Onna no naka ni iru tanin (1966)
The Stranger Within a Woman (1966)
A Film by Mikio Naruse
DVD9 Custom | ISO+MDS | NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | 01:41:41 | 6,92 Gb
Audio: Japanese AC3 1.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subs: Japanese, English (added), French (added)
Genre: Drama, Art-house | 1 win | Japan
A Film by Mikio Naruse
DVD9 Custom | ISO+MDS | NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | 01:41:41 | 6,92 Gb
Audio: Japanese AC3 1.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subs: Japanese, English (added), French (added)
Genre: Drama, Art-house | 1 win | Japan
Tashiro (Keiju Kobayashi) coincidentally meets his best friend Sugimoto (Tatsuya Mihashi) in a bar very close to the apartment in which Sugimoto’s wayward wife is found dead. Although Tashiro is not a suspect in the police investigation, he is racked with guilt and confesses to his wife, Masako (Michiyo Aratama). In an effort to further relieve his tortured sense of guilt, he then confesses to Sugimoto. Neither his wife nor his friend can believe that he could have been involved.
IMDB
Onna no naka ni iru tanin (1966)
Different from Naruse's other offerings. It still focuses on Japanese family life and themes such as class and honour, but he gives it a darker edge. The film follows a family after the murder of a close friends wife. Rumours start spreading but it soon becomes apparent that the Father isn't telling the whole story. Very racy for the time, this film contains one of the sexiest moments in cinematic history. The handling of guilt and revenge is done in a very subtle manner and the film avoids melodrama. Naruse also uses some excellent time jump techniques and certainly shows another side to himself in the structure of the narrative.Luke Baldock, rottentomatoes
Onna no naka ni iru tanin (1966)
About as shrill and dramatic as Naruse would ever get during the postwar part of his career. Essentially, this is his “noir” film, I suppose, which explains why he would quite randomly abandon the usual attention and care with which he handles his characters. On the plus side, this is one of his most visually stunning films, which may strike some as odd as it the only time he worked with the academy ratio during the 60s. There’s something much different about the framing here than that of his academy ratio films from the 50s. It definitely feels like some sort of post-modern tribute or homage that has become popular in modern American cinema. Of course, this is leagues above a Tarantino film, but its somewhat frustrating that Naruse would spend his time making this.
Onna no naka ni iru tanin (1966)
![Onna no naka ni iru tanin (1966)]()
A father with a steady home life that includes a wife and two children, is shocked to find that his friend’s wife has been killed. It becomes apparent that the father was busy having an affair with his friend’s wife right up until her death. This, obviously, complicates things a great deal. While everyone is initially stumped to who the killer could be, it is slowly revealed that the aforementioned affair included “kinky” sex which may have led to the woman’s death.
Onna no naka ni iru tanin (1966)
![Onna no naka ni iru tanin (1966)]()
For a good hour or so, Naruse plays things with his usual subtle nondramatic touch. While the audience is informed of the murder almost immediately, the mystery aspect doesn’t really come into the picture till the second half, where it then proceeds in becoming quite predictable and dull. The first half, though, is a perfect example of Naruse’s mastery. Even though he’s not working with his usual family drama material, he still has the same ability to downplay the action. There’s very little dramatic music and a lot more “everyday” type of dialogue. The cinematography, simply started, is absolutely gorgeous.
Onna no naka ni iru tanin (1966)
![Onna no naka ni iru tanin (1966)]()
Things begin to get much more problematic once the father confesses his affair to his wife. It is not that the film gets technically melodramatic. Naruse still manages to keep his trademark subtleness and the visuals are still great, but the narrative just begins to take a nosedive. The whole thing is rather predictable and over-the-top. It’s entertaining in a rather mindless way, but that makes the experience almost subversive considering how deep and truthful Naruse usually is. For all its melodrama, it does have a very nice and poetic ending but considering the context, even that seems superfluous. Overall, this is a good movie, but also a far cry from showcasing Naruse’s greatness.
Onna no naka ni iru tanin (1966)
Many Thanks to gleemonex.
No More Mirrors.