Boyhood (1951 Film)
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, also known as ''A Record of Youth'', is a 1951 Japanese
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed by
Keisuke Kinoshita was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Ronald Berganbr>"A satirical eye on Japan: Keisuke Kinoshita" ''The Guardian'', 5 January 1999. While lesser-known internationally than contemporaries such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi and ...
. It is based on a collection of letters by writer
Isoko Hatano Isoko Hatano (Japanese: 波多野 勤子 ''Hatano Isoko''; – ) was a Japanese developmental psychologist and writer. Her 1951 book, ''Shōnenki'', was a national bestseller that was adapted into a feature film. She was awarded the Order of the ...
.


Plot

When a family of
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
evacuees arrives on the outskirts of Suwa, they are met with hostility by most villagers. The father, an English professor who had to quit lecturing due to his liberal views, opposes his son Ichirō's wish to enlist at a military school. Ichirō, who previously had to suffer mockery at school for alleged cowardice, is now confronted with his new schoolmates' reluctance and bullied by the son of the local military commander. He is also at odds with his father because of his father's staying at home and reading, while the mother works for the family's income. After Japan's defeat, the commander's son tries to kill Ichirō before committing suicide himself for the inflicted "shame," but Ichirō can fend him off. The ending hints at more peaceful times lying ahead for the family.


Cast

* Akiko Tamura as Mother * Akira Ishihama as Ichirō *
Chishū Ryū was a Japanese actor who, in a career lasting 65 years, appeared in over 160 films and about 70 television productions. Early life Ryū was born in Tamamizu Village, Tamana, Kumamoto, Tamana County, a rural area of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu ...
as Father *
Rentarō Mikuni was a Japanese actor, writer and director, who starred in films of Keisuke Kinoshita, Mikio Naruse, Tadashi Imai, Shōhei Imamura, Tomu Uchida and many others. He received numerous prizes for his performances and was awarded the Jury Prize at t ...
as Teacher Shimomura *
Toshiko Kobayashi was a Japanese actress active from 1949 to 1980. She joined the Nichigeki Dancing Team in 1946. In 1949, she was discovered by film director Keisuke Kinoshita and gave her film debut in his comedy ''Broken Drum''. Under contract with the Shochi ...
as Maid Toyo *
Mutsuko Sakura was a Japanese actress. Her hobby was golf. She started work at Shochiku in 1950, and played supporting roles in some of Yasujirō Ozu's films. She was a constant in Japanese film and TV drama for half of the 20th century. Selected filmograp ...
as Mrs. Yamazaki * Takeshi Sakamoto as Furukawa *
Ryūji Kita was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 280 films from 1937 to 1972. Career Kita started out in the film industry in the scenario department at the Shochiku studios, but moved to Nikkatsu in 1937 and made his acting debut in Tomu Uchida ...
as Principal * Junji Masuda as Yamazaki


Literary source

The screenplay for ''Boyhood'' is based on a compilation of letters exchanged between
child psychologist Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how and why humans grow, change, and adapt across the course of their lives. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to include adolescence, adult development, ...
and writer Isoko Hatano and her son in 1944–1946. The book was published in 1950 and became a nationwide bestseller. An English translation was published in 1962.


Awards

* Mainichi Film Concour for Best Supporting Actress Akiko Tamura


References


External links

* * {{Keisuke Kinoshita 1951 films Japanese drama films 1950s Japanese-language films Japanese black-and-white films Films based on non-fiction books Films directed by Keisuke Kinoshita 1951 drama films 1950s Japanese films