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Meshi

  • 19511951
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
Meshi (1951)
  • Drama
Michiyo lives in the small place Osaka and is not happy with her marriage, all she does is cook and clean for her husband.Michiyo lives in the small place Osaka and is not happy with her marriage, all she does is cook and clean for her husband.Michiyo lives in the small place Osaka and is not happy with her marriage, all she does is cook and clean for her husband.
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Mikio Naruse
  • Writers
    • Toshirô Ide(screenplay)
    • Sumie Tanaka(screenplay)
    • Yasunari Kawabata(scenario supervisor)
  • Stars
    • Ken Uehara
    • Setsuko Hara
    • Yukiko Shimazaki
Top credits
  • Director
    • Mikio Naruse
  • Writers
    • Toshirô Ide(screenplay)
    • Sumie Tanaka(screenplay)
    • Yasunari Kawabata(scenario supervisor)
  • Stars
    • Ken Uehara
    • Setsuko Hara
    • Yukiko Shimazaki
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 12User reviews
    • 22Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 9 wins

    Photos17

    Setsuko Hara in Meshi (1951)
    Yukiko Shimazaki and Ken Uehara in Meshi (1951)
    Setsuko Hara and Ken Uehara in Meshi (1951)
    Setsuko Hara in Meshi (1951)
    Setsuko Hara in Meshi (1951)
    Setsuko Hara and Yukiko Shimazaki in Meshi (1951)
    Setsuko Hara in Meshi (1951)
    Setsuko Hara in Meshi (1951)
    Setsuko Hara and Yukiko Shimazaki in Meshi (1951)
    Setsuko Hara and Ken Uehara in Meshi (1951)
    Yukiko Shimazaki in Meshi (1951)
    Setsuko Hara and Ken Uehara in Meshi (1951)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ken Uehara
    Ken Uehara
    • Hatsunosuke Okamotoas Hatsunosuke Okamoto
    Setsuko Hara
    Setsuko Hara
    • Michiyo Okamotoas Michiyo Okamoto
    Yukiko Shimazaki
    • Satoko Okamotoas Satoko Okamoto
    Yôko Sugi
    • Mitsuko Murata, Michiyo's sister-in-lawas Mitsuko Murata, Michiyo's sister-in-law
    Akiko Kazami
    • Seiko Tomiyasuas Seiko Tomiyasu
    Haruko Sugimura
    Haruko Sugimura
    • Matsu Murata, Michiyo's motheras Matsu Murata, Michiyo's mother
    Ranko Hanai
    Ranko Hanai
    • Koyoshi Dohyaas Koyoshi Dohya
    Hiroshi Nihon'yanagi
    Hiroshi Nihon'yanagi
    • Kazuo Takenakaas Kazuo Takenaka
    Keiju Kobayashi
    • Shinzo Murata, Michiyo's brotheras Shinzo Murata, Michiyo's brother
    Akira Ôizumi
    Akira Ôizumi
    Ichirô Shimizu
    Haruo Tanaka
    Haruo Tanaka
    Sô Yamamura
    Sô Yamamura
    Chieko Nakakita
    Chieko Nakakita
    • Keiko Yamakitaas Keiko Yamakita
    Sayuri Tanima
    Mitsue Tachibana
    • Katsuko Suzukias Katsuko Suzuki
    Kumeko Otowa
    Yaeko Izumo
    • Director
      • Mikio Naruse
    • Writers
      • Toshirô Ide(screenplay)
      • Sumie Tanaka(screenplay)
      • Yasunari Kawabata(scenario supervisor)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This film revived the shomingeki sub-genre in which lower middle class and struggling families are depicted.
    • Quotes

      Michiyo Okamoto: [voiceover] My husband is sitting at the table. I bring a pot of miso soup from the kitchen. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, for 365 days a year, morning and night, come and go unvaryingly. With a life restricted to the kitchen and the family room, must every woman grow old and die feeling empty?

    • Connections
      Referenced in Century of Cinema: Nihon eiga no hyaku nen (1995)

    User reviews12

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Feminism in 1951
    "Have you ever thought of what I'm feeling, living this life day after day? Is this what marriage means? I feel like a maid. I slave away all day long doing laundry and preparing meals."

    There is a lovely bit of feminism in how this film shows how unfair traditional society is, with a woman expected to be subservient to a man's needs and put up with him staying out late getting drunk. Ironically, all of the friends of the wife (Setsuko Hara) tell her how lucky she must be being "happily married," while she suffers behind a smile or casting down her eyes. When they ask her what she talks about with him, she replies simply that she has a cat. While she carefully manages the household finances, he goes out and buys a fancy pair of shoes, seemingly oblivious. It's infuriating to watch, and when his spoiled niece (Yukiko Shimazaki) turns up looking for a place to stay, things get worse, as she now has two loafers around the house.

    The scenes in Osaka that Naruse gives us are as beautiful as the two leading ladies, making the film a visual treat. There is also a depth of feeling to what Hara's character is going through, and that's what made the film for me. At the outset of the film she asks "I had hopes and dreams before. Where have they gone?" and "With a life restricted to the kitchen and the family room, must every woman grow old and die feeling empty?" It was liberating to see her take action and leave for Tokyo, not writing her husband (or sadly, being written to).

    The husband (Ken Uehara) is a better person around his niece, and weirdly we see flirtation between the two, as well as a cousin of the wife's lightly hitting on her. They both know to draw the line at adultery though, and while the film is certainly showing the husband in a negative light, it seems to be saying more that these are two average, decent people in a marriage, and cautioning husbands to treat their wives better. Bravo for that, but at the same time, the "stand by your man" aspect definitely didn't work for me 70 years later. He's aware she's had a hard time, but not aware of his own role in that, and how he's taken her completely for granted. It makes for an unsatisfying finish, but for the things it was able to accomplish in 1951, I liked it.
    helpful•1
    1
    • gbill-74877
    • Oct 2, 2021

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 23, 1951 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • A Married Life
    • Filming locations
      • Osaka, Japan
    • Production company
      • Toho Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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