Setsuko Hara

Some names have a natural appeal, gliding thru one's tongue and leaving a lasting, somewhat nostalgic memory. To me, Setsuko Hara is such a name. I liked the name long before I saw her image.

Now that the teaching has ended and I have time on my hands, I have been watching some "digitally remastered" movies of Hara from the 1940s and 50s. I have already watched Late Spring, Early Summer, Tokyo Story and No Regrets for our Youth. These movies also have correct English subtitles.






I have copied the text in blue from a website because I couldn't have said it better.

Setsuko Hara became one of Japan’s best-loved stars over her 30-year film career. Her signature character type, variations on a daughter devoted to her parents and home, inspired the nickname that stayed with her until retirement: the "Eternal Virgin". To some extent, reality mirrored her roles in these films. In a society that considers marriage and parenting almost obligatory, she remained single and childless, something of a controversy in Japan in the 1950s. Fortunately she was popular enough to avoid criticism, but the 1950s were still a hard decade. She was plagued by ill health, missing out on several roles top roles as a result, and she witnessed the bizarre death of her cameraman brother in a freak train accident on set.

In 1963, shortly after the death of her mentor, director Yasujiro Ozu, she suddenly walked away from the film industry. At the age of 43 and at the height of her popularity she bluntly refused to perform again, angering her fans, the industry, and the press. She implied acting had never been a pleasure and that she had only pursued a career in order to provide for her large family; this explanation is seen as the cause of her popularity backlash. She moved to a small house in picturesque Kamakura where she remained, living alone (though apparently sociable with friends), and refusing all roles offered.

She is undoubtedly known mostly for her work with Yasujiro Ozu, making six films with the great director, including the so-called Noriko trilogy, of which Tôkyô monogatari (1953) is probably the best-known worldwide. She also worked with Akira Kurosawa, Mikio Naruse, Hiroshi Inagaki, and many others.

Hara has been called "luminous", quite appropriately. For me, the attraction is her mischievous laughter and quiet dignity. She is 90 now.