Ornamental Hairpin (1941)

At a rural spa, a soldier accidentally cuts his foot on a hairpin. Soon enough he tracks down its lovely owner and finds himself smitten.

Director:

Hiroshi Shimizu

Writers:

Masuji Ibuse (story), Yoshitomo Nagase

Stars:

Shin'ichi Himori, Kanji Kawahara, Hiroko Kawasaki

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Shin'ichi Himori	...	Hiroyasu
Kanji Kawahara	...	Old Man
Hiroko Kawasaki	...	Okiku
Koji Matsumoto	...	Head clerk
Hideko Mimura	...	His Wife
Tsuneo Ohsugi	...	Tsune (as Tsuneo Osugi)
Chishû Ryû	...	Osamura
Tatsuo Saitô	...	Professor Katae
Takeshi Sakamoto	...	Inn's owner
Kinuyo Tanaka	...	Emi
Kayoko Terada	...	Maid
Jun Yokoyama	...	Taro
Munenobu Yui	...	Toku
Masayoshi Ôtsuka	...	Jiro

Storyline

Emi Ota and her friend Okiku stay briefly at a mountain inn and then return to Tokyo. Later, Nanmura, a soldier on leave, steps on an ornamental hairpin in the public bath at the inn. Emi writes to the inn saying she has lost a hairpin and, when she discovers that it injured Nanmura, returns to apologize. The longer term visitors at the inn meet together to discuss the hairpin incident. These include a grumpy Professor, a young couple Mr and Mrs Hiroyasu, and an old man staying with his two grandsons. They hope to see a romance blossom between Nanmura and Emi, after Nanmura declares that there is something almost poetic in finding a hairpin in the bath.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

26 August 1941 (Japan)

Also Known As:

L'épingle à cheveux

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shochiku

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

This film takes place at an inn in Japan in summer where people are going for rest and relaxation. Basically, the film is about Mr. Nanmura, who is played by the great actor Chishu Ryu, looking much younger than he usually does in Ozu films. While in the hot springs, he is injured in the foot after stepping on an ornamental hairpin. The owner of the hairpin is Emi, who comes back to the inn to apologize. The men there wonder if she is beautiful. She arrives. She is played by Kinuyo Tanaka, the great actress who is best known for her roles in Kenji Mizoguchi films and was indeed beautiful. She stays at the inn and a relationship blossoms between Emi and Mr. Nanmura. Will it last? I have never seen a movie from this director, as outside of Japan he is not as well known as Kurosawa, Naruse and the aforementioned Ozu and Mizoguchi. However, he does a great job here moving the story along. You want to know what happens. The pairing of Chishu Ryu and Kinuyo Tanaka is a dream one, they are excellent in this film. The film is subtle but compelling. This film is being sold as part of a four DVD box of the director's film, and this was the first one I watched. Based on this film alone it was money well spent.