As a Wife, As a Woman

As a Wife, As a Woman a.k.a. The Other Woman and Poignant Story (妻として女として, Tsuma to shite onna to shite) is a 1961 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse.[3][4]

As a Wife, As a Woman
Japanese name
Kanji妻として女として
Directed byMikio Naruse
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJun Yasumoto
Edited byEiji Ooi
Music byIchirō Saitō
Production
company
Distributed byToho
Release date
  • May 30, 1961 (1961-05-30)
[1][2]
Running time
106 minutes[1][2]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Plot

Miho, mistress of married professor Keijiro, has been managing the Ginza bar owned by him and his wife Ayako for years, hoping that some day she might be made the owner as appreciation for her efforts. Instead, Ayako mortgages the bar for a new acquisition, leading to a conflict between the women. Keijiro avoids taking sides, continuing his affair with Miho. Encouraged by friends, Miho hires lawyer Minami to claim a severance pay. When her hope to win the case fades, she decides to fight for custody of Keijiro's children Hiroko and Susumu, who are her natural children, raised by Keijiro and the infertile Ayako as their own. In a final confrontation between Keijiro, Ayako and Miho, the children learn that Miho, who had always been introduced to them as their aunt, is their true mother. Hiroko scolds the adults for their insincerity, refusing to get involved in their schemes. Some time later, Hiroko has moved in with a student friend, disappointed with her parents. Miho, compensated with a small sum, plans to open a street food shop, while Ayako contemplates a divorce.

Cast

Production and release

The screenplay for As a Wife, As a Woman was inspired by an actual court case.[4] The film was released in Japan on May 30, 1961 and in the U.S. in a subtitled version in March 1962.[3] It was presented again in the U.S. as part of a 25 films Naruse retrospective in 1985, organised by the Kawakita Memorial Film Institute and film scholar Audie Bock.[5]

References
  1. "妻として女として (As a Wife, As a Woman)". Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  2. "妻として女として (As a Wife, As a Woman)". Kinenote (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  3. Galbraith IV, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Lanham, Toronto, Plymouth: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6004-9.
  4. Russell, Catherine (2008). The Cinema of Naruse Mikio: Women and Japanese Modernity. Durham and London: Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-4290-8.
  5. "Mikio Naruse: a master of the Japanese cinema". CineFiles. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
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