Late Chrysanthemums
| Late Chrysanthemums | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mikio Naruse |
| Produced by | Sanezumi Fujimoto |
| Written by | Fumiko Hayashi (short stories) Sumie Tanaka (adaptation) |
| Starring | Haruko Sugimura Chikako Hosokawa Yuuko Mochizuki Sadako Sawamura |
| Music by | Ichirō Saitō |
| Cinematography | Masao Tamai |
| Edited by | Eiji Ooi |
| Distributed by | Toho |
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Release dates
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Running time
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101 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Late Chrysanthemums (晩菊 Bangiku?) is a 1954 film directed by Mikio Naruse. It follows four retired geisha and their struggles to make ends meet in post World War II Japan. The film is based on three short stories by female author Fumiko Hayashi, published in 1948. The story has been translated into English by Lane Dunlop and is available in the anthology "A Late Chrysanthemum: Twenty-One Stories from the Japanese".
Plot
Kin, the first of the geisha, is consumed by the idea of wealth. As a moneylender, she is an embittered businesswoman who is insistent upon being repaid by her former geisha sisters, Tamae and Tomi. She is the love interest of a former soldier in Manchuria, Seki, who was sent to jail after trying to commit suicide with her many years ago. He returns to try to borrow money from her, but is quickly turned away. In the end, he is sent back to jail for a money-related crime. Kin then becomes excited when she hears that Tabe, her former patron and lover, is returning. However, she becomes furious after realizing that he does not love her, but rather just wants to borrow her money as well. She kicks him out and burns his photograph to erase his memory. In the end, she leaves the city on a search for property to buy.
Tamae and Tomi, both former geisha, live together. Tamae is plagued by migraines, and as a result, she is unable to work as frequently as she would like as a housekeeper in a hotel. She is troubled by her son Kiyoshi's relationship with an older mistress. Yet, his new job allows her to repay her debts to Kin. Still, Tamae is saddened when her son decides to move away to Hokkaido. Tomi is a gambler who has not taken good care of herself after her days as a geisha. She laments her daughter Sachiko's upcoming marriage to an older man and tries to persuade her against it. Tomi is also indebted to Kin and is unable to repay this money as a result of her addiction to gambling.
The last of the four geisha is Nobu. She and her husband own a restaurant, which is frequented by the other women.
Cast
- Haruko Sugimura as Kin
- Chikako Hosokawa as Tamae
- Yuuko Mochizuki as Tomi
- Sadako Sawamura as Nobu
- Ken Uehara as Tabe
- Hiroshi Koizumi as Kiyoshi
- Ineko Arima as Sachiko
- Bontaro Miake as Seki
- Sonosuke Sawamura as Sentaro
- Daisuke Katō as Itaya
External links
- 1954 films
- Japanese-language films
- Articles containing Japanese-language text
- 1950s drama films
- Black-and-white films
- Japanese drama films
- Films based on works by Fumiko Hayashi
- Films set in the 1940s
- Films set in Japan
- Films directed by Mikio Naruse
- Toho films
- Films about geishas
- Japanese films
- Films produced by Sanezumi Fujimoto
- Film scores by Ichirō Saitō
- Films based on multiple works
