Cinema
Love Letter
恋文
Kinuyo Tanaka · 1953
Synopsis
Reikichi, a former naval officer back from the war, discreetly searches Tokyo for his first love, Michiko, according to the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley and the Hammer Museum. To make a living, he works with a friend who writes, for Japanese women, the letters they send to their American soldier friends in order to obtain their help. The film follows his prejudiced view of these women, whom society condemns for their liaisons with the former enemy, a year after the end of the occupation.
Context
The film adapts a novel by Niwa Fumio; the screenplay is by a Shōchiku director who supported the project. Shintōhō released it on 13 December 1953. According to the Hammer Museum, a director hostile to the project tried to block the director's admission to the professional association, judging her incapable of directing a film. She herself plays the small role of the building's landlady. The film was restored in 4K by Tōhō.
Who it is for
Ninety-eight minutes, in black and white. No theatrical release in France; it circulates in a restored print.
Prizes and reception
Shown in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1954, it was well received by critics and audiences alike.