Mikio Naruse:
A Centennial Tribute
Following in the tradition of the celebrated Yazujiro Ozu Centennial, the Harvard Film Archive proudly presents a centenary celebration of another master of Japanese cinema. Mikio Naruse (1905-1969) is often overlooked by Western audiences in the pantheon of great Japanese filmmakers in favor of contemporaries such as Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi and Akira Kurosawa. He produced over eighty films during his lifetime, and primarily focuses on domestic dramas, films that would be dismissively classified as "women's pictures." Yet, within these remarkable stories of women, he presents an honest depiction of human struggles, both male and female, and the hypocrisies that result from familial and social conformity. This touring program includes a selection of newly struck film prints courtesy of Toho Films and Kadokawa Pictures.