is a 1966 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

Mikio Naruse was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967. Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook. He made primarily Shoshimin-eiga, shōshimin-eiga ("common people drama") films with f ...

. It is based on the 1951 novel ''The Thin Line'' by

Edward Atiyah Edward Selim Atiyah (Arabic: ادوار سليم عطية‎; 1903 – 22 October 1964) was an Anglo-Lebanese author and political activist. He is best known for his 1946 autobiography ''An Arab Tells His Story'', and his 1955 book ''The Arabs' ...

Plot

Isao and Masako Toshiro are what looks like a happily married middle-class couple with two children. One day, Sayuri, wife of close friend Ryukichi Sugimoto, is found strangled. As it turns out, Sayuri had an affair with another man. Isao, struggling with his conscience, confesses to Masako that he was the man Sayuri had the affair with, and was responsible for her death, although inadvertently. To preserve the family's reputation and sheltered life, Masako begs her husband to keep his deed a secret. Isao also confesses to Ryukichi, who slaps him in return, but refrains from bringing charges against him. When Isao eventually announces to turn himself in to the police, which he sees as the only way to find peace and maintain his personal honour, Masako poisons him with a

soporific A hypnotic (from Greek ''Hypnos'', sleep), also known as a somnifacient or soporific, and commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep and to treat insomnia (sleeplessness). Th ...

. His death is classified as suicide. Some time later, while taking a walk on the beach with her children, Masako wonders how she will be able to live with her secret.

Cast

Keiju Kobayashi was a Japanese actor who appeared in 253 films in a career spanning 67 years. Born in Gunma Prefecture, he began acting at the Nikkatsu studio after dropping out of Nihon University and made his film debut in 1942. In 1956 he moved to Toho film ...

as Isao Tashiro *

Michiyo Aratama was a Japanese film and stage actress. Biography After graduating from the Takarazuka Music and Dance School, Aratama joined the Takarazuka Revue in 1945. She gave her film debut in 1951, but it was not before 1955 that she left the Takarazuk ...

as Masako Tashiro *

Mitsuko Kusabue is a Japanese actress. Selected filmography Films Television dramas Theater Anime Dubbing Honours * Medal with Purple Ribbon (1999) * Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (2005) *Kinuyo Tanaka Award (2006) *Japa ...

as Yumiko Kato *

Tatsuya Mihashi was a Japanese actor best known internationally for his role as Commander Minoru Genda in the 1970 Japanese-American war epic ''Tora! Tora! Tora!''. In addition, Mihashi was known for his roles in Akira Kurosawa's ''The Bad Sleep Well'', '' The H ...

as Ryukichi Sugimoto *

Akiko Wakabayashi is a retired Japanese actress. Career Wakabayashi is best known in English-speaking countries for her role as Bond girl Aki (James Bond), Aki in the 1967 James Bond film ''You Only Live Twice (film), You Only Live Twice''. Before this, she had ...

as Sayuri Sugimoto *

Daisuke Katō was a Japanese actor. He appeared in over 200 films, including Akira Kurosawa's ''Seven Samurai'', ''Rashomon'', ''Yojimbo'', and ''Ikiru''. He also worked repeatedly for noted directors such as Yasujirō Ozu, Mikio Naruse and Kenji Mizoguchi. ...

as Bar owner * Toshio Kurosawa as Bartender *

Chieko Nakakita was a Japanese actress. She appeared in the early films of Akira Kurosawa and later starred in many films by Mikio Naruse. Biography After graduating from Tokyo Film School (東京映画学校), Chieko Nakakita entered the Toho film studios an ...

as Chiyoko

Release and legacy

''The Stranger Within a Woman'' was produced and distributed by

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

and received a

roadshow theatrical release A roadshow theatrical release or reserved-seat engagement is the practice of opening a film in a limited number of theaters in major cities for a specific period of time before the wide release of the film. Roadshows would generally mimic a live ...

on January 25, 1966. The film was released with English subtitles in the United States by Toho International in July 1967. Edward Atiyah's novel was again adapted for the screen by

Claude Chabrol Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues an ...

for ''

Just Before Nightfall ''Just Before Nightfall'' () is a 1971 French crime drama film written and directed by Claude Chabrol and starring Stéphane Audran and Michel Bouquet. Based on the 1951 novel ''The Thin Line'' by Edward Atiyah, it follows a married businessma ...

'' (1971). ''The Stranger Within a Woman'' was also remade twice for Japanese television in 1981 (again scripted by

Toshirō Ide was a Japanese screenwriter for both film and television. Career Born in the village of Kitahata in Saga Prefecture, Ide graduated from the Tokyo Higher School of Arts (now the Faculty of Engineering of Chiba University). He initially worked as ...

) and 2017.

Awards

* Mainichi Film Concour for Best Supporting Actor Tatsuya Mihashi

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stranger Within a Woman, The 1966 films 1966 drama films Japanese drama films Japanese black-and-white films Films directed by Mikio Naruse Toho films Films based on British novels 1960s Japanese films Films scored by Hikaru Hayashi