Ai sureba koso / 愛すればこそ / (‘Only If You Love’, 1955)
Obscure Japanese Film #166
Isuzu YamadaThisomnibus film comprised of three stories was an independent venture co-producedby two companies. One, Kindai Eiga Kyokai, was formed bydirector Kozaburo Yoshimura, screenwriter Kaneto Shindo and actor TaijiTonoyama in 1950. The first episode is directed by Yoshimura, written by Shindoand features Tonoyama in a minor role as a bartender.
Taiji Tonoyama
The other company involved, ChuoEiga, was established in 1952 by Akihiro Hoshino, who wanted to encouragecultural exchange between Japan and the Soviet Union and was responsible fordistributing The Battleship Potemkin (1925)for the first time in Japan in 1955. Given these facts, it should be nosurprise that episodes 2 and 3 are directed by Tadashi Imai and Satsuo Yamamotorespectively – both Communist Party members.
Shotin 10 days with cast and crew apparently all working for free, it’s a well-madefilm which packs so much into its scant 83-minutes that it’s not reallypossible to get bored. The individual stories are as follows:
Yoshiko Machida
Flower Girl
Michie (Nobuko Otowa) isa Ginza bar waitress who takes pity on Tamiko (Yoshiko Machida), a young girlout selling flowers in the rain one night. When tragedy strikes them both insimilar ways, the two end up forming an unlikely friendship…
Nobuko Otowa and Takashi Kanda
Kyoko Kagawa
The Bride Who Jumped In
Factory worker Kono(Taketoshi Naito) is surprised to be woken up by his landlady (Toyo Takahashi) onemorning and informed that he has a visitor who turns out to be Kuniko (KyokoKagawa), a young woman whom his family have arranged to be his wife without hisknowledge…
Kyoko Kagawa and Taketoshi Naito
Isuzu Yamada
OnlyIf You Love
Yaeko (Isuzu Yamada) isan ageing widow who works as a cleaner at the racetrack and has developed astoop from her years of menial labour. Her son, Shigeru (Kei Taguchi), is inprison for clashing with police during a student protest, so Yaeko is left onher own to deal with an unhappy 27-year-old daughter, Toshiko (Hatae Kishi),whose marriage is on hold until Shigeru gets out, and her equally unhappy youngersister, Minako (Sanae Nakahara). One day, their uncle, Goro (So Yamamura),turns up and says that all Shigeru has to do to get released is expressrepentance for his actions…
Hatae Kishi, Sanae Nakahara and Isuzu Yamada
The first two storiesare heart-warming enough, though slight, while Yamamoto and his screenwriter (andfellow communist) Yusaku Yamagata – who also wrote episode 2 – attempt somethingmore ambitious in part 3. Unfortunately, it’s shameless propaganda in which themessage is that it’s preferable to ruin the lives of those close to you than itis to be thought of as having betrayed your principles. Still, at least we getan excellent lead performance from Isuzu Yamada – I can’t think of anotherJapanese actress who went from being a leading lady to becoming such aversatile character actor – and a last-minute cameo from Yoshiko Kuga asPerfect Communist Girlfriend. The film was released in the Soviet Union in1957.
Yoshiko Kuga
Thanks to A.K.
DVD at Amazon Japan (no English subtitles)
