is a 1960 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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

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 Shoshimin-eiga, shōshimin-eiga ("common people drama") films with f ...

Plot

Sanae, a recent widow and the eldest daughter of a family, returns to her mother, eldest brother and his brother's wife. The family argues over what to do with the money Sanae's husband left her.

Cast

* Setsuko Hara as Sanae Sakanoshi, the eldest daughter * Masayuki Mori as Yūichirō Sakanishi, the eldest son *

Hideko Takamine was a Japanese actress who began as a child actress and maintained her fame in a career that spanned 50 years. She is particularly known for her collaborations with directors Mikio Naruse and Keisuke Kinoshita, with ''Twenty-Four Eyes'' (1954) a ...

as Kazuko Sakanishi, Yuichiro's wife *

Reiko Dan , real name , was a Japanese actress. She appeared in multiple films between 1957 and 1974, such as ''Sanjuro'' and ''Red Beard is a 1965 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa, in his last collaboration ...

as Haruko Sakanishi, the third daughter *

Mitsuko Kusabue is a Japanese actress. Selected filmography Films Television dramas Theater Anime Dubbing Honours * Medal with Purple Ribbon (1999) * Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (2005) *Kinuyo Tanaka Award (2006) *Japa ...

as Kaoru Sakanishi, the second daughter * Aiko Mimasu as Aki Sakanishi, the mother *

Akira Takarada was a Japanese film actor best known for his roles in the ''Godzilla'' film series. Life and career Akira Takarada was born in Korea under Japanese rule, and lived for a time in Manchuria, China. His father worked as an engineer on the Sout ...

as Reiji Sakanishi, the younger son *

Tatsuya Nakadai is a Japanese film actor. He was featured in 11 films directed by Masaki Kobayashi, including '' The Human Condition'' trilogy, wherein he starred as the lead character Kaji, plus '' Harakiri'', '' Samurai Rebellion'' and '' Kwaidan''. Nakada ...

as Shingo Kuroki, a brewing engineer *

Hiroshi Koizumi (12 August 1926 – 31 May 2015) was a Japanese actor, best known for his starring role in the 1955 film ''Godzilla Raids Again'' as well as other Toho Studios monster movies. He was born in Japan. He is a graduate of Keio University in Tokyo. ...

as Hidetaka Tani, Kaoru's husband *

Haruko Sugimura was a Japanese Theatre, stage and film actor, actress, best known for her appearances in the films of Yasujirō Ozu and Mikio Naruse from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. Biography Sugimura was born in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima, Nishi-ku, Hiroshima. ...

as Kayo Tani, Hidetaka's mother * Keiko Awaji as Mie Banishi, Reiji's wife * Hiroshi Tachikawa as Makoto Asabuki, Haruko's lover *

Daisuke Katō was a Japanese actor. He appeared in over 200 films, including Akira Kurosawa's ''Seven Samurai'', ''Rashomon'', ''Yojimbo'', and ''Ikiru''. He also worked repeatedly for noted directors such as Yasujirō Ozu, Mikio Naruse and Kenji Mizoguchi. ...

as Shōsuke Tetsumoto, Kazuko's uncle *

Ken Uehara was a Japanese actor who appeared in approximately 200 films between 1935 and 1990. A graduate of Rikkyo University, Uehara joined the Shochiku film studio in 1935. After the war, he became a freelance actor, before signing with the Toho film s ...

as Sokei Gojō, Sanae's matchmaker *

Chishū Ryū was a Japanese actor who, in a career lasting 65 years, appeared in over 160 films and about 70 television productions. Early life Ryū was born in Tamamizu Village, Tamana, Kumamoto, Tamana County, a rural area of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu ...

as old man in park

Release

''Daughters, Wives and a Mother'' received a

roadshow theatrical release A roadshow theatrical release or reserved-seat engagement is the practice of opening a film in a limited number of theaters in major cities for a specific period of time before the wide release of the film. Roadshows would generally mimic a live ...

at the Yūraku-za Theatre in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan on 21 May 1960. It was the first Japanese film to play at the theatre since

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It received a general release on 28 May 1960. The film was

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

's highest-grossing film production of 1960 and the eighth highest-grossing Japanese production of 1960. It was released in the United States with English subtitles by Toho International on December 1, 1978.

References

External links

* 1960 films Films directed by Mikio Naruse 1960s Japanese-language films Toho films 1960s Japanese films {{1960s-Japan-film-stub