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It is rather a shock, if you are familiar with Mikio Naruse‘s cinema, to discover “Summer Clouds”. The movie stands out in his filmography – not simply because it is his first color and widescreen feature, but also because it leaves behind the urban environment typical of the director to instead tell a tale about peasant life in the countryside. In place of the quiet domestic dramas set in small Tokyo homes, we now get wide shots of fields, valleys and beaches. Stepping out of his comfort zone, Naruse also stumbles somewhat in telling a story that feels much more polished and academic than his usual fare.

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

There is still much to appreciate in a movie that bears strong similarities to Naruse’s earlier works, particularly in how it concentrates on a family...

Co-organized with Japan Society and Japan Foundation, New York, Metrograph is pleased to commemorate this master of Japanese cinema’s golden age with Mikio Naruse: The World Betrays Us, a two-part 30-film retrospective—presented entirely on rare film prints imported from archives and collections in Japan—on the 120th anniversary of his birth. The series runs from May 9 – 31 at Japan Society, continuing at Metrograph from June 5 – June 29.

Metrograph’s program will begin with When a Woman Ascends the Stairs followed by a post-screening reception hosted by Japan Foundation, New York at the theater. Tickets for the series will go on sale Wednesday, April 30, with a limited number available for the opening night event.

Over a career spanning four decades from 1930 to 1967, Mikio Naruse bore witness to the making of modern Japan, before and after World War II, in films that primarily examine the cruel condition of women cast adrift in a society in constant,...