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Ichirō Sugai
was a Japanese actor and film director who appeared in more than 300 films in his 45 years spanning career, working with directors such as Kaneto Shindō, Kenji Mizoguchi and Kōzaburō Yoshimura. Biography Sugai was born in Rukahara (now Higashiyama Ward), Kyoto. He left junior high school prematurely and entered the Kyoto section of the Nikkatsu film company in 1925. In the 1930s, he first switched to Shinkō Kinema before founding the actors group Dai-ichi kyōdan and becoming a freelance actor in 1939. Notable films of this era include Kenji Mizoguchi's '' The Water Magician'' (1933) and ''The Straits of Love and Hate'' (1937). After World War II, Sugai became a sought after supporting actor. In addition to numerous films by directors Shindō, Mizoguchi and Yoshimura, he appeared in films by Akira Kurosawa, Keisuke Kinoshita, Tadashi Imai, Shōhei Imamura and Yasujirō Ozu. Sugai directed two films himself, ''Dorodarake no seishun'' (1954) and ''Furanki no uchūjin'' (195 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Life Of Oharu
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with nouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of the archaic pronoun ''thee' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Most Beautiful
is a 1944 Japanese drama and propaganda film written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The semidocumentary film follows a group of female volunteer workers at an optics factory during the Second World War, during which the film was produced. Plot Set during World War II, the film depicts the struggle of female volunteer workers to meet production targets at a precision optics factory in Hiratsuka. They drive themselves, individually and collectively, to exceed the targets set for them by the factory directors. The factory directors push them to be their best for their country. The young women live in a dormitory, under the leadership of Watanabe. Every day they march and sing songs about Japan's greatness while on the way to work. They live away from their parents but are happy to do so to serve their country. Every morning before work, they pledge that they will be loyal to Japan and will work to destroy the U.S. and Britain. There are encouraging signs posted everywhere about wo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sansho The Bailiff
is a 1954 Japanese period film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi based on a 1915 short story of the same name by Mori Ōgai (translated as "Sanshō the Steward" in English), which in turn was based on a (oral lore) appearing in written form in the 17th century. It follows two aristocratic children who are sold into slavery. ''Sansho the Bailiff'' bears many of Mizoguchi's hallmarks, such as portrayals of poverty and elaborately choreographed long takes. Today, the film is often ranked alongside '' Ugetsu'' (1953) as one of Mizoguchi's finest works. Plot ''Sansho the Bailiff'' is a '' jidai-geki'' set in the latter part of the eleventh century, during the Heian period of feudal Japan. A virtuous governor is banished by a feudal lord to a far-off province. His wife, Tamaki, and children, Zushiō and Anju, are sent to live with her brother. Just before they are separated, Zushiō's father tells him, "Without mercy, man is like a beast. Even if you are hard on yourself, be merciful to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Life Of A Woman
is a 1953 Japanese drama film written and directed by Kaneto Shindō. It is based on Guy de Maupassant's 1883 novel '' Une vie''. Plot Shortly after graduating from high school, Fujiko Shirakawa is married to Shintarō Yamazaki, whose parents run a lucrative restaurant. Fujiko soon finds out that not only her father-in-law has two mistresses, but that Shintarō has an affair with maid Yuki. Pregnant with Shintarō's child, Fujiko gives in to her parents' and parents-in-law's appeal to stay with her husband. When Yuki also turns out to be pregnant and is sent back to her parents, Fujiko manages to talk her parents-in-law into raising Yuki's son Jirō together with her own son Tarō in the Yamazaki household. Some time later, Shintarō dies, and with the outbreak of the Pacific War, Tarō and Jirō are mobilised. After the end of the war, Fujiko manages the still flourishing restaurant of the Yamazaki family. Her son Tarō, who has returned from the war while Jirō has gone missi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Geisha
is a 1953 Japanese drama film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, centred on the geisha milieu in post-war Gion, Kyoto. It is based on a novel by Matsutarō Kawaguchi. Plot Eiko is in the search of the okiya (geisha house) run by the geisha Miyoharu. As she approaches the screen doors, she witnesses an exchange between Miyoharu and a client. The client, greatly indebted and unable to afford Miyoharu's services, is coldly and mockingly berated by Miyoharu for his presumptuousness. Enraged by the sudden demise of her affected desire for him and her mercenary attitude, he tries to assault her but is thwarted and summarily evicted by Miyoharu's servants. As he sees the client off the premises, one of the servants finds Eiko at the door and invites her inside. In supplication, Eiko reveals that the death of her mother has left her at the mercy of her uncle, who demands that Eiko repay the debt incurred by her mother's funeral expenses by rendering sexual services to him. She pleads with Mi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Epitome (film)
is a 1953 Japanese drama film written and directed by Kaneto Shindō, based on an unfinished novel by Shūsei Tokuda. Plot Ginko, daughter of a poor Tokyo shoemaker, is sold to work as a geisha in a brothel in Chiba to support her family. Although made the madam after the death of the owner's wife, she suffers so much from the violence inflicted by the abusive owner, that her father buys her back. To help the family and her sick father, she starts working in a brothel in Echigo Province. There she meets Kuramochi who is seemingly willing to make Ginko his wife, but his upper-class family demands that he marries a woman of equal social status. Back in Tokyo working at still another brothel, she catches pneumonia and is carried home to die, but in the end her younger sister Tokiko dies and she lives. The last scene shows her again as a geisha, entertaining a group of customers. Cast * Nobuko Otowa as Ginko * Isuzu Yamada as Tamiko * Sumiko Hidaka as Somefuku * Sō Yamamura a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Avalanche (1952 Film)
is a 1952 Japanese drama film written and directed by Kaneto Shindō. Cast * Susumu Fujita as Kōsuke Kijima * Nobuko Otowa as Atsuko Fujikawa * Mitsuko Mito as Tokie Kijima * Ichirō Sugai as Manager * Taiji Tonoyama was a Japanese character actor who made many appearances in films and on television from 1939 to 1989. He was a close friend of Kaneto Shindo and one of his regular cast members. He was also an essayist. In 1950 he helped form the film company ... as Miyabayashi * Saburō Date as Tomita References External links * 1952 drama films Japanese drama films 1950s Japanese-language films Films directed by Kaneto Shindo Films scored by Akira Ifukube Japanese black-and-white films 1950s Japanese films Japanese-language drama films {{1950s-Japan-film-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Early Summer
is a 1951 Japanese drama by Yasujirō Ozu. Like most of Ozu's post-war films, ''Early Summer'' deals with issues ranging from communication problems between generations to the rising role of women in post-war Japan. The plot concerns Noriko, who lives contentedly in an extended family household that includes her parents and her brother's family, but an uncle's visit prompts the family to find her a husband. Plot Noriko, a secretary in Tokyo, lives in Kamakura, Kanagawa with her extended Mamiya family, which includes her parents Shūkichi and Shige, her older brother Kōichi, a physician, his wife Fumiko, and their two young sons Minoru and Isamu. An elderly uncle arrives and reminds everyone that Noriko, who is 28, should marry. At work, Noriko's boss Satake recommends a match for her with a forty-year-old friend of his, Mr. Manabe, a businessman and golfer. Noriko's friends are divided into two groups—the married and the unmarried—who tease one another endlessly, with Aya ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Story Of A Beloved Wife
is a 1951 Japanese drama film written and directed by Kaneto Shindō. It was Shindō's debut film as a director. The story is a fictionalised account of Shindō's first marriage. Plot Numazaki, an aspiring screenwriter, lives as a boarder with a couple and their daughter Takako. When he and Takako become involved romantically, the father demands Numazaki to leave, and tells the daughter not to marry Numazaki because of his insecure line of work. Takako rebels against her father and moves in with Numazaki into a flat of their own. Numazaki's screenplay for film director Sakaguchi is rejected, but Sakaguchi gives him the chance for a rewrite, urging him to study literature to improve his work. While Numazaki is studying and writing, Takako supports him with her jobs. Numazaki's script is finally accepted, but Takako falls fatally ill with tuberculosis. Before she dies, she asks him to write a story about her. Cast * Nobuko Otowa as Takako Ishikawa * Jūkichi Uno as Keita Numaza ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flame Of My Love
''My Love Has Been Burning'' is a 1949 Japanese historical drama film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. It is loosely based on the life of feminist Hideko Fukuda. Plot After meeting with Meiji era feminist and Liberal Party member Toshiko Kishida, the school of young teacher Eiko in Okayama is closed by the prefecture officials. She leaves her oppressive environment for Tokyo, following her boyfriend Hayase, but Hayase acts reserved when she reunites with him. Omoi, a prominent Liberal Party politician, offers her a job at the party's newspaper. When Hayase is caught spying on the party for the government, she breaks ties with him and becomes Omoi's lover. Eiko and Omoi are arrested during the turmoils of the Chichibu incident and sentenced to several years' imprisonment, where Eiko witnesses the same abuse of the female inmates as before of the women labourers in the textile mills. After the 1889 amnesty of political prisoners, Omoi regroups the party, supported by Eiko. When Eik ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stray Dog (film)
is a 1949 Japanese crime drama noir film directed and co-written by Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura. It was Kurosawa's second film of 1949 produced by the Film Art Association and released by Shintoho. It is also considered a detective movie (among the earliest films in that genre) that explores the mood of Japan during its painful postwar recovery. The film is also considered a precursor to the contemporary police procedural and buddy cop film genres, based on its premise of pairing two cops with different personalities and motivations together on a difficult case. Plot The film takes place during a heatwave in the middle of summer in post-war Tokyo. Murakami ( Toshiro Mifune), a newly-promoted homicide detective in the Tokyo police, has his Colt pistol stolen while riding on a crowded trolley. He chases the pickpocket, but loses him. A remorseful Murakami reports the theft to his superior, Nakajima, at police headquarters. After Nakajima en ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apostasy (1948 Film)
''Apostasy'' () is a 1948 Japanese drama film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita, based on the novel '' The Broken Commandment'' by Tōson Shimazaki. Plot Segawa, a young school teacher in rural Meiji era Japan, hides his burakumin roots, as he had promised his father, who had hoped for his son to live a life without social discrimination. His promise conflicts with his wish to confess his secret to his fiancée Oshiho. Segawa's mentor and future father-in-law Kazama, ancestor of an old samurai family, has just been forced to retire for plain monetary reasons, thus losing his pension. After meeting with prominent burakumin writer Inoko (who is later killed by a group of villagers), rumours about Segawa's descent are spreading. Put under pressure at a public meeting of the townspeople, he finally reveals the truth. With the majority, including Kazama, turning against him, he is forced to resign. Upon leaving the town together with Oshiho, who has decided to stay by his side, he is waved ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
