Elegy of the North

Elegy of the North a.k.a. Northern Elegy or Dirge (Japanese: 挽歌, romanized: Banka) is a 1957 Japanese drama film directed by Heinosuke Gosho. It is based on the novel Banka by Harada Yasuko.[3]

Elegy of the North
挽歌
Directed byHeinosuke Gosho
Produced by
  • Jiro Kaga
  • Yoshishige Uchiyama
Written by
Starring
Music byYasushi Akutagawa
CinematographyJunichi Segawa
Distributed byShochiku
Release date
  • September 1, 1957 (1957-09-01)
[1]
Running time
117 minutes[1][2]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Plot

Reiko, a young, disabled woman (she suffers from a limp left arm after a joint inflammation in her childhood), and member of an amateur theatre troupe, starts a passionate affair with the much older and married architect Katsuragi. Katsuragi's wife in turn has an affair with medical student Tatsumi, who is obsessed with her and refuses to break off the relationship. Fascinated by Mrs. Katsuragi, Reiko manages to make personal contact with her. The women get acquainted with each other, but Reiko develops a deeper affection for Mrs. Katsuragi which might be the love for a substitute mother (Reiko's natural mother has died), or even beyond. Reiko, always feeling incomplete due to her disability and torn between her feelings for Katsuragi and his wife, accuses him of not loving but only pitying her. When she finally tells Mrs. Katsuragi of the affair with her husband, the older woman refuses to scold her despite her pleas. After Mrs. Katsuragi commits suicide, Reiko leaves her lover and joins the theatre troupe which is on the way to another stage show.

Cast

References
  1. "Elegy of the North". Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  2. "Elegy of the North". Shochiku Films. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  3. "Elegy of the North". Worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
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