Register below for this online class taught by Imogen Sara Smith.
In 1953, Kinuyo Tanaka became the second Japanese woman to direct a feature film, and the first to achieve success and visibility as a filmmaker. Tanaka was already established as one of the nation’s most admired and beloved actors—she is best known among cinephiles for her collaborations with Kenji Mizoguchi (Ugetsu, The Life of Oharu, Sansho the Bailiff), but over the course of half a century she appeared in 250 films in an array of genres, working with many of Japan’s top directors. The six features she directed are equally diverse, ranging from charming romantic comedy to three-hankie tragedy, from raw studies of postwar social problems to lavish, color-drenched historical dramas. Their constants are a deep concern for women’s lives, humanist warmth and unflinching honesty, and outstanding performances by actors both famous and little-known.
Timed to coincide with the long-awaited release of Tanaka’s complete directorial works on a Criterion Eclipse Blu-ray set and the Criterion Channel, this two-session class offers an introduction to one of film history’s overlooked trailblazers, and a chance to explore her films in the context of Japanese cinema’s midcentury golden age.
The first class will offer a brief overview and highlights from Tanaka’s acting career, and discuss how and why she made the transition to directing, and how her bold gambit was received at the time. We’ll also explore key themes and stylistic motifs in her work by looking at her debut, Love Letter, which tackled tough issues of postwar readjustment through the story of one couple’s difficult reunion, and her masterpiece, Forever a Woman, based on the real life of a celebrated female poet and her battle with breast cancer.
The second class will delve further into Tanaka’s genres and narratives, and focus on her collaborators, including writers and actors. We’ll spotlight her final two films, Girls of the Night, a tough but compassionate look at former sex workers struggling to rebuild their lives, and Love Under the Crucifix, a sumptuous feudal-era drama of forbidden love, religious persecution, and the tea ceremony.
Explaining why she never became a wife or mother, Tanaka liked to say that she “chose to marry cinema.” Few unions have been more passionate, enduring, or fruitful.
Classes will meet for up to 90 minutes on Tuesday, May 19 and Tuesday, June 2 at 8pm EDT/5pm PDT. Each session will begin with a 45-50-minute lecture followed by time for questions and group discussion of the week’s films and topics. All films are available on the Criterion Channel and on disc from the Criterion Collection.
Class #1: Portrait of the Artist
Films discussed: Love Letter (1953), Forever a Woman (1955)
Also recommended: Dragnet Girl (Yasujiro Ozu, 1933), Wedding Ring (Keisuke Kinoshita, 1950), The Life of Oharu (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1952)
Class #2: Women’s Voices, Women’s Lives
Films Discussed: Girls of the Night (1961), Love Under the Crucifix (1962)
Also recommended: The Moon Has Risen (1955), The Wandering Princess (1960)