The Moon Has Risen

The Moon Has Risen
Directed by	Kinuyo Tanaka
Written by	Ryosuke Saito Yasujirō Ozu
Produced by	Eisei Koi
Starring	Chishū Ryū
Cinematography	Shigeyoshi Mine
Edited by	Mitsuo Kondo
Music by	Takanobu Saitō
Production company	Nikkatsu
Distributed by	Nikkatsu
Release date	8 January 1955 (1955-01-08) (Japan)[1][2]
Running time	102 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

The Moon Has Risen (月は上りぬ, Tsuki wa noborinu) is a 1955 Japanese romantic comedy film and the second film directed by Kinuyo Tanaka.^[3][4][5]

Plot

Setsuko and her older sister Ayako live in their father's house in Nara. Ayako's aunt, who is worried about Ayako's marriage prospects as she grows older, tries to set Ayako up with a bank manager's son. Setsuko is determined not to see her sister enter into an unhappy marriage, and sets about trying to spark a love interest between Ayako and Amamiya, a visiting friend from Ayako's past. Setsuko bounces her ideas off of Yasui, a family friend, and enlists his help, ultimately aiming to get Ayako and Amamiya to go for a moonlit walk together.

Cast

• Chishū Ryū as Mokichi Asai
• Shūji Sano as Shunsuke Takasu
• Hisako Yamane as Chizuru
• Yōko Sugi as Ayako
• Mie Kitahara as Setsuko
• Shōji Yasui as Yasui
• Ko Mishima as Amamiya
• Kinuyo Tanaka as Yoneya
• Shōji Yasui as Shōji Yasui

Background

The screenplay was based on an unused script gifted to Tanaka by Yasujirō Ozu. Contemporary critics noted resemblances to Ozu's films like the use of low-angle shots or the casting of Chishū Ryū.^[6]

The Moon Has Risen was the screen debut of Shōji Yasui (born Masao Yomo),^[7] who took his stage name from his character in this film.^[8]

Legacy

The 4K restored version of The Moon Has Risen was selected for screening at the Classics section at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.^[9]

References

1. "月は上りぬ". Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 September 2022.
2. "月は上りぬ". Kinenote (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 August 2023.
3. Gonzalez-Lopez, Irene (7 March 2018). Tanaka Kinuyo: Nation, Stardom and Female Subjectivity. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-1-4744-0970-4.
4. Foster, Gwendolyn Audrey (1995). Women Film Directors: An International Bio-critical Dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-28972-9.
5. Berra, John (9 January 2012). Directory of World Cinema: Japan 2. Intellect Books. ISBN 978-1-84150-598-5.
6. "The Moon Has Risen - Tsuki wa noborinu". Film at Lincoln Center. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
7. "安井昌二". Kinenote (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 August 2023.
8. "Films of Kinuyo Tanaka – The Moon Has Risen (月は上りぬ)". Northwest Film Forum. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
9. "田中絹代監督『月は上りぬ』カンヌ国際映画祭クラシック部門に選出！女性映画監督のパイオニア：第74回カンヌ国際映画祭｜シネマトゥデイ (Kinuyo Tanaka's "The Moon Has Risen" selected for the Cannes Film Festival Classics Category)". Cinema Today (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 September 2022.

External links

• The Moon Has Risen at IMDb
• Bell, Nicholas (21 April 2022). "Forever a Woman: Six Films by Kinuyo Tanaka Retrospective". IONCINEMA.com. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
• "月は上りぬ". Nikkatsu (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 August 2023.

Further reading

• Hole, Kristin Lené; Jelača, Dijana (3 October 2018). Film Feminisms: A Global Introduction. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-21215-7.
• Sharp, Jasper (13 October 2011). Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7541-8.
• Taylor-Jones, Kate E. (29 May 2012). Dekalog 4: On East Asian Filmmakers. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-50174-3.