is a 1938 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 ...

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, ...

. The film about a duo of traditional music performers is based on a short story (and later

shinpa (also rendered ''shimpa'') is a form of theater in Japan, usually featuring melodramatic stories, contrasted with the more traditional ''kabuki'' style. It later spread to cinema. Art form The roots of ''Shinpa'' can be traced to a form of agi ...

play) by

Matsutarō Kawaguchi was a Japanese writer of short stories, novels, dramas and screenplays. He repeatedly collaborated on the films of director Kenji Mizoguchi. Biography Kawaguchi was born in the plebeian Asakusa district of Tokyo into an impoverished family. He ...

Plot

Tsuruhachi and Tsurujirō, who've known each other since their childhood days, are a successful musical performing duo, with Tsurijirō acting as the tayū (singer), and Tsuruhachi accompanying him on the

shamisen The , also known as the or (all meaning "three strings"), is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument . It is played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usual ...

. Although both had been taught their art by Tsuruhachi's now deceased mother, he constantly criticises her way of playing, which leads to repeated conflicts that have to be resolved by their manager Shohei and venue owner Takeno. After Tsuruhachi tells Tsurujirō that she considers marrying wealthy Mr. Matsuzaki, Tsurujirō confesses his love for her, and Tsuruhachi agrees to marry him instead. Tsurujirō hopes to open his own theatre venue one day, so Tsuruhachi offers to help with her inheritance to secure funding. When Tsurujirō learns that the money actually came from Matsuzaki, he accuses Tsuruhachi of being his mistress. Tsuruhachi furiously breaks off the engagement over the false accusation and marries Matsuzaki. Now appearing solo at small venues across the country, Tsurujirō's career declines, until one day Shohei and Takeno can convince him and his former partner to enter the stage together again. The reunion is a tremendous success, and Tsuruhachi declares that for the opportunity to perform, she would even leave her marriage. On the last evening, Tsurujirō starts criticising Tsuruhachi again, which causes her to break ties with him once and for all. Afterwards, Tsurujirō tells Shohei that he only started the argument with Tsuruhachi so she would return to her marriage, which he thinks is the best thing for her.

Cast

Isuzu Yamada was a Japanese stage and screen actress whose career spanned seven decades. Biography Yamada was born in Osaka as Mitsu Yamada, the daughter of Kusudu Yamada, a shinpa actor specialising in onnagata roles, and Ritsu, a geisha. Under her mother ...

as Toyo/Tsuruhachi *

Kazuo Hasegawa was a Japanese film and stage actor. He appeared in over 300 films between 1927 and 1963. Career Born to a sake brewing family in Kyoto, he first appeared on stage at age five in a theater run by his family as a side business. In 1918, he beca ...

as Jirō/Tsurujirō * Kamatari Fujiwara as Shohei *

Heihachiro Okawa , also sometimes credited as , was a Japanese film actor active from the 1930s to 1971. With hopes of starting a business, he traveled to the United States in 1923 and studied at Columbia University. He also studied at the Paramount Studios acti ...

as Matsuzaki * Masao Mishima as Takeno

Background

''Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro'' was based on Kawaguchi's short story of the same title, which had been awarded the first Naoki Prize in 1935 and was itself said to be an adaptation of the 1934 US film ''

Bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

''. The film premiered in Japan on 29 September 1938. In a critics' discussion in film magazine '' Kinema Junpo'', ''Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro'' was recognised as director Naruse's best film since his 1933 ''

Every-Night Dreams is a 1933 Japanese silent drama film directed by Mikio Naruse. The film follows a single mother who works as a bar hostess and her struggles to provide for her son in depression-era Japan. Plot Omitsu works as a hostess in a harbour bar entert ...

'', as was Yamada's performance. At the same time, Naruse was criticised for being vague about the film's historical setting and his inability to put his stamp on the material. Also, the ending was regarded as unsatisfying and unconvincing. ''Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro'' was eventually shown in the United States in 1984–85, and again in 2005. In 2014, it was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival in its "Retrospektive" program. In a 2006 review for ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'', critic Keith Uhlich concluded that ''Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro'' was "primarily a vehicle for its very attractive stars", whose visual beauty remained on the surface and whose musical sequences, unlike the director's later ''

The Song Lantern ''A Song by Lantern Light'' is a 1943 Japanese historical drama film by Mikio Naruse. It is based on a novel by Kyōka Izumi. Plot Japan in the Meiji era: Kitahachi, son of famous noh actor Genzaburo Onchi, is disowned by his father after Kit ...

'', lacked "the thematic depth of Naruse's best work with the form".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro 1938 films 1938 drama films Japanese drama films Japanese black-and-white films Films based on works by Japanese writers Films based on short fiction Films directed by Mikio Naruse Toho films 1930s Japanese-language films Films set in the Meiji period