Portrait of Chieko (Japanese: 智恵子抄, Hepburn: Chieko-shō) is a 1967 Japanese drama film directed by Noboru Nakamura. It is based both on the 1941 poetry collection Chieko-shō by Japanese poet and sculptor Kōtarō Takamura, dedicated to his wife Chieko (1886–1938), and on the 1957 novel Shōsetsu Chieko-shō by Haruo Satō. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
Contents
Plot
In 1909, during the war, Kotaro Takamura joins the "Bread Club" and lives extravagantly. Through mutual friends, the Tsubaki couple, he meets Chieko Naganuma, an art student, and they quickly become close. After a year, they marry. Kotaro focuses on poetry while Chieko pursues oil painting. In 1915, Chieko's painting is rejected from the Bunte Exhibition, leading to disappointment. They visit Chieko's hometown, Nihonmatsu, where her parents welcome them warmly. After a fire takes Chieko's father's life, she abandons painting for weaving. In 1931, her niece Fumiko moves in after becoming a nurse. When Chieko's family goes bankrupt, she hides it from Kotaro, suffering alone until attempting suicide. Saved by Fumiko, she endures mental illness, only recognizing Kotaro. Despite treatment in Nihonmatsu and Kujukuri-hama, her condition worsens. Admitted to a psychiatric clinic in Shinagawa in 1938, she creates impressive artwork. She dies from pneumonia in 1938, holding Kotaro's hand.
Cast
Shima Iwashita as Chieko Takamura
Tetsurō Tanba as Kōtarō Takamura
Jin Nakayama as Toyochika Takamura
Yōko Minamida as Kazuko Tsubaki
Eiji Okada as Tsubaki
Mikijirō Hira as Ishii
Kaori Shima as Fumiko
Takamaru Sasaki as Takamura Kōun
Tetsuo Ishidate as Tarō
Kinuko Obata as Osato Sawada
Yoshi Katō as Sōkichi Naganuma
Poems read by Hiroshi Akutagawa
Reception
In a contemporary review, "Whit." of Variety described Portrait of Chieko as an "Exquisitely beautiful Japanese film", noting that Shima Iwashita "delivers a finely restrained performance of Oscar proportions, catching every nuance of character with consummate acting skill". The review went on to praise the cinematography by Hiroshi Takemura, Tatsuo Homada's art direction and Masaru Satō's score.
Other adaptations
Takamura's poems had already been adapted for film in 1957. The film, also titled Chieko-shō, had been directed by Hisatora Kumagai and starred Sō Yamamura and Setsuko Hara.