Tuesday
04th October, 2022
Uncovering the fresh appeal of Setsuko Hara, famous for her work with director Yasujiru Ozu.  ...................................................................................... The 1930s and 1950s are heralded as the Golden Age of Japanese C inema due to the number and quality of films made as well as the size of Japanese audiences during those years. Actor Setsuko Hara frequently worked with headlining directors of the era, among them Yasujiro Ozu, Mikio Naruse, and Akira Kurosawa. Hara made her debut into the world of film while still in her teens. Her performances in Tokyo Story and other works by Yasujiro Ozu in particular are widely regarded as some of her best work. However, Hara retired suddenly from the screen when Ozu passed away in 1963. She was 42. She never appeared again in the public eye, and died at age 95 in 2015. With a career illustrious enough for her to earn the title “the Greta Garbo of Japan,” Hara has been given a somewhat godlike place in the history of Japanese film. She was also frequently given the moniker “the eternal virgin” as a way to explain her immense popularity. The term captured the adoration people felt towards her lovely face as well as their admiration of her roles as a dutiful wife. However, Setsuko Hara has more charms that go beyond this fixed persona. In this article, we’ll take a fresh look at Setsuko Hara’s career as that of an individual performer, separated from the men around her or male-dominated perspectives, as typified by the “virgin” label and tendency to place her on a godlike pedestal. We spoke with queer studies and film/visual culture scholar Yuka Kanno about Setsuko Hara, particularly in relation to her work with director Yasujiro Ozu. Text: Yoko Hasada Edit: Kimi Idonuma(CINRA, Inc.) |
