A lowly divorcee is tricked into becoming the mistress of a despised moneylender but soon falls in love with a student.A lowly divorcee is tricked into becoming the mistress of a despised moneylender but soon falls in love with a student.A lowly divorcee is tricked into becoming the mistress of a despised moneylender but soon falls in love with a student.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 1 nomination
Eizô Tanaka
- Zenkichi, Otama's father
- (as Eizo Tanaka)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- Quotes
[first lines]
Osan, the marriage broker: It's true he's offering to keep you as his mistress. But the man is a widower who's living with his children. So, to be in his keeping is like marrying him. But there's his reputation to consider.
- Crazy creditsThis is a story from the time when migrating wild geese still flew over Tokyo.
- Alternate versionsSubtitled version and dubbed version available.
- ConnectionsFeatured in A Japanese Film Festival (1957)
Featured review
A film of serene beauty
An example of all that is great about Japanese cinema prior to its decline in the 1960s. It is pictorially exquisite, leisurely paced but never dull, well-acted with just the right amount of melodrama, and directed by a master in top form. The director, Shiro Toyoda, is a superb Japanese film director that has yet to be discovered in the West, though a few of his films, such as "Wild Geese" and "Snow Country" can be found on video.
The story is of a young woman whose relationships with men in the past have been stormy, and who finds herself once again in a bad situation. She becomes the mistress of a wealthy moneylender, believing him to be a merchant who has been recently widowed and that he will soon marry her. She discovers his lies but cannot leave him because of the money he has given to her elderly father. Soon she falls in love with a student that passes by her house every day on the way home, but their relationship ends before it even begins when he is accepted as an apprentice to a doctor in Germany.
"The Mistress" is a beautifully shot film that captures with subtlety and grace the central character's tragedy through its images. It is also an admirable film for its restraint in not descending into the pit of tear-jerking sentimentality that so many Japanese films of the period (even some of the good ones) so frequently did.
The story is of a young woman whose relationships with men in the past have been stormy, and who finds herself once again in a bad situation. She becomes the mistress of a wealthy moneylender, believing him to be a merchant who has been recently widowed and that he will soon marry her. She discovers his lies but cannot leave him because of the money he has given to her elderly father. Soon she falls in love with a student that passes by her house every day on the way home, but their relationship ends before it even begins when he is accepted as an apprentice to a doctor in Germany.
"The Mistress" is a beautifully shot film that captures with subtlety and grace the central character's tragedy through its images. It is also an admirable film for its restraint in not descending into the pit of tear-jerking sentimentality that so many Japanese films of the period (even some of the good ones) so frequently did.
helpful•143
- liehtzu
- Nov 14, 1999
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Wild Geese
- Filming locations
- Hamacho, Tokyo, Japan(Shop Location)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 44 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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