Kokoro (1955)

Director:

Kon Ichikawa

Writers:

Keiji Hasebe, Katsuhito Inomata,

Stars:

Masayuki Mori, Michiyo Aratama, Tatsuya Mihashi

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Masayuki Mori	...	Nobuchi
Michiyo Aratama	...	Nobuchi's wife
Tatsuya Mihashi	...	Kaji
Shôji Yasui	...	Hioki
Tanie Kitabayashi	...	Hioki's mother
Akiko Tamura	...	Widow
Mutsuhiko Tsurumaru	...	Hioki's father
Tsutomu Shimomoto	...	Hioki's elder brother
Masami Shimojô	...	Broker
Akira Hisamatsu	...	Travelling monk
Tomoko Naraoka	...	Kume
Zenji Yamada	...	Nobuchi's uncle
Keiji Itami	...	Kaji's father
Kiyoshi Kamoda	...	Doctor
Nobuo Kawakami	...	Undertaker

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Also Known As:

Le pauvre coeur des hommes

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nikkatsu

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

A Psychological Masterpiece.

One of the great pleasures of living in Washington D.C. is the film program at the National Gallery of Art-East Wing. Currently, they are doing a retrospective of Kon Ichikawa. I recently saw "The Burmese Harp" and "Conflagration". This time, I had the pleasure of viewing "The Heart".

This is another superb masterpiece by a truly great living filmmaker. The acting is first rate and the script is apparently faithful to the original novel. Why does Nobuchi visit the grave of his old friend Kaji so often? Why does he not take his wife along? What happened before the untimely death of Kaji? This is a suspenseful and deeply wrought story of true love and friendship.

I have no idea if this will ever be available widely or not, but look out for Japanese film festivals where you live. Any film by this master is worth your time.