Forever a Woman
Adapted from the autobiography of poet Fumiko Nakajo by frequent Naruse collaborator Sumie Tanaka, this pitch-perfect namida chodai (“tearjerker”) is an unsentimental portrait of a woman’s life as she must contend with a mastectomy, divorce, single motherhood to two children, and developing independence in rural Hokkaido. One of the director’s most celebrated films, Forever a Woman is rich with intriguing compositions and shadowplay, adding lyricism to this powerful ode to life.

DIRECTOR: Kinuyo Tanaka. WRITTEN BY: Sumie Tanaka. STORY BY: Fumiko Nakajo. CAST: Yumeji Tsukioka, Ryoji Hayama, Junkichi Orimoto, Hiroko Kawasaki. 1955. 106 min. Japan. B&W. Japanese. DCP. Restored in 4K by the Nikkatsu Corporation.

The Moon Has Risen
Yasujirô Ozu, for whom Tanaka acted in 10 films, co-wrote the screenplay for this charming and contemplative family drama set in the sleepy city of Nara where three adult sisters share a home with their father (Ozu icon Chishû Ryû). Youngest daughter Setsuko (Mie Kitahara from Crazed Fruit) decides to be a secret matchmaker for her widowed eldest sister (Hisako Yamane) but finds herself in a romantic bind as well. Lookout for Tanaka cameoing as a beleaguered servant.

DIRECTOR: Kinuyo Tanaka. WRITTEN BY: Yasujirô Ozu, Ryosuke Saito. CAST: Chishû Ryû, Yôko Sugi, Mie Kitahara. 1955. 102 min. Japan. B&W. Japanese. DCP. Restored in 4K by the Nikkatsu Corporation.

All film screenings in the Forever a Woman: Six Films by Kinuyo Tanaka series are available here.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.