Dragnet Girl (1933)

Directed by Yasujiro Ozu; Starring Kinuyo Tanaka, Kenji Oka, Hideo Mitsui.

Silent film. A surprising film for those only familiar with Ozu's postwar "family dramas," but actually a representative work from the early years of his career, when he was known as one of the most innovative and "modern" directors in Japan. His idiosyncratic, and somewhat comical, take on the American gangster film, with Tanaka playing a reformed gang moll.

Piano Accompaniment by David Olachea

January 12

Tale of Shunkin (1935)

Directed by Yasujiro Shimazu. Starring Kinuyo Tanaka, Kokichi Takada.

A superlative film adaptation of a novel by Junichiro Tanizaki, depicting the subtly sadomasochistic relationship between a haughty musician and her faithful servant. This romantic melodrama typifies the kind of program piece that Tanaka starred in during her heyday as the leading box-office star of the 1930s. Released by Shochiku, the film also represents the distinctive "look" associated with that studio in the years before WWII.

Print courtesy of Kawakita Memorial Film Institute

January 19

The Army (1944)

Directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. Starring Kinuyo Tanaka, Chishu Ryu, Ken Mizuda.

Kinoshita's third film, and thought to be one of the best Japanese propaganda pieces made during WWII. Noted for its remarkable final scene, which is undeniably one of the most poignant (and manipulative) representations of home-front sacrifice ever captured on film. Tanaka plays the patriotic mother of a young army recruit.

Print courtesy of Kawakita Memorial Film Institute

January 26

Ugetsu (1953)

Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Starring Kinuyo Tanaka, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori

Hailed by many as one of the most beautiful films ever made, and certainly the highpoint of Mizoguchi’s stellar career. One of the first Japanese films to attract international attention in the 1950s. Visually stunning and emotionally affecting. A haunting ghost story, with Tanaka as a murdered wife who returns from the dead for one more meeting with her feckless husband.

February 2

The Moon Has Risen (1955)

Directed by Kinuyo Tanaka. Starring Chishu Ryu, Hisako Yamane.

The most successful of Tanaka’s six directorial efforts (and apparently, based on forays into Tanaka chat rooms, a film still cherished by her diehard fans). Made in collaboration with Yasujiro Ozu, who composed the script, the film is a gentle domestic comedy about a widowed mother and her two daughters. Tanaka appears in a bit part as the family’s maid.

Print courtesy of Kawakita Memorial Film Institute

February 9

Flowing (1956)

Directed by Mikio Naruse. Starring Kinuyo Tanaka, Isuzu Yamada, Hideko Takamine, Haruko Sugimura, Sumiko Kurishima.

Based on a novel by Aya Koda, Flowing is not only the best film of Naruse’s long career, but also one of the most artful examples of a film adaptation of a literary work (Naruse’s specialty). Starring some of Japan's leading actresses of the 1950s, the film offers a stark portrait of a fading geisha house as seen through the eyes of its maid, played by Tanaka.

February 16

Red Beard (1965)

Directed by Akira Kurosawa. Starring Toshiro Mifune, Yuzo Kayama, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kinuyo Tanaka.

A historical drama directed by America’s favorite Japanese director (and my attempt to respond to numerous requests from last year that the next film series include at least one Kurosawa film). Probably Kurosawa’s finest film from the 1960s, Red Beard recounts the career of an Edo period physician. A classic Kurosawa epic, with big production values, innovative editing, and sweeping cinematography. The only film Tanaka made with Kurosawa.

February 23

Sandakan 8 (1974)

Directed by Kei Kumai. Starring Kinuyo Tanaka, Kamaki Kurihara, Yoko Takahashi.

One of Tanaka’s final roles, it typifies the kind of film made during the last years of her career when she went out of her way to appear in smaller, less mainstream projects. With Sandakan 8, Tanaka reaped rewards for her creative risk-taking. She received the prestigious Golden Bear acting prize at the Berlin Film Festival for her performance as a former "Karayuki-san" (women coerced into working as prostitutes in Southeast Asian during the Japanese occupation). One of the few Japanese films ever to deal with this explosive, and still controversial, legacy from WWII.

Print courtesy of Kawakita Memorial Film Institute

March 2