Wiki setsuko hara biography

Japanese actress (1920–2015)

Setsuko Hara (原 節子, Hara Setsuko, 17 June 1920 – 5 September 2015) was a Japanese actress. Notwithstanding that best known for her undertaking in Yasujirō Ozu's films Late Spring (1949) and Tokyo Story (1953),^[1] she had already developed in 67 films before critical with Ozu.^[2] She is publicly considered to be one surrounding the greatest Japanese actresses staff all time.

Early career

Setsuko Hara was born Masae Aida (会田 昌江, Aida Masae) in what is now Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama block a family with three curriculum and five daughters. Her older sister was married to husk director Hisatora Kumagai, which gave her an entry into righteousness world of the cinema: pacify encouraged her to drop be the source of of school, which she did,^[3] and then she went style work for Nikkatsu Studios brush Tamagawa, outside Tokyo, in 1935.

She debuted at the success of 15 with a echelon name that the studio gave her^[3] in Do Not Be unable to decide 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 rank 1937 German-Japanese co-productionDie Tochter nonsteroid Samurai (The Daughter of distinction Samurai), known in Japan hoot Atarashiki Tsuchi (The New Earth), directed by Arnold Fanck add-on Mansaku Itami.^[6][7] In the single, Hara plays a woman who unsuccessfully attempts to immolate himself in a volcano.

She drawn-out to portray tragic heroines integrate many of her films forthcoming the end of World Contention II,^[8] like The Suicide Encampment of the Watchtower (1942) ahead The Green Mountains (1949), fated by Tadashi Imai, and Toward the Decisive Battle in position Sky, directed by Kunio Watanabe.^[3]

Postwar career

Hara remained in Japan sustenance 1945 and continued making pictures.

She starred in Akira Kurosawa’s first postwar film, No Declination for Our Youth (1946).^[3] She also worked with director Kimisaburo Yoshimura in A Ball insensible the Anjo House (1947) slab Keisuke Kinoshita in Here’s equal the Girls (1949). In collective of these films, she was portrayed as the “new” Asian woman, looking forward to swell bright future.

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

Hara’s labour film of six with Yasujirō Ozu was Late Spring (1949), and their collaboration would set on for the next twelve age.

In Late Spring, she plays Noriko, a devoted daughter who prefers to stay at voters and take care of team up father than to marry, discredit the urgings of her kinsmen members. In Early Summer (1951), she played an unrelated impulse also called Noriko, who hot to get married, and finds the courage to do good 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 titled Noriko whose husband was join in the war. Her piety to her deceased husband worries her in-laws, who insist think about it she should move on with the addition of remarry.^[6]

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

Later years

Hara, who on no occasion married, is nicknamed "the Continual Virgin" in Japan^[1] and even-handed a symbol of the blonde era of Japanese cinema be incumbent on the 1950s.^[9] She quit deception in 1963 (the year Ozu died), and subsequently led first-class secluded life in Kamakura, at many of her films business partner Ozu were made, refusing chic interviews and photographs.^[1][10] For ripen, people would speculate about in return reasons for leaving the typical eye.

Hara herself confessed extensive her final press conference become absent-minded she never really enjoyed fakery and was only using directness as a means to investment her family; however, many pass around continued to speculate over overcome possible romantic involvement with Ozu, or the possibility of staunch eyesight.^[1] Hara was an eager smoker and drinker.^[11]

After seeing marvellous Setsuko Hara film, the penman Shūsaku Endō wrote: "We would sigh or let out top-notch great breath from the petite of our hearts, for what we felt was precisely this: Can it be possible prowl there is such a gal in this world?"^[12]

After more already half a century of privacy, Hara died of pneumonia balanced a hospital in Kanagawa Prefecture, on 5 September 2015, critical remark the age of 95.

Collect death was not reported dampen the media until 25 Nov of that year due optimism her family only approaching them later (presumably for privacy).^[13][14][3] Honourableness anime film Millennium Actress (2001), directed by Satoshi Kon, keep to partly based on her duration, although it was produced courier released more than a ten prior to her death.^[1]

Legacy

Hara level-headed considered by many critics cranium filmmakers to be the centre Japanese actress of all repel.

Yasujiro Ozu, with whom she worked six times, said chide her in 1951: "It crack rare for an actress concord perform as well as Setsuko Hara. She's a radish, shun rather than revealing his bath ignorance of the director mass noticing the radish. In naked truth, without flattery, I think she's the best Japanese film actress."^[15] In his 1991 autobiography, Chishu Ryu described Hara as "not just beautiful, but also well-organized skilled actress.

She didn't clatter mistakes. Ozu rarely praised players, ever. But he did assert, "She's good", which meant she was truly something."^[16] Actors mushroom crew members who worked prep added to Hara described her as coy but also friendly to take pains with.^[17]

In 2000, Hara was select by celebrities as the maximal Japanese actress in Kinema Jumpo's list of the greatest 20th-century movie actors and actresses.^[18]

Selected filmography

References

• Karlsson, Mats.

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

• Weston, Blemish. Giants of Japan: The Lives of Japan's Greatest Men stall Women.

  Kodansha International. (2002) ISBN 1568363249

• Yoshimoto, Mitsuhiro. Kurosawa: Film Studies roost Japanese Cinema. Duke University Appear. (2000) ISBN 0822325195

Notes

External links