One of the pleasures of watching old Japanese movies is not only the content itself, but also the scenes of the old days shown in them, life at that time, conversations, etc. Many of the works directed by Yoshio Naruse, who favored women, especially women who live autonomously in water sales, feature scenes from Chuo-ku.
In a prewar silent work, there is a story called "Every Night Dream" (published in 1933), in which a woman working in a tavern became the main character. The fact that it was shot on Tsukuda Island, you can see the scene of Tsukuda Island at that time.
In addition, there is "Ginza Makeup" (released in 1951) as a work depicting a woman working at a bar in Ginza. The main character played by Kinuyo Tanaka is the setting that it is rented on the second floor of Shitaya in an alley in the old-fashioned townscape of Shin-Tomicho, which was still a town of water flowing through the Tsukiji River. In the theater program, director Naruse wrote, "Shin-Tomicho is a town that retains the nostalgic atmosphere of Edo that makes you want to tilt your head to see if there was such a place in the city." . Japan was still under occupation in 1951. There is a scene where Kinuyo Tanaka walks near Horikawa, but the river is being reclaimed by rubble that came out during the air raid. There is still a little rubble on the roadside. And Kinuyo Tanaka in this movie is in kimono from beginning to end.
The era setting of "When Women Go Up the Stairs" (published in 1960) was in the mid-1930s, so it was when Japan began to transform from post-war reconstruction to an era of high growth. At that time, the "bar" was about to reach its heyday. The "Woman" played by Hideko Takamine in the title is a 30-year-old widow who lost her husband in a traffic accident, and is hired at a bar in Ginza to play a Madame, but his parents' house is Tsukuda Island. In the scene where a sick "woman" recuperates at his parents' home, the scenery of Tsukuda's houses, the scenery of Tsukuda's ferry boat, and the torii of Sumiyoshi-jinja Shirine appear. Director Naruse went to Kogakuin University in Tsukiji when he was a teenager, so he seems to have special feelings around the Tsukiji River, but the Tsukiji River comes out in this work.
One of the works that appear in Tsukiji River is "Autumn Tanu" released in 1960. The two children are the protagonists, but the inn where the mother works is located along the Tsukiji River. There is also a scene where they go to a department store in Ginza or go to Harumi Wharf through Kachidokibashi.
(These works can be seen on the You tube.)
After the high growth and the bubble economy period, the good old scenes and society that have now disappeared completely, still remained until the 1930s. If you look at Naruse's work, you can feel that way.
