Mikio Naruse

Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer whose quietly devastating portraits of working-class life earned him a place among cinema's most revered directors.

What do we know about Mikio Naruse?

Here are the key biographical details about Mikio Naruse:

  • Name: Mikio Naruse
  • Also Known As: 나루세 미키오, Микио Нарусэ, 미키오 나루세, 成瀬 巳喜男
  • Date of Birth: August 20, 1905
  • Place of Birth: Tokyo, Japan
  • Date of Death: July 2, 1969
  • Gender: Male
  • Job Title: Director
  • Crew Jobs: Director, Screenplay, Writer, Story, Producer

Who is Mikio Naruse?

Mikio Naruse (August 20, 1905 – July 2, 1969) was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 (towards the end of the silent period in Japan) to 1967.

Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook. He made primarily shomin-geki (working-class drama) films with female protagonists, portrayed by actresses such as Hideko Takamine, Kinuyo Tanaka, and Setsuko Hara. Because of his focus on family drama and the intersection of traditional and modern Japanese culture, his films are frequently compared with the works of Yasujirō Ozu. His reputation is just behind Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, and Ozu in Japan and internationally; his work remains less well known outside Japan than theirs.

Akira Kurosawa called Naruse's style of melodrama, “like a great river with a calm surface and a raging current in its depths”.

What is Mikio Naruse known for?

Mikio Naruse's most celebrated directorial works include:

  • When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960, Movie)
  • Floating Clouds (1955, Movie)
  • Yearning (1964, Movie)
  • Sound of the Mountain (1954, Movie)
  • Repast (1951, Movie)
  • Two in the Shadow (1967, Movie)
  • Late Chrysanthemums (1954, Movie)
  • Flowing (1956, Movie)
  • Lightning (1952, Movie)
  • Apart from You (1933, Movie)

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