Elegy of the North
| Elegy of the North | |
|---|---|
| 挽歌 | |
| Directed by | Heinosuke Gosho |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Junichi Segawa |
| Music by | Yasushi Akutagawa |
| Distributed by | Shochiku |
Release date |
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Running time | 117 minutes[2] |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Elegy of the North a.k.a. Northern Elegy or Dirge (Template:Lang-ja) is a 1957 Japanese drama film directed by Heinosuke Gosho. It is based on the novel Banka by Yasuko Harada.[3][4]
Plot
Reiko, a young, disabled woman (she suffers from a limp left arm after a joint inflammation in her childhood), and member of an amateur theatre troupe, starts a passionate affair with the much older and married architect Katsuragi. Katsuragi's wife in turn has an affair with medical student Tatsumi, who is obsessed with her and refuses to break off the relationship. Fascinated by Mrs. Katsuragi, Reiko manages to make personal contact with her. The women get acquainted with each other, but Reiko develops a deeper affection for Mrs. Katsuragi which might be the love for a substitute mother (Reiko's natural mother has died), or even beyond. Reiko, always feeling incomplete due to her disability and torn between her feelings for Katsuragi and his wife, accuses him of not loving but only pitying her. When she finally tells Mrs. Katsuragi of the affair with her husband, the older woman refuses to scold her despite her pleas. After Mrs. Katsuragi commits suicide, Reiko leaves her lover and joins the theatre troupe which is on the way to another stage show.
Cast
- Yoshiko Kuga as Reiko Hyodo
- Masayuki Mori as Setsuo Katsuragi
- Mieko Takamine as Akiko Katsuragi
- Fumio Watanabe as Tatsumi Furuse
- Akira Ishihama as Mikio Fusada
- Tatsuo Saitō as Reiko's father
- Kumeko Urabe as Reiko's grandmother
- Chikako Kaga as Setsuo's niece
References
- ^ "挽歌 (Elegy of the North)". Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ "Elegy of the North". Shochiku Films. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ Elegy of the North. OCLC 49524027. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ Nolletti Jr., Arthur (2008). The Cinema of Gosho Heinosuke: Laughter through Tears. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-253-34484-7.
External links
- "挽歌 (Elegy of the North)". Kinenote (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- "Elegy of the North". Windows on Worlds. 7 December 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- "Elegy of the North". British Film Institute. Retrieved 22 December 2020.