#567: ICHIKAWA, Kon: The Makioka Sisters (1983)

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ICHIKAWA, Kon (Japan)
The Makioka Sisters [1983]
Spine #567
Blu-ray


This lyrical adaptation of the beloved novel by Junichiro Tanizaki was a late-career triumph for director Kon Ichikawa. Structured around the changing of the seasons, The Makioka Sisters (Sasame-yuki) follows the lives of four siblings who have taken on their family's kimono manufacturing business, in the years leading up to the Pacific War. The two oldest have been married for some time, but according to tradition, the rebellious youngest sister cannot wed until the third, conservative and terribly shy, finds a husband. This graceful study of a family at a turning point in history is a poignant evocation of changing times and fading customs, shot in rich, vivid colors.

140 minutes
Color
Monaural
in Japanese
1:85:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2011
Director/Writers


Based on the novel by Jun’ichirô Tanizaki.
Kon Ichikawa was 68 when he directed The Makioka Sisters.

Other Ichikawa films in the Collection:

#379: The Burmese Harp (1956)
#378: Fires On The Plain (1959)
#912: An Actor's Revenge (1963)
#155/#900: Tokyo Olympiad (1965)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Twenty-page booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Audie Bock.

Commentary

None

Original theatrical trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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