Keisuke KINOSHITA 木下恵介

She Was Like A Wild Chrysanthemum

野菊の如き君なりき

Nippon Retro   ² 

Masao, an old man, visits the small town of his youth and reflects on his first love, the beautiful Tamiko. Since their families had other plans with Masao and Tamiko, their innocent love ended in forced marriage and despair. Keisuke KINOSHITA frames all scenes set in the past as a vignette, emphasizing the melancholic character of the film.

野菊の如き君なりき
Nogiku no gotoki kimi nariki

Japan 1955

92 minutes

Director
Keisuke KINOSHITA

Script
Keisuke KINOSHITA based on a novel by Sachio ITO

Cinematography
Hiroshi KUSUDA

Music
Chuji KINOSHITA

About Keisuke KINOSHITA
木下恵介

Keisuke KINOSHITA (1912–1998) is considered one of the most important Japanese directors. Starting in 1943, he made popular dramas, comedies, romances, ghost stories and noir films for Studio Shochiku, finding strong images even within conventions. After ARMY (1944), he was not allowed to work until the end of World War II. From 1945 on, the tension between the past and the hope for a new beginning was his central theme. The suffering, responsibility, and moral challenge of the individual are at the heart of many of his dramas. KINOSHITA’s rejection of feudal, militaristic Japan is clearly visible. With CARMEN COMES HOME (1951), he brought the first Japanese color film to the cinema, a summer comedy with serious overtones. KINOSHITA, who also repeatedly addressed the contrast between country and city, is considered the central humanist of post-war Japanese cinema. His sensitively-portrayed characters and their fates continue to touch audiences today.