W no higeki (1984)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Shinichirô Sawai

Writers:

Haruhiko Arai (writer)
Shizuko Natsuki (novel)

Release Date:

15 December 1984 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Awards:

12 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Hiroko Yakushimaru	...	Shizuka Mita
Yoshiko Mita	...	Sho Hajima
Masanori Sera	...	Akio Moriguchi
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yumi Kusaka
Kojiro Kusanagi	...	Yoshikazu Kiuchi
Yoshie Minami	...	Chieko Yasue
Kunihiko Mitamura	...	Jun Godai
Noboru Nakaya	...	Ryozo Dohara
Yukio Ninagawa	...	Theatre director Abe
Akiko Shikata	...	Kimiko Miyashita
Kôji Shimizu	...	Hideo Mineta
Miho Takagi	...	Kaori Kikuchi

Also Known As:

W's Tragedy (International: English title)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Company:

Kadokawa Haruki Jimusho

She Is Now A Star

This is a great vehicle for Hiroko Yakushimaru, who plays Shizuka, an aspiring actress. For the play The Tragedy Of W she hoped for the coveted role of Mako, but instead was relegated to being a stand in, script girl, laundress etc. One of the lead actresses has a rich, married lover and he dies of a heart attack in her hotel room, she begs for Shizuka to act as if the deceased was really her patron. Shizuka finally agrees and as a result is given the plum role of Mako, who in the play murders her grandfather. This very dramatic film is unusually quite good, I did not find a dull moment in it. Ms. Yakushimaru is wonderful in this role, but by then she had already established herself, especially with "Sailor Suit And Machine Gun", so its not surprising she admirably carries this film. This story of actors and the choices and compromises they make is gripping. If you're a film student, this is a must. If you like drama, I highly recommend this film. Every word rings true.