Miss Oyu (お遊さま, Oyū-sama) is a 1951 black-and-white Japanese drama film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. It is based on the 1932 novella The Reed Cutter (Ashikari) by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki.
Contents
Plot
In 19th-century Japan, Shinnosuke is visited by Shizu and her sister Oyū to see if Shizu is a suitable marriage prospect for him. Yet, Shinnosuke is more fascinated by the older Oyū. Tradition forbids the widowed Oyū from remarrying as she has to raise her son and future heir of her deceased husband's family. So, Shinnosuke and Shizu marry as a means for him and Oyū to be as close as possible. When Oyū learns that Shizu declined to consummate the marriage as a sign of respect for her older sister and the affection between her and Shinnosuke, Oyū scolds her. Also, rumours about the true nature of their relationship start to spread, prompting Oyū to create distance between them. Later, Oyū's son dies, and she has to leave her husband's family, while Shizu dies shortly after giving birth to her and Shinnosuke's child. Shinnosuke, whose family has lost its fortune, leaves his child with the remarried Oyū and asks her in a letter to raise the child as her own.
Cast
Kinuyo Tanaka as Oyū Kayukawa
Nobuko Otowa as Shizu
Yūji Hori as Shinnosuke Seribashi
Kiyoko Hirai as Osumi
Reiko Kongo as Otsugi Kayukawa
Eijirō Yanagi as Eitaro
Eitarō Shindō as Kusaemon
Kanae Kobayashi as nanny
Fumihiko Yokoyama as book-keeper 1
Jun Fujikawa as book-keeper 2
Soji Shibata as book-keeper 3
Inosuke Kuhara as boy
Ayuko Fujishiro as waitress
Shozo Nanbu as doctor
Midori Komatsu as hostess
Sachiko Aima as a flower decoration teacher
Sumao Ishihara as priest