Ukigumo (1955)

Director:

Mikio Naruse

Writers:

Fumiko Hayashi (novel)
Yôko Mizuki (adaptation)

Release Date:

6 June 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Bathing | One Word Title | Forbidden Love | Based On Novel

Awards:

9 wins

Cast

Hideko Takamine	...	Yukiko Koda
Masayuki Mori	...	Kengo Tomioka
Mariko Okada	...	Sei Mukai
Isao Yamagata	...	Sugio Iba
Chieko Nakakita	...	Kuniko Tomioka
Daisuke Katô	...	Seikichi Mukai
Mayuri Mokusho	...	Nomiya no musume
Noriko Sengoku	...	Yakushima no okaasan
Fuyuki Murakami	...	Futsuin no shikensho-chou
Heihachiro Okawa	...	Isha
Nobuo Kaneko	...	Futsuin no shoin - Suitou
Roy James	...	American soldier (as Roi H. Jêmusu)
Kan Hayashi
Akira Tani	...	Shinja
Seijiro Onda

Also Known As:

Floating Clouds

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:12A (2005)

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

Third in the centenary poll by Kinema-Junpo magazine about all-time best Japanese films, Shichinin no samurai (1954) and Tôkyô monogatari (1953) preceded it.

Movie Connections:

References Going My Way (1944)

Riveting at times, but ultimately tedious

This at first appears to be a riveting study of human relationships, and it is entertaining. But ultimately it never gets beyond the level of a high class soaper, and it goes on far too long. Calling it a soaper is by no means pejorative; I am a dedicated fan of Douglas Sirk. But Sirk never took himself as seriously as the makers of this film appear to, and that makes it all the more ponderous. Worth seeing, however.