Where Chimneys Are Seen (Entotsu no mieru basho)

1953, 108 min., b&w., 16mm.

Directed by Heinosuke Gosho. Written by Hideo Oguni, based on a novel by Rinzo Shiina. With Kinuyo Tanaka, Ken Uehara, Hideko Takamine, Hiroshi Akutagawa and Chieko Seki. Print courtesy of The Japan Foundation with permission from Kokusai Houei.

Adapted from Rinzo Shiina’s drama of the absurd, Heinosuke Gosho’s award-winning film sketches the everyday problems of two couples living in the working-class district of Tokyo. Gosho, one of the most outstanding directors of the shomingeki (drama of the lower-middle class people), demonstrates his humanistic insight into the feelings of his protagonists through exquisite subtlety and humor.

See press coverage of this series on the following pages of our press room:
The Village Voice, 1/23/03
The New York Times, 1/24/03