Husband and Wife (film)
| Husband and Wife | |
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| Directed by | Mikio Naruse |
| Produced by | Sanezumi Fujimoto |
| Written by | Toshiro Ide Yoko Mizuki |
| Music by | Ichirō Saitō |
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Running time
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87 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Husband and Wife (夫婦 Fufu) is a Japanese film directed by Mikio Naruse released in 1953. Like other Naruse films from this period, such as Repast and Wife, the theme of Husband and Wife involves a couple trapped with each other.[1] Ken Uehara and Yôko Sugi star as the titular husband and wife.[2][3] Mikuni Rentaro portrays a widower with whom the couple move in due to economic circumstances.[2][3] The film deals with the difficulties that ensue when both the wife and the landlord find themselves attracted to each other.[2] Towards the end of the film, the couple contemplates getting an abortion to help alleviate their financial distress.[3][4]
Reception
Slant Magazine critic Keith Uhlrich awarded Husband and Wife 3.5/4 stars, describing it as a "what if" scenario, specifically, "what if Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton were locked together in a room and forced to fight over Mary Pickford?"[2] At one point during the film the trio attends a re-enactment of a Chaplin comedy routine.[2][5] According to Uhlrich, the movies's theme is the journey towards "reconciliation of those contradictions inherent to being human."[2] It is one of several Naruse films in which a character is forced to "redefine themselves and test their strength."[5]
Like some other Naruse films, Husband and Wife includes a scene on a rooftop, which film critic Chris Fujiwara interprets as evoking the character's desire "to seek the widest possible view, the greatest distance."[5]
References
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