Region 0 (ALL REGION PLAY / NO REGION CODE) - NTSC Format *CUSTOM BDR-25*REMASTERED VERSIONYear: 1968Running Time: 97 mins. approx.CAST:Nobuko OtowaEiko YamagishiTaiji TonoyamaHideo KanzeDaigo KusanoAtsuko KawaguchiTorahiko HamadaRokko TouraKozo YamamuraMasaru MiyataKikue Mori Chuzaburo WakamiyaYoshinobu OgawaMoeko EzawaDirected by:Kaneto ShindoIn a Kyushu coal-mining town, a mine collapse leaves Zenzo (Taiji Tonoyama) unemployed, prompting his wife, Fumiko (Nobuko Otowa), to take their daughter Kimiko (Eiko Yamagishi) to Kyoto. There, Fumiko and Kimiko become hostesses at "Water Wheel Salon," and the two employ cunning tactics to secure money from Gonbei Yamamoto (Hideo Kanze), a wealthy landowner. As Gonbei falls for Kimiko, tensions rise with his disapproving mother, leading to schemes, betrayals, and a dramatic confrontation. Fumiko's resilience shines as she navigates challenges, ultimately returning to Kyoto with Kimiko, their strength and vitality undeterred.Released the same year as Kuroneko, this barely-seen film was made at the peak of Kaneto Shindo's career. The film drives home the point of how an impoverished, exploitative society can create nothing but disillusioned, cynical individuals who must adapt to the cards they've been dealt in life in order to survive.
VIDEO: Black and White / AVC h.264 / 1080p / 16:9 Enhanced / 2.35:1 / WidescreenAUDIO: Japanese: AC-3 2.0 MonoSUBTITLES: Removable English SubtitlesFEATURES: Interactive Menu, Trailer
