Mr. Tsurujiro is a Japanese folk singer assisted by Ms. Tsuruhachi on the shamisen. The pair is popular, but he often nitpicks her music and so they split. She marries a benefactor, but after a joint show, feels music is above marriage.
Direction
Naruse's signature low-angle shots amplify Tsuruhachi's constrained world.
Acting
Isuzu Yamada's restrained performance speaks volumes in silence.
Director
Mikio Naruse
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Set in Taisho-era Osaka, the film reflects shifting gender roles as women increasingly entered public performance spaces.
Naruse considered this his first true success; it established his recurring theme of women trapped between desire and duty.
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