Gan

"She's uncontrollable when she gets hysterical." "That's because you lied to her, like all men."

This is a heartfelt melodrama, one that empathizes with women and the unfair position they held in the Meiji era of Japan, 1868-1912, and, perhaps by extension, their position when the film was made. The premise is simple: out of financial desperation, a young woman (Hideko Takemine) becomes the mistress to a loathsome money lender, only afterwards finding out his real occupation, and that he's married. She's been set up by a woman who owes the loan shark money and hopes to use the relationship to get out of debt, and she's encouraged in this by her elderly father as a practical way for them to get out of poverty. She had been duped by a man before, you see, and is "damaged," limiting her prospects. The feeling of her being trapped, forced to use her body as her only option, is heartbreaking.

When the young woman meets a medical student (Hiroshi Akutagawa) the pair have eyes for one another, but class restrictions make entertaining a romance difficult. Another student points out to the young man that he's a medical student and she's a kept woman, so he should forget about her. Meanwhile, her father, who's essentially profited from his daughter having sex with a middle-aged man, cautions her, saying "How can you give up the life you have and go back to the living hell of poverty?" Meanwhile, the mistress's "master" (Eijiro Tono) keeps a close eye on her, and despite his duplicity to both his wife and her, has the nerve to get upset even when he finds out she's learning to sew kimonos, saying, "Have you been hiding something from me? I won't allow that!" Not surprisingly, the double standard is in full effect.

Hideko Takemine plays her part with the perfect balance between control and emotion, and is radiant to say the least. The shot where director Shiro Toyoda changes the lighting on her face from background to foreground in a close-up is absolutely gorgeous. Her character has a sense of integrity even when trying to fulfill the obligations of the role fate has assigned her, heightening the emotions. It seems she's constantly having to slide the windows of her little apartment closed, as people walking by peer in, or her master wants her. In this I saw a symbol of hiding, or the potential for discovery of unpleasant truths, bringing shame to her.

To Toyoda's credit, he humanizes all of these characters, including the moneylender, who we find had to work hard as a janitor to college students, saving his meager tips before starting his business. His wife finds out about the affair through a clever device in the plot, and vents her displeasure with him. First he denies it, and then when confronted with evidence, admits it but says her "job" as a wife has actually gotten easier now, though the film's sympathies are clearly with her.

The film also does not succumb to artifice in its main story, or its few subplots. There is a woman with five children who owes the moneylender, and to keep up with her payments, is forced to become a prostitute down by the river. While there is a level of acceptance in the ending for the main character, there is also a cruel reality, especially as we imagine her future. Great film, and a near miss for an even higher rating.

A young woman is forced to reckon with a fate which has made her the mistress of a ruthless moneylender. Another in a long series of long suffering Japanese women caught in unbearable circumstances. Pretty much a common theme in Japanese films of the 50s. What makes this one different is the astonishing fluid, wonderfully composed direction of Toyoda. Someone who I never heard of before seeing The Wild Geese. The use of tight street scenes and forced perspective is extremely effective at creating a sense of time and space. In fact, this movie's technique resembles more the work of a David Lean or William Wyler than any of the major Japanese directors of the period. The score is heartbreaking and stirring. Then there's the acting . Everyone here is magnificent. One minor critique being that the students look a tad old. Hideko Takamine will break your heart in the lead as Otama . And that ending! Enigmatic with a capital "E"!

An example of all that is great about Japanese cinema prior to its decline in the 1960s. It is pictorially exquisite, leisurely paced but never dull, well-acted with just the right amount of melodrama, and directed by a master in top form. The director, Shiro Toyoda, is a superb Japanese film director that has yet to be discovered in the West, though a few of his films, such as "Wild Geese" and "Snow Country" can be found on video.

The story is of a young woman whose relationships with men in the past have been stormy, and who finds herself once again in a bad situation. She becomes the mistress of a wealthy moneylender, believing him to be a merchant who has been recently widowed and that he will soon marry her. She discovers his lies but cannot leave him because of the money he has given to her elderly father. Soon she falls in love with a student that passes by her house every day on the way home, but their relationship ends before it even begins when he is accepted as an apprentice to a doctor in Germany.

"The Mistress" is a beautifully shot film that captures with subtlety and grace the central character's tragedy through its images. It is also an admirable film for its restraint in not descending into the pit of tear-jerking sentimentality that so many Japanese films of the period (even some of the good ones) so frequently did.

Hideko Takamine agrees to become the mistress of Eijirô Tôno. She was married, but the man turned out to have a wife and child, causing her and her poor father, a candy seller...well, problems. Tôno is, they believe, the widowed owner of a kimono shop with children, so it will be some time before she can be brought into his household as his wife. He is kind and indulgent of her. He is not, however, it turns out as advertised. His wife is very much alive and he is a money lender, despised by everyone when they are not trying to borrow money, and always hated by his debtors who cannot pay his usurious rates.

He is desperately in love with Miss Takamine. She likes him, but as she gradually learns the truth about him, she comes to despise him and herself. She takes refuge in a wished-for love of Hiroshi Akutagawa, a handsome medical student who killed a snake trying to eat her caged pet bird. He is focused on his studies and hopes to pass a test that will send him off to faraway Europe with a decent stipend.

Shirô Toyoda directs this fine adaptation of the hard life of poor Miss Takamine, from a novel by Ogai Mori. Toyoda was one of the many talented Japanese directors of the era. He directed his first movie in 1929, the last of almost 70 in 1976. He was best regarded for his literary adaptations like this one.

There are no clear villains in this movie. Everyone is trapped into the role that circumstances and economics dictates. They all long be free, but which of them will escape, like the wild geese that still flew over Tokyo in the time this movie is set?

Let me say from the outset that there is not much in the way of Hideko Takamine films with English subtitles or dubbing. She was one of Japan's greatest actresses, only rivaled to me by Setsuko Hara. I watched the English dubbed version of this film, which was fine, but not advisable. Better to get the subtitled version (if it exists), it seems more natural. That being said, the film is great. Its all about a lady Otoma (Ms. Takamine) becoming a mistress, rather than the wife, of a money lender. He is actually next to a loan shark. She gets her own place, but the money lenders wife finds out about this arrangement and is, of course, upset. Otoma also seems to like a student who helps her, and it is apparent she'd be happier with him, but that may be a dead end. This film is complex, but the use of shadows is a great idea. The mood of the film rarely waivers, and makes for a consistently rewarding, if not actually happy, film. Hideko Takamine, with her pretty doe eyes and beautiful face, lights up any film she is in. The only films I know off the top of my head that have English subtitles of hers are "When A Woman Ascends The Stairs", "Twenty Four Eyes" and "Carmen Comes Home" (Japan's first color film. The sequel "Carmen Finds Love" isn't even available-yet-on DVD). So, watch any Hideko Takamine film while you can. They are all rewarding (the above listed films). This film is a very worthy addition to watch, but check if you can get a subtitle version, rather than the dubbed version. Long may you run, beautiful Ms. Hideko Takamine.