity writer In fiction, continuity is a consistency of the characteristics of people, plot, objects, and places seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time. It is relevant to several media. Continuity is particularly a concern in the production of ...

at J.O. studios (later

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...

), started in 1939 with a series of films promoting the war efforts of the militarist regime. Later calling these films "the biggest mistake of my life", he soon turned to socially conscious themes after the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

. ''

Aoi sanmyaku is a 1949 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Tadashi Imai was a Japanese film director known for social realist filmmaking informed by a left-wing perspective. His most noted films include ''An Inlet of Muddy Water'' (1953) and ''Bushid ...

'' (1949), although a light comedy, observed the educational system, and was successful both with moviegoers and critics. While his 1950 drama '' Until We Meet Again'' portrayed a young couple's doomed love against the backdrop of the Pacific War, the 1953 anti-war film ''Tower of Lilies'' was a stark account of untrained female students forced into aiding military troops during the final stage of the

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...

. Other films addressed the present-day struggles of day labourers (''And Yet We Live''), troubled youths (''

Jun'ai monogatari is a 1957 Japanese film directed by Tadashi Imai. It was entered into the 8th Berlin International Film Festival where Imai won the Silver Bear for Best Director. Cast * Shinjirō Ehara as Hayakawa Kantaro * Hitomi Nakahara * Eiji Okada * Isa ...

''), poor farmers (''

The Rice People is a 1957 Japanese drama film directed by Tadashi Imai. It was entered into the 10th Cannes Film Festival. Plot Two young men, Tsuguo and Senkichi, return to their small home town during the rice planting festival, and try to make a living a ...

'') and children of interracial relationships (''

Kiku to Isamu is a 1959 Japanese film directed by Tadashi Imai which addresses the subject of children from interracial relationships. Cast *Emiko Takahashi *George Okunoyama *Tanie Kitabayashi *Kōji Mitsui *Osamu Takizawa * Rentarō Mikuni *Seiji Miyaguchi * ...

''). Yet the films regarded his most important of this era had a historical instead of a contemporary setting: '' An Inlet of Muddy Water'' (1953), based on stories by

Ichiyō Higuchi , real name or , was a Japanese writer from the Meiji Period. She was Japan's first professional female writer of modern literature, specialising in short stories and poetry, and also an extensive diarist. Biography Early life Natsuko Higuchi ...

, took a look at the fate of a group of women during the

Meiji era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...

, ''

Night Drum is a 1958 Japanese historical drama film directed by Tadashi Imai. It was written by Kaneto Shindo and Shinobu Hashimoto, based on the 1706 play ''Horikawa nami no tsuzumi'' by Monzaemon Chikamatsu. Film historians regard ''Night Drum'' as one of ...

'' (1958), scripted by

Kaneto Shindo was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film producer, and writer, who directed 48 films and wrote scripts for 238. His best known films as a director include ''Children of Hiroshima'', ''The Naked Island'', '' Onibaba'', ''Kuroneko'' and ' ...

, denounced the Samurai honour codex in a tale about adultery and revenge during the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

. Imai returned to the latter subject in the critically acclaimed ''

'' (1963) and in ''Revenge'' (1964).

Legacy

Japanese critics tended to define Imai's way of storytelling as "''nakanai'' realism", a "realism without tears", a fact questioned by film historian Joan Mellen who saw his work repeatedly "close to the sentimental". In an interview, Imai himself summed up his films as "centered on human tragedies", which locates them close to the works of

Keisuke Kinoshita was a Japanese film director and screenwriter.Ronald Berganbr>"A satirical eye on Japan: Keisuke Kinoshita" ''The Guardian'', 5 January 1999. While lesser-known internationally than contemporaries such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasu ...

who addressed similar topics (though in a less political manner) and whom Imai admired. While film historians acknowledge Imai's solid directorial skills, the lack of a consistent style, and tendency to focus more on consequences than analysis of his themes, have been recurring subjects of criticism.

Selected filmography

* 1946: '' Minshū no Teki'' * 1949: ''

'' * 1950: '' Until We Meet Again'' (''Mata au hi made'') * 1951: ''And Yet We Live'' (''Dokkoi ikiteru'') * 1953: ''Tower of Lilies'' (''Himeyuri no tō'') * 1953: '' An Inlet of Muddy Water'' (''Nigorie'') * 1956: ''

Mahiru no ankoku is a 1956 Japanese drama film directed by Tadashi Imai. It is based on an actual court case, described in the non-fiction book "Saibankan–Hito no inochi wa kenryoku de ubaeru mono ka" by attorney Hiroshi Masaki. Cast * Kōjirō Kusanagi * Sac ...

'' * 1957: ''

'' (''Kome'') * 1958: ''

'' (''Yoru no tsuzumi'') * 1959: ''

'' * 1963: ''

'' (''Bushidō zankoku monogatari'') * 1964: ''Revenge'' (''Adauchi'') * 1967: ''Satōgashi ga kowareru toki'' * 1976: ''

Brother and Sister "Brother and Sister" (also "Little Sister and Little Brother"; German: ''Brüderchen und Schwesterchen'') is a European fairy tale which was, among others, written down by the Brothers Grimm (KHM 11). It is a tale of Aarne–Thompson Type 450. In ...

'' (''Ani imōto'') * 1981: ''Yuki''

Awards

;Berlin Film Festival Imai won the

Silver Bear for Best Director The Silver Bear for Best Director (german: Silberner Bär/Bester Regie) is an award presented annually at the Berlin International Film Festival since 1956. It is given for the best achievement in directing and is chosen by the International Jury ...

at the 1958

8th Berlin International Film Festival The 8th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 27 June to 8 July 1958 with the Zoo Palast as the main venue. The festival was opened by then West Berlin's newly elected mayor Willy Brandt. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Swe ...

for his work on ''

''. At the 1963 13th Berlin International Film Festival his film ''

'' won the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The winn ...

. ;Blue Ribbon Awards Imai won the

Blue Ribbon Award for Best Director The Blue Ribbon Award for Best Director is a prize recognizing the work of a director of a Japanese film. It is awarded annually by the Association of Tokyo Film Journalists as one of the Blue Ribbon Awards The are film-specific prizes award ...

four times: 1950 for '' Until We Meet Again'', 1953 for ''Tower of Lilies'' and '' An Inlet of Muddy Water'', 1956 for ''

'' and 1957 for ''Jun'ai monogatari'' and ''

''. ''Until We Meet Again'', ''An Inlet of Muddy Water'', ''Mahiru no ankoku'', ''The Rice People'' and ''

'' were winners in the

Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

category. ;Kinema Junpo Awards Imai received the

Kinema Junpo , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar ''Kinema Junpō'' ha ...

Award for Best Director for ''Mahiru no ankoku'', ''The Rice People'' and ''Kiku to Isamu''. All three films plus ''Until We Meet Again'' and ''An Inlet of Muddy Water'' were also awarded Best Film. ;Mainichi Fim Awards Imai was awarded Best Director for ''An Inlet of Muddy Water'' at the 1953 8th

Mainichi Film Awards The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by Mainichi Shinbun (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan, since 1946. It is the first film festival in Japan. History The origins of the contest date back to 1935, ...

, where ''An Inlet of Muddy Water'' was also awarded Best Film.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Imai, Tadashi Japanese film directors Samurai film directors 1912 births 1991 deaths People from Tokyo Silver Bear for Best Director recipients Directors of Golden Bear winners