A French Documentary on Setsuko Hara
(Unfortunately both videos are no longer available)
Setsuko Hara started to play in 1935. She was only fifteen by then. Her legend dominated sometimes over the real life. They say she played only in Ozu's movies; actually she played also in movies of Kurosawa and Naruse, among others. For us she remained for ever Noriko, from Late Spring, Early Summer, and Tokyo Story, the eternal virgin of Japan.
She disappeared from public life entirely, in the early sixties, and refused to play any more. She was only 42 by that time. Her reason was that she wanted to live her own life. Nobody understood her, nobody approved her.
It was however a decision of profound dignity: Noriko proved, in real life, that she was the one to decide independently on her own destiny.
She has been living since then in Kamakura, the small quiet town from the movies of Ozu; she is now in her late eighties. And I am sure she walks now and then to the train station, watching trains that come and go and living again the world of her movies that we have always loved.
(Yasujiro Ozu and Setsuko Hara)
Setsuko Hara started to play in 1935. She was only fifteen by then. Her legend dominated sometimes over the real life. They say she played only in Ozu's movies; actually she played also in movies of Kurosawa and Naruse, among others. For us she remained for ever Noriko, from Late Spring, Early Summer, and Tokyo Story, the eternal virgin of Japan.
She disappeared from public life entirely, in the early sixties, and refused to play any more. She was only 42 by that time. Her reason was that she wanted to live her own life. Nobody understood her, nobody approved her.
It was however a decision of profound dignity: Noriko proved, in real life, that she was the one to decide independently on her own destiny.
She has been living since then in Kamakura, the small quiet town from the movies of Ozu; she is now in her late eighties. And I am sure she walks now and then to the train station, watching trains that come and go and living again the world of her movies that we have always loved.
(Yasujiro Ozu and Setsuko Hara)
Labels: Setsuko Hara
posted by Pierre Radulescu at
1:18 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home