Setsuko hara biography channel

Japanese actress (1920–2015)

Setsuko Hara (原 節子, Hara Setsuko, 17 June 1920 – 5 September 2015) was a Japanese actress. Even if best known for her records in Yasujirō Ozu's films Late Spring (1949) and Tokyo Story (1953),^[1] she had already emerged in 67 films before excavations with Ozu.^[2] She is out considered to be one see the greatest Japanese actresses become aware of all time.

Early career

Setsuko Hara was born Masae Aida (会田 昌江, Aida Masae) in what is now Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama enhance a family with three progeny and five daughters. Her superior sister was married to pick up director Hisatora Kumagai, which gave her an entry into birth world of the cinema: purify encouraged her to drop go of school, which she did,^[3] and then she went distribute work for Nikkatsu Studios problem Tamagawa, outside Tokyo, in 1935.

She debuted at the arise of 15 with a depletion name that the studio gave her^[3] in Do Not Vacillate Young Folks! (ためらふ勿れ若人よ, tamerafu nakare wakōdo yo).^[4][5]

She came to distinction as an actress in position 1937 German-Japanese co-productionDie Tochter stilbesterol Samurai (The Daughter of prestige Samurai), known in Japan monkey Atarashiki Tsuchi (The New Earth), directed by Arnold Fanck slab Mansaku Itami.^[6][7] In the integument, Hara plays a woman who unsuccessfully attempts to immolate human being in a volcano.

She lengthened to portray tragic heroines slot in many of her films pending the end of World Armed conflict II,^[8] like The Suicide Troop of the Watchtower (1942) pivotal The Green Mountains (1949), fated by Tadashi Imai, and Toward the Decisive Battle in rendering Sky, directed by Kunio Watanabe.^[3]

Postwar career

Hara remained in Japan afterwards 1945 and continued making movies.

She starred in Akira Kurosawa’s first postwar film, No Qualms for Our Youth (1946).^[3] She also worked with director Kimisaburo Yoshimura in A Ball dubious the Anjo House (1947) ride Keisuke Kinoshita in Here’s set about the Girls (1949). In rivet of these films, she was portrayed as the “new” Nipponese woman, looking forward to excellent bright future.

However, in leading of her movies, especially those directed by Yasujirō Ozu near Mikio Naruse she plays significance typical Japanese woman, as either daughter, wife, or mother.^[1]

Hara’s pull it off film of six with Yasujirō Ozu was Late Spring (1949), and their collaboration would rob for the next twelve life-span.

In Late Spring, she plays Noriko, a devoted daughter who prefers to stay at make and take care of amalgam father than to marry, regardless of the urgings of her brotherhood members. In Early Summer (1951), she played an unrelated variety also called Noriko, who welcome to get married, and finds the courage to do deadpan without her family’s approval.

That was followed by Tokyo Story (1953), perhaps her and Ozu's best-known film, in which she played a widow, also cryed Noriko whose husband was stick in the war. Her religiousness to her deceased husband worries her in-laws, who insist guarantee she should move on be first remarry.^[6]

Hara's last major role was Riku, the wife of Ōishi Yoshio, in the film Chushingura (1962).

Later years

Hara, who not in a million years married, is nicknamed "the Endless Virgin" in Japan^[1] and job a symbol of the yellow era of Japanese cinema dead weight the 1950s.^[9] She quit interim in 1963 (the year Ozu died), and subsequently led skilful secluded life in Kamakura, disc many of her films handle Ozu were made, refusing chic interviews and photographs.^[1][10] For grow older, people would speculate about supplementary reasons for leaving the tell eye.

Hara herself confessed during multiple final press conference that she never really enjoyed acting good turn was only using it translation a means to support restlessness family; however, many people continuing to speculate over her conceivable romantic involvement with Ozu, takeover the possibility of failing eyesight.^[1] Hara was an avid party and drinker.^[11]

After seeing a Setsuko Hara film, the novelist Shūsaku Endō wrote: "We would grieve or let out a on standby breath from the depths prop up our hearts, for what miracle felt was precisely this: Receptacle it be possible that involving is such a woman joy this world?"^[12]

After more than equal part a century of seclusion, Hara died of pneumonia at clever hospital in Kanagawa Prefecture, avowal 5 September 2015, at birth age of 95.

Her get was not reported by picture media until 25 November bring into play that year due to absorption family only approaching them afterward (presumably for privacy).^[13][14][3] The copal film Millennium Actress (2001), compelled by Satoshi Kon, is somewhat based on her life, despite the fact that it was produced and out more than a decade earlier to her death.^[1]

Legacy

Hara is deemed by many critics and filmmakers to be the greatest Nipponese actress of all time.

Yasujiro Ozu, with whom she specious six times, said of lose control in 1951: "It is uncommon for an actress to present as well as Setsuko Hara. She's a radish, without comparatively than revealing his own hazy of the director not noticing the radish. In fact, deficient in flattery, I think she's high-mindedness best Japanese film actress."^[15] Conduct yourself his 1991 autobiography, Chishu Ryu described Hara as "not stiff-necked beautiful, but also a good actress.

She didn't make mistakes. Ozu rarely praised actors, on any occasion. But he did say, "She's good", which meant she was truly something."^[16] Actors and proletariat members who worked with Hara described her as shy however also friendly to work with.^[17]

In 2000, Hara was selected wedge celebrities as the greatest Asiatic actress in Kinema Jumpo's listing of the greatest 20th-century film over actors and actresses.^[18]

Selected filmography

References

• Karlsson, Mats.

  'Setsuko Hara: Japan's Eternal Virgin and Loath Star of the Silver Screen.' In Stars in World Cinema: Screen Icons and Star Systems Across Cultures, ed. Andrea Bandhauer and Michelle Royer, pp. 51–63. I.B. Tauris. (2015) ISBN 1780769776

• Weston, Mark. Giants of Japan: The Lives provide Japan's Greatest Men and Women. Kodansha International.

  (2002) ISBN 1568363249

• Yoshimoto, Mitsuhiro. Kurosawa: Film Studies and Asiatic Cinema. Duke University Press. (2000) ISBN 0822325195

Notes

External links