Kisses (1957)
"Kuchizuke" (original title)

Kinichi and Akiko meet when they visit their fathers in prison. After successfully gambling on a bicycle race, they spend an enjoyable day together at the beach. Akiko, who tries to make ... See full summary »

Director:

Yasuzô Masumura

Writers:

Kazuro Funabashi, Matsutarô Kawaguchi (novel)

Stars:

Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Hitomi Nozoe, Aiko Mimasu

Cast

Cast overview:
Hiroshi Kawaguchi	...	Kinichi Miyamoto
Hitomi Nozoe	...	Akiko Shirakawa
Aiko Mimasu	...	Ryoko Uno
Eitarô Ozawa	...	Daikichi Miyamoto, Kinichi's father
Sachiko Murase	...	Kikyoko Shirakawa
Saiko Mima	...	Kinichi's mother
Kazuko Wakamatsu
Tanikaoru Shimizu
Yosuke Irie
Ken Yamaguchi

Storyline

Kinichi and Akiko meet when they visit their fathers in prison. After successfully gambling on a bicycle race, they spend an enjoyable day together at the beach. Akiko, who tries to make money as an artist's model to pay for her mother's medical expenses, now has to find 100,000 yen to pay off the company from which her father embezzled. Kinichi also requires 100,000 yen as bail for his father, who is accused of election fraud. Kinichi tries to borrow 100,000 yen from his mother, whom he has not seen for three years.

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Plot Keywords:

beach | prison | money | bus | song | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

23 July 1957 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Kisses

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daiei Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in 100 Years of Japanese Cinema (1995)

User Reviews

I've managed to see my Masumura films all in the wrong order

I've managed to see my Masumura films all in the wrong order starting with the mesmerising and transgressive treat, 'Blind beast', then the very tough, 'Red angel' and the beautiful, 'Manji', I come to this his very first film. And what a charming, fresh and invigorating movie it is. The comparisons with the, then still to come, French New Wave, are certainly understandable and if this does not have the clear stylish stamp of a Godard, it mixes arty, almost abstract long shots with exciting hand held efforts. The minimal story does not get in the way of the central young couple, who are persuasive in their roles and at times almost enchanting. We get glimpses of what might be a distinctly low-rise and makeshift Tokyo and certainly scenes shot at the seaside resort of Enoshima in what looks like it might have been it's heyday. Most enjoyable and I must now go see whether young Hitomi Nozoe went on to have the sort of cinema career she seemed destined for after this stunning performance.