Akitsu Springs (秋津温泉, Akitsu onsen) is a 1962 Japanese drama film directed by Yoshishige Yoshida, starring Mariko Okada and Hiroyuki Nagato.[1][2]
| Akitsu Springs | |
|---|---|
 Original Japanese poster | |
| Directed by | Yoshishige Yoshida |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Masao Shirai |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Toichiro Narushima |
| Edited by | Yoshi Sugihara |
| Music by | Hikaru Hayashi |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Shochiku |
Release date |
|
Running time | 112 minutes[1][2] |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Plot edit
Shortly before the end of World War II, young soldier Shusaku, ill with tuberculosis, arrives at Akitsu, expecting to die soon. Shinko, daughter of a widow and innkeeper, helps him to recover and invigorates his will to live. They fall in love, and although she is first willing to follow him when he suggests to commit shinjū together, they eventually let go of their plan. Shinko muses to marry Shusaku, but her mother intervenes and sends him away. Over a span of 17 years, Shusaku, now married and a father, continues to meet with Shinko, but also has affairs with other women. During their last encounters, she declares that she is now ready to die with him, but Shusaku is reluctant. When he leaves Akitsu again after a visit, Shinko, who has sold her inn and is tired of living, commits suicide alone, later found by the grieving Shusaku.
Cast edit
- Mariko Okada as Shinko
- Hiroyuki Nagato as Shusaku Kawamoto
- Jūkichi Uno as Kenkichi Matsumiya
- Eijirō Tōno as Priest
- Kei Taguchi
- Asao Koike as Osaki
- Akira Nagoya as Shimamura
- Sō Yamamura as Mikami
- Taiji Tonoyama as Rokusuke
Production edit
Akitsu Springs was Mariko Okada's 100th film[3] and the first under the direction of her future husband Yoshida.[4]
Awards edit
- 1962 Kinema Junpo Award for Best Actress for Mariko Okada[5]
- 1962 Mainichi Film Award for Best Actress for Mariko Okada[6]
Home media edit
Akitsu Springs was released on DVD in France in 2008[7] and in Japan in 2013[8] as part of DVD boxes with collected works by Yoshida.
References edit
- ^ a b c "秋津温泉 (Akitsu Springs)". Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ a b c "秋津温泉 (Akitsu Springs)". Kinenote (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "秋津温泉 (Akitsu Springs)". Kotobank (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 June 2021.
- ^ Jacoby, Alexander (2008). Critical Handbook of Japanese Film Directors: From the Silent Era to the Present Day. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press. p. 363. ISBN 978-1-933330-53-2.
- ^ "Akitsu onsen: Awards". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ 切腹 第17回(1962年度)毎日映画コンクール（日本映画大賞）受賞 (in Japanese). Mainichi Film Awards. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
- ^ "Oeuvres complètes de Kiju Yoshida - Partie 1 - Une nouvelle vague". Bluray.com. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ "吉田喜重DVD-BOX第1集 (Yoshishige Yoshida DVD-Box Vol. 1)". Shochiku Home Entertainment (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 July 2023.
