The Most Beautiful (1944)
"Ichiban utsukushiku" (original title)

During World War II, the management of a war industry of optical instruments for weapons requests an effort from the workers to increase the productivity during four months. The target for ... See full summary »

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writer:

Akira Kurosawa

Stars:

Takashi Shimura, Sôji Kiyokawa, Ichirô Sugai

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Takashi Shimura	...	Chief Goro Ishida
Sôji Kiyokawa	...	Soichi Yoshikawa, Chief of General Affairs Section
Ichirô Sugai	...	Ken Shinda, Chief of Labor Section
Takako Irie	...	Noriko Mizushima, dorm mother
Yôko Yaguchi	...	Tsuru Watanabe, president of women workers
Sayuri Tanima	...	Yuriko Tanimura, vice president of the women workers
Sachiko Ozaki	...	Sachiko Yamazaki
Shizuko Nishigaki	...	Fusae Nishioka
Asako Suzuki	...	Asako Suzumura
Haruko Toyama	...	Masako Koyama
Aiko Masu	...	Tokiko Hiroda
Kazuko Hitomi	...	Kazuko Futomi
Shizuko Yamada	...	Hisae Yamaguchi
Itoko Kono	...	Sue Okabe
Toshiko Hattori	...	Toshiko Hattori

Storyline

During World War II, the management of a war industry of optical instruments for weapons requests an effort from the workers to increase the productivity during four months. The target for male workers is an increase of 100% of the production, but the female workers, led by the dedicated Tsuru Watanabe, ask the direction to surpass their goal from 50% to 70%. During the period, the women have to overcome illness and their personal problems to complete their quota.

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Plot Keywords:

shoe | weapon making | world war two | factory worker

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

June 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Most Beautiful

Filming Locations:

Toho Studios, Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Akira Kurosawa married actress 'Yoko Yaguchi' (born Kiyo Kato), who played Tsuru in "The Most Beautiful," after becoming close through many famed arguments during filming. They married on May 21, 1945 while Yaguchi was two months pregnant, and stayed together until her death in 1985.

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Connections

Referenced in Kurosawa: The Last Emperor (1999)

User Reviews

For Kurosawa completists only

Like SANSHIRO SUGATA PART 2, this film was never released in the U.S. for political reasons. There's not any blatantly anti-American content, as in SSP2, but THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, filmed by government request, was a pro-Imperialist propaganda document.

Kurosawa gamely attempts to weave together a story which functions both as propaganda and as a tender coming-of-age story, but isn't entirely successful. This would have been a demanding proposition even for a seasoned pro, let alone a young director like Kurosawa, directing only his second feature.

The story follows a group of young girls working in an armaments factory in the latter days of WWII. The girls must increase production sharply. The girls suffer hardships of all sorts. One, Tao, emerges as the leader of the group. Through the travails of helping her coworkers meet their quotas, Tao learns courage, fortitude and compassion.

If all this sounds a little boring, that's because it is. Kurosawa's visual signatures are seldom seen. At least the performances are good, especially Yoko Yaguchi as Tao. Takashi Shimura has a thankless, do-nothing role as the foreman of the factory.