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新女性鑑 (1929)
Character: N/A
A feature-length work based on Kan Kikuchi’s newspaper novel, adapted for the screen by Kōgo Noda. With performances by stars such as Shizue Ryūda, Kinuyo Tanaka, and Yukiko Tsukuba, alongside handsome leading men like Shin’ichirō Komura, Hikaru Yamauchi, and Ichirō Yūki, the film outshone its contemporaries. The collaboration between director Heinosuke Gosho and cinematographer Mitsuo Miura, recently returned from America, gave rise to a work of first-class quality in the Japanese film world, distinguished by its brilliance and delicacy.
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かがやく愛 (1931)
Character: N/A
Created by Shochiku’s cultural film department on behalf of the Ministry of Education, this film tells an ironic anecdote juxtaposing the fate of a cooper’s son with that of the son of a middle-class salaried worker, and championing the virtues of honest poverty and diligence. An educational film preaching a fable-like message, it is however filled with humorous scenes that offset the film’s didacticism. Original director Yoshio Nishio fell ill and was replaced halfway through the shooting by the admired filmmaker Hiroshi Shimizu; though finished in May 1931, the film was shelved and never given a general release. Shot as a silent film, this version of the film features musical accompaniment, sound effects, and a spoken commentary track by a benshi narrator, thus bearing witness to the variety of forms taken by sound film during this transitional period.
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森の鍛冶屋 (1929)
Character: Tomisaku (Mayor's son)
A blacksmith is chased out of the village by the sinister village chief and forced to move to the forest with his wife and two sons. The blacksmith's younger son is disabled, and the other children in the village tease him. The older son aspires to become a doctor in order to fix his brother's leg. The film depicts the bond between a father and his sons. Only 18 minutes survive.
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若者よなぜ泣くか (1930)
Character: Newspaper Reporter
A modern girl suddenly intrudes into a widower's family home.
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不滅の愛 (1928)
Character: N/A
Japanese silent film from 1928.
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鉄の処女 (1928)
Character: Hayakawa
After being separated from their parents in childhood and left as orphans, Kyōko and Namiko were raised with the love of their aunt and grew into beautiful women who attracted the attention of many. Yet the chaste and gentle elder sister, Kyōko, somehow came to be called the “Iron Maiden.” When Namiko asked her about it, Kyōko would only say, “No matter what the world says, you are the only one I trust.” There was a reason for Kyōko’s transformation. One night, after seeing off Shinji, who had come to visit their ailing aunt, a man named Hayakawa assaulted Kyōko on her way home. Wounded, she chose to bear the title “Iron Maiden” herself. She also resolved in her heart to leave the inheritance of her aunt’s house to her younger sister. But then, Namiko appeared before Kyōko, intending to introduce a suitor. To Kyōko’s shock, it was none other than her rapist. Kyōko resolved to protect her sister at all costs.
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越後獅子 (1929)
Character: N/A
Japanese silent film from 1929.
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不壊の白珠 (1929)
Character: Sawada
Toshie, a young, conservative secretary-typist has fallen in love with Shozo Narita, a young man she has met through her work.
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