Eclipse from the Criterion Collection

Kinoshita and World War II

Edition no. 41

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Release Date: Tuesday, 23 December 2014
Country of Release: USA
MSRP: $69.95

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Shochiku

Directed by: Keisuke Kinoshita

Featuring: Eitaro Ozawa, Yasumi Hara, Ken Uehara, Chishu Ryu, Haruko Sugimura, Kurumi Yamabato, Mitsuko Mito, Kinuyo Tanaka, Chiyo Nobu, Kazumasa Hoshino, Chieko Higashiyama, Mitsuko Yoshikawa, Eijiro Tono, Shin Tokudaiji, Toshio Hosokawa, Makoto Kobori, Shiro Osaka, Choko Iida, Ken Mitsuda, Toshinosuke Nagao, Junji Masuda

Hugely popular in his home country of Japan, Keisuke Kinoshita worked tirelessly as a director for nearly half a century, making lyrical, sentimental films that often center on the inherent goodness of people, especially in times of distress. He began his directing career during a most challenging time for Japanese cinema: World War II, when the industry’s output was closely monitored by the state and often had to be purely propagandistic. This collection of Kinoshita’s first films—four made while the war was going on and one shortly after Japan’s surrender—demonstrates the way the filmmaker’s humanity and exquisite cinematic technique shone through even in the darkest of times.

Year: 1943 | 1944 | 1946
Time: 82 | 89 | 73 | 87 | 81 min.