Hiroshi Shimizu (director)
| Hiroshi Shimizu | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 March 1903 Shizuoka, Japan |
| Died | 23 June 1966 (aged 63) Kyoto, Japan |
| Other names | Takahiko Minamoto, Umihiko Yuhara |
| Occupation | film director, screenwriter, editor |
| Years active | 1924 - 1959 |
Hiroshi Shimizu (清水 宏 Shimizu Hiroshi, March 28, 1903 – June 23, 1966) was a Japanese film director, known for his silent films with detailed depictions of Japanese society.
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[edit] Career
Shimizu was born in Shizuoka and attended Hokkaidō University but left before graduating.[1] He joined the Shochiku studio in Tokyo in 1921 and made his directorial debut in 1924, at the age of just 21.[1][2] A friend and colleague of Yasujiro Ozu, he directed over 160 films during his career.[2]
His early work was mostly melodramatic or featured "wakadanna", the sons of rich merchants who led a playboy lifestyle[1] (somewhat in a reflection of his own youth[2]). His work in the 1930s, however, increasingly took advantage of shooting on location[1] and non-professional actors and was praised at the time by film critics such as Matsuo Kishi for its realism. Chris Fujiwara has noted the use of repetition, plotlessness, punctuation, and a modern touch in Shimizu's work.[3] His later work often focused on children, and Shimizu himself worked to help war orphans after World War II,[2] an experience that led to the film Children of the Beehive. He formed his own independent production company after the war.[1]
He died of a heart attack on June 23, 1966, at the age of 63. Though respected in his time, today he is largely unknown, even in his native Japan. In 2008, Shochiku released two box sets which include eight of his films. In 2009, a Criterion Collection box set of four of his films was released.[4]
[edit] Selected filmography
- Undying Pearl (不壊の白珠 Fue no shiratama, 1929)
- Japanese Girls at the Harbour (港の日本娘 Minato no Nihon musume, 1933)
- Mr. Thank You (有りがたうさん Arigatō-san, 1936)
- Children in the Wind (風の中の子供 Kaze no naka no kodomo, 1937)
- A Star Athlete (花形選手 Hanagata senshu, 1937)
- The Masseurs and a Woman (按摩と女 Anma to onna, 1938)
- Four Seasons of Children (子供の四季 Kodomo no shiki, 1939)
- Nobuko (信子, 1940)
- Introspection Tower (みかへりの搭 Mikaheri no tō, 1941)
- Ornamental Hairpin (簪 Kanzashi, 1941)
- Sayon's Bell (サヨンの鐘 Sayon no kane, 1943)
- Children of the Beehive (蜂の巣の子供たち Hachi no su no kodomotachi, 1948)
- Ohara Shōsuke (小原庄助さん Ohara Shōsuke-san, 1949)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e "Shimizu Hiroshi". Nihon jinmei daijiten+Plus. Kōdansha. http://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%B8%85%E6%B0%B4%E5%AE%8F. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
- ^ a b c d Drew, William M. (15 April 2004). "Hiroshi Shimizu: Silent Master of the Japanese Ethos". Midnight Eye. http://www.midnighteye.com/features/hiroshi_shimizu.shtml. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
- ^ Fujiwara, Chris (2004). "Shimizu Hiroshi". FIPRESCI. http://www.fipresci.org/festivals/archive/2004/hongkong/hk_cfujiwara.htm. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
- ^ "Eclipse Series 15: Travels with Hiroshi Shimizu". Criterion Collection. http://www.criterion.com/boxsets/601. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
[edit] External links
- Hiroshi Shimizu at the Internet Movie Database
- Shimizu Hiroshi at the Japanese Movie Database (Japanese)
- Jasper Sharp on Arigato-san Midnight Eye
- Shochiku film list
