JAPAN 2011 KYOKO KAGAWA RETROSPECTIVE
Story (1953), Mizoguchi’s Sansho The Bailiff (1954) and Kurosawa’s Red Beard (1965). Indeed, any retrospective on Kagawa automatically encompasses many of Japan’s highest achievements in cinema. The retrospective marks an auspi-
cious return to screening Japanese clas- sics at TIFF, which has not featured such a programme since the 21st edi- tion in 2008. Co-presented with the National Film Center (NFC), TIFF will showcase six to 10 titles from Kagawa’s career. The NFC will then mount a more extensive retrospective. “Classics are indispensable for film
festivals as they also function as a means for the inheritance of cinema culture,” says TIFF programming director Yoshi Yatabe on taking a fresh look at some of Japan’s celluloid treas- ures. “Although TIFF did not feature classics in the previous two editions, we have never forgotten that mission. As our ‘comeback’, it was absolutely natural to pay homage to this great actress, who is also a witness to Japa- nese cinema history.”
Career achievements Several other factors made the tim- ing right for a re-appraisal of Ka- gawa’s contributions. This year marks the veteran performer’s 80th birthday, and later in 2011 she will be presented a lifetime achievement award by the International Federa- tion of Film Archives (FIAF). Kagawa also has strong links to
TIFF, explains Yatabe. “Miss Kagawa was member of the TIFF competition jury in 2007 and has always been sup- portive of our festival. That also pushed us to decide on mounting this retro- spective.” TIFF is aiming to announce the offi-
cial selection of titles in the retrospec- tive this summer, before the festival’s full line-up is unveiled in September. Kagawa’s long career makes choosing films a formidable challenge. “We are in the middle of the selection process,” says Yatabe. “I can say that we’re trying to select films directed by masters, and also to include a wide range of genres, from comedy to monster movies.” One title which has been confirmed
is the 1954 Mizoguchi classic The Cruci- fied Lovers (Chikamatsu Monogatari). Only four years into her career, Kagawa gave a startling performance in her lead
n 8 Screen International May 2011
The Crucified Lovers, Kenji Mizoguchi’s 1954 classic, is confirmed for Kyoko Kagawa’s TIFF retrospective
role as a greedy business owner’s kept wife in this emotional rollercoaster. Kagawa’s expression of eternal bliss as she is led to crucifixion is unforgettable. The film competed for the Palme d’Or in 1955 and helped to introduce Mizoguchi to foreign audiences. Kagawa alternated effortlessly between lead and supporting roles. In
Ozu’s Tokyo Story, her 36th film, she plays the family’s youngest daughter, an unmarried, sweet-natured school- teacher. In one of the film’s most affect- ing scenes, Kagawa talks with her older sister, played by the legendary Setsuko Hara, about how children drift away from their parents. It was her only film with Ozu.
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