is a 1962 color Japanese
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Kon Ichikawa
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films ''The Burmese Harp (1956 film), The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and ''Fires on the Plain (1959 film), Fires on the Plain'' (1959 ...
. It was Japan's submission to the
35th Academy Awards
The 35th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1962, were held on April 8, 1963, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California, hosted by Frank Sinatra.
Ceremony
The Best Actress Oscar occasioned the last act of ...
for the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
, but was not accepted as a nominee.
[Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]
Style
Ichikawa utilized the screen personas of popular stars
Fujiko Yamamoto
(born 11 December 1931) is a Japanese film and stage actress. She appeared in over 100 films between 1953 and 1963. She won the first Grand Prix of Miss Nippon in 1950.
Career
Yamamoto was born on 11 December 1931, in Nishi-ku, Osaka, to a c ...
(glamorous, restrained) and
Eiji Funakoshi (hapless, self-conscious) to make the child's independence and frequent endangerment believable.
The director contrasts Chiyo's well-coiffed, reactive approach to motherhood by shooting
Misako Watanabe as her sister-in-law in a sensuous, intimate manner as she bathes her own newborn.
Cast
*
Hiro Suzuki as Taro, the baby
*
Eiji Funakoshi as Goro, the father
*
Fujiko Yamamoto
(born 11 December 1931) is a Japanese film and stage actress. She appeared in over 100 films between 1953 and 1963. She won the first Grand Prix of Miss Nippon in 1950.
Career
Yamamoto was born on 11 December 1931, in Nishi-ku, Osaka, to a c ...
as Chiyo, the mother
*
Kumeko Urabe as Ino, grandmother
*
Misako Watanabe as Setsuko, the aunt
*
Masako Kyôzuka as Chiyo's sister
*
Mantarō Ushio
Mantarō, Mantaro or Mantarou (written: 萬太郎 or 万太郎) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
* (1932–1987), Japanese linguist and sinologist
* (1889–1963), Japanese writer, playwright and poet
Fict ...
as Laundry Man
*
Kyōko Kishida
was a Japanese actress, voice actress, and writer of children's books.
Career
Kishida became an actress in 1950, and starred in a Yukio Mishima production of the 1960 film ''Salome''. Her film and television drama credits number in the hundreds. ...
as Chiyo's Friend
*
Shirô Ôtsuji as Doctor
*
Jun Hamamura
was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1938 and 1995.
Selected filmography
* ''Wolf'' (1955)
* '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956)
* '' The Hole'' (1957)
* '' The Temptress and the Monk'' (1958)
* '' Enjō'' (1958)
* '' Odd ...
as Older Doctor
*
Akira Natsuki as Doctor at Hospital
See also
*
List of submissions to the 35th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
*
References
External links
*
1962 films
1962 comedy films
1960s Japanese-language films
Films directed by Kon Ichikawa
Daiei Film films
Best Film Kinema Junpo Award winners
Films with screenplays by Natto Wada
Films scored by Yasushi Akutagawa
1960s Japanese films
{{1960s-comedy-film-stub