No Regrets for Our Youth (1946)

The daughter of a politically disgraced university professor struggles to find a place for herself in love and life, in the uncertain world of Japan leading into WWII.

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Eijirô Hisaita (screenplay), Akira Kurosawa (screenplay)

Stars:

Setsuko Hara, Susumu Fujita, Denjirô Ôkôchi

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Setsuko Hara	...	Yukie Yagihara
Susumu Fujita	...	Ruykichi Noge
Denjirô Ôkôchi	...	Professor Yagihara, Yukie' father
Haruko Sugimura	...	Madame Noge, Ryukichi's mother
Eiko Miyoshi	...	Madame Yagihara, the prodessor's wife
Kokuten Kôdô	...	Mr. Noge, Ryukichi's father
Akitake Kôno	...	Itokawa
Takashi Shimura	...	Police Commissioner 'Poison Strawberry' Dokuichigo
Taizô Fukami	...	Minister of Education
Masao Shimizu	...	Professor Hakozaki
Haruo Tanaka	...	Student
Kazu Hikari	...	Detective
Hisako Hara	...	Itokawa's Mother
Shin Takemura	...	Prosecutor
Tateo Kawasaki	...	Servant

Storyline

In 1933, in Kyoto, academic freedom is under attack and the spoiled daughter of Professor Yagihara, Yukie Yagihara, is courted by the idealistic student Ruykichi Noge and by the tolerant Itokawa. When the academic freedom movement is crushed by the fascists, Professor Yagihara and the members of the Faculty of Law resign from their positions and Noge is arrested. Five years later, Noge visits Professor Yagihara and his family under the custody of the now Prosecutor Itokawa and tells them that he is going to China. Yukie decides to move alone to Tokyo and years later, she meets Itokawa in Tokyo and tells her that Noge is living in Tokyo. Yukie visits Noge and they become lovers. In 1941, Noge is arrested accused of being the ringleader of a spy network and Yukie is also sent to prison. When she is released, she decides to move to the peasant village where Noge's parents live and are blamed of being spies by the villagers. She changes her lifestyle and works hard with Madame Noge ...

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Plot Keywords:

professor | students | japanese nationalism | anti war | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The two piano pieces that Yukie is heard playing are the final movement ("The Great Gate of Kiev") from Pictures at an Exhibition by Modeste Mussorgsky and the Prelude in E-flat Major, Op. 28, No. 19, by Frederic Chopin.

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Quotes

Ruykichi Noge: Beauty without logic is nothing but bubbles.

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Connections

Referenced in Seven Samurai: Origins and Influences (2006)

User Reviews

PostwarKurosawa

The daughter (Setsuko Hara) of a politically disgraced university professor (Denjiro Okochi) struggles to find a place for herself in love and life, in the uncertain world of Japan leading into WWII.

One character was inspired by the real-life Hotsumi Ozaki, who assisted the famous Soviet spy Richard Sorge and so became the only Japanese citizen to suffer the death penalty for treason during World War II. It is this aspect that makes the film particularly interesting, as it reflects on the role Japan played in the world from 1933-1945.

The film as a whole is interesting for being made so soon after World War II. Clearly the budget and production value is limited, but you might expect a country ravaged by war would be too busy with other things to make movies. Not so when you have a man named Kurosawa.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

6 June 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

No Regrets for Our Youth

Filming Locations:

Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (processed by Toho Film Labortory)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1