Mikio Naruse

Directing

Mikio Naruse

Born August 20, 1905 · Tokyo, Japan

Died July 2, 1969 · aged 63

Mikio Naruse (August 20, 1905 – July 2, 1969) was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 (towards the end of the silent period in Japan) to 1967. Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook. He made primarily shomin-geki (working-class drama) films with female protagonists, portrayed by actresses such as …

Known For

Floating CloudsFloating Clouds · 1955
Floating Clouds
★ 7.71955
MovieDramaRomance
A married Japanese forester during WWII is sent to Indochina to manage forests. He meets a young Japanese typist and promises to leave his wife. He doesn't and after the war, she turns up and the affair resumes.
Sudden RainSudden Rain · 1956
Sudden Rain
★ 6.71956
MovieDrama
Fumiko and Ryōtarō Namiki's marriage has gone stale, with both constantly arguing over what to do on a day off, or about her cutting out recipes from the newspaper before he finishes reading it. Their animosities are witnessed by Fumiko's niece Ayako, who visits to complain about her own husband's inattentiveness, and their new neighbours, the Imasatos.
When a Woman Ascends the StairsWhen a Woman Ascends the Stairs · 1960
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
★ 8.01960
MovieDrama
Keiko, whom everyone calls Mama, narrates her story: she's a hostess on the Ginza, 30, a widow. She describes life's vicious cycle: acting cheerful around drunks, dressing and living well to convey confidence, needing money for these expenses and for her demanding mother and brother, and knowing she's growing older.
Ginza CosmeticsGinza Cosmetics · 1951
Ginza Cosmetics
★ 6.51951
MovieDrama
A few days in the life of a quiet geisha, single mother of a smart young boy, in the lively Tokyo quarter of Ginza. A woman devoted to others' needs, she'll end by taking part herself in one of the many disguises of Ginza.
Learn from Experience, Part TwoLearn from Experience, Part Two · 1937
Learn from Experience, Part Two
★ 6.31937
MovieDrama
Toyomi is pregnant -- and while Shintaro and Yurie are on their extended honeymoon, she bears his child, a girl named Kiyoko. She is supported in adversity by close friend Michiko and her mother but also, surprisingly, Shintaro's mother and siblings. Even moreso, Toyomi and Yurie become friends. Part two of a two-part romance based on a story by noted author Kikuchi Kan.
RepastRepast · 1951
Repast
★ 7.61951
MovieDrama
In post-WWII Osaka, a middle-aged woman is forced to examine her dreary life and marriage when her husband's young and flirtatious cousin arrives for a brief stay to escape an arranged marriage.
Brother and SisterBrother and Sister · 1953
Brother and Sister
★ 6.31953
MovieDrama
The eldest daughter of a rural family Mon returns home from Tokyo pregnant after an affair with a college student Kobata, which causes a scandal that will threaten the marriage prospects of the younger sister San, in her cash-strapped family. The ill-tempered eldest brother Inokichi decides to take on the role of disciplinarian, with harrowing results.
MotherMother · 1952
Mother
★ 7.01952
MovieDrama
A teenaged girl witnesses her widowed mother's attempt to sustain her family.

Filmography

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