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“Repast” was based on the final, unfinished novel by Fumiko Hayashi, whose unflinching portrayal of women’s emotional landscapes resonated strongly with Mikio Naruse‘s own cinematic vision. The adaptation marked the beginning of a fruitful yet somber collaboration between director and source material. Screenwriters Toshiro Ide and Sumie Tanaka originally intended for the story to end with the couple’s separation, but the studio, favoring a more palatable resolution, insisted on reconciliation. Tanaka, disillusioned by the compromise, left the project before its completion. Despite this imposed ending, “Repast” was a critical success and is now regarded as a watershed moment in Naruse’s career. It reestablished his artistic reputation and laid the foundation for a series of quietly radical domestic dramas that would define the remainder of his work.

Repast is screening at Metrograph as part of the Mikio Naruse: The World Betrays Us program

Michiyo has left her...

Within the framework of Mikio Naruse‘s postwar productions, “Sound of the Mountain” stands as a cornerstone of his mature period, marking a departure from the experimental camera movements and comedic elements of his Shochiku days toward a more austere exploration of the human condition. Here, the lens becomes a discreet yet truthful observer.

Sincerity is screening at Metrograph as part of the Mikio Naruse: The World Betrays Us program

Whether at home or at work, Shingo Ogata (So Yamamura) knows no peace. His son Shuichi (Ken Uehara) mistreats his wife Kikuko (Setsuko Hara) and jeopardizes the family business through an affair. Meanwhile, the marriage of Shingo’s daughter Fusako (Chieko Nakakita) is falling apart, prompting her return to the parental home. Seeking to restore order, Shingo enlists the help of his secretary (Yōko Sugi) to uncover the identity of Shuichi’s lover. But the discovery reveals not just infidelity...

It is perhaps fitting that Mikio Naruse‘s “Wife” was released the same year as his feature “Husband and Wife”. Besides the obvious similarity in title, both works can be considered thematic companion pieces in the sense the latter is building upon the story and themes of the other. However, “Wife” is considerably bleaker than its predecessor, not only due to its view on married life, but also its perspective on class and how it defines the happiness of the individual as well as the couple itself. Apart from its aforementioned thematic aspects, “Wife” is also yet another proof of Naruse’s talent to explore dynamics and conflicts with the use of space, silences and atmosphere.

Sincerity is screening at Japan Society as part of the Mikio Naruse: The World Betrays Us program

Toichi (Ken Uehara) and Mineko (Mieko Takamine) have been married for ten years. However, their economic situation...

While many consider the works of director Yasujiro Ozu as explorations of Japan’s post-war society and gender roles, the same can be said for Mikio Naruse‘s features. In fact, the condition of the couples and families in his movies from the 1950s hint at a deep sense of loss, disillusionment and sadness for traditional values slowly crumbling. At the same time, there is always the chance of something new, a possibility to acknowledge the person without depending on roles such as wife or husband. These ideas play a major role in works such as Naruse’s 1953 “Wife and Husband”, whose title already seems to suggest the aforementioned concepts. Along with “Wife”, which was released the same year”, it tells a story which is as close to real life as art can get, according to Naruse himself.

Husband and Wife is screening at Japan Society as part of the...

by Mehdi Achouche

Watching “Night River” (also known with the better title of “Undercurrent”), you understand why director Kozaburo Yoshimura (1911-2000) has so often been compared to Kenji Mizoguchi – although that has often been at Yoshimura's expense. Both delivered post-war melodramas often centering on strong, independent-minded female characters being repressed by their families and the social order. Yoshimura (who started as Ozu's assistant director) even took over from Mizoguchi after the latter's death and directed “An Osaka Story” in 1957. The year before, he made “Night River”, penned by feminist screenwriter (and frequent Naruse collaborator) Sumie Tanaka, and adapted from a novel by Hisao Sawano. The story is set in Kyoto and can be seen as part of an informal set of melodramas that Yoshimura directed in the 1950s. These films follow the lives of hard-working women in a rapidly modernizing post-war Kyoto, including the powerful “Clothes of Deception” (1951), “Sisters...

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Toho Studios were attempting to experiment to replicate the formula established in the original “Gojira” for original monster movies. Experiments ranged from “Rodan” and “The Mysterians” to “Varan the Unbelievable” and several others to varying degrees of success, finally prompting the implementation of one of the most beloved giant monsters in the studios’ canon with their all-time classic “Mothra”.

Mothra is screening at Japan Society, Friday, July 8, 2022 at 7:00 Pm

After rescuing several stranded mariners, Dr. Harada (Ken Uehara) informs reporter Fukuda (Frankie Sakai) and his photographer Michi (Kyoko Kagawa) about the survivors’ ability to return from a highly radioactive area in the South Pacific, without injury. As they claim the result is from the natives on a remote island that was long thought to have been deserted, he hooks up with Dr. Chujo (Hiroshi Koizumi) about the possibility of the story and...

It’s another CineSavant review of a movie largely unavailable, especially the original Japanese version. This third Ishirô Honda / Eiji Tsuburaya outer space action epic is probably the best Toho science fiction feature ever, an Astral Collision tale in which the drama and characters are as compelling as the special effects. Nothing can stop a colossal planetoid heading toward Earth, but science comes to the rescue with the biggest construction job ever undertaken by mankind. The fine screenplay generates thrills, suspense and human warmth. It also takes place in the far, far future: 1980.

Gorath

CineSavant Revival Screening Review

Not On Region A Home Video

1962 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 88 83 min. / Yôsei Gorasu

Starring: Ryô Ikebe, Yumi Shirakawa, Akira Kubo, Kumi Mizuno, Akihiko Hirata, Kenji Sahara, Jun Tazaki, Ken Uehara, Takashi Shimura, Seizaburô Kawazu, Takamaru Sasaki, Kô Nishimura, Eitarô Ozawa, Hideyo Amamoto, George Furness, Ross Benette, Nadao Kirino, Fumio Sakashita, Ikio Sawamura, Haruo Nakajima.

Toho’s fabulous, kid-safe Kaiju spectacle about the super-moth from Infant Island might be a stealth Cold War fairy tale. Kids respond to the fanciful Shobijin fairy princesses, while adults (watching the Japanese version) might catch the authors’ message about national belligerence and the abuse of Third Worlders. Greedy ‘Rolisican’ opportunists pay the price of an ancient curse. For its expression of Nature’s justice, vigilante-style, Ishiro Honda’s music-filled show stands right up there with Gorgo — and the giant Moth is also the only Japanese Kaiju monster identified as female.

Mothra

Steelbook Edition

Blu-ray

Mill Creek Entertainment

1961 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 88, 101 min. / Mosura / Street Date July 9, 2019 / 24.98

Starring: Frankie Sakai, Hiroshi Koizumi, Kyoko Kagawa, Ken Uehara, Emi Ito, Yumi Ito, Jerry Ito, Takashi Shimura, Tetsu Nakamura, Akihiro Tayama.

Cinematography: Hajime Koizumi

Director of Special Effects: Eiji Tsuburaya

Original Music: Yuji Koseki

Written by Yoshie Hotta, Shinichiro Nakamura, Shinichi Sekizawa from a...

Matthew Wilkas (Top Five) is set for a recurring role on Aj and the Queen, Netflix’s upcoming comedy series starring RuPaul Charles, from Charles, 2 Broke Girls co-creator and former Sex and the City showrunner Michael Patrick King and Warner Bros. TV. Written by King and Charles, the series stars RuPaul as Ruby Red, a bigger-than-life but down-on-her-luck drag queen who travels across America from club to club in a rundown 1990s Rv with her unlikely sidekick Aj (Izzy G), a recently orphaned, tough-talking, scrappy 9-year-old stowaway. Wilkas will play Officer Patrick Kennedy, a macho, gay police officer who is charming, easy going, and comfortable in his own skin. Officer Patrick works for the New York Police Department alongside Officer Rhonda Whyatt (Misty Monroe). Wilkas is best known for his work in films Gayby, Top Five and Island Zero. He can also be seen recurring in the upcoming Netflix series Bonding,...