The Long Darkness

1972 Japanese film

Keiji Hasebe
Kei Kumai^[1]

Based onthe novel
by Tetsuo Miura^[1]Produced by

Masayuki Satô
Hideyuki Shiino^[1]

Starring

Komaki Kurihara
Go Kato
Yasushi Nagata

CinematographyKiyomi Kuroda^[1]Music byTeizo Matsumura^[1]

Production
companies

Haiyu-za Film
Toho^[1]

Distributed byToho

Release date

25 May 1972 (1972-05-25) (Japan)

Running time

120 minutesCountryJapan

The Long Darkness (忍ぶ川, Shinobu Kawa) is a 1972 Japanese drama film directed by Kei Kumai.^[2] The film is about a young couple who get together despite the tragedy that befalls their lives. The film received several year end awards from Kinema Junpo and the Mainichi Film Awards.^[3]

Cast

Komaki Kurihara as Shino
Go Kato as Tetsuro
Yasushi Nagata as Tetsuro's father
Kaneko Iwasaki as Kayo - short-sighted sister
Kinzō Shin as Shino's father
Hisako Takihana as Tetsuro's mother
Yûsuke Takita as Yukifusa Kimura
Hisashi Igawa as Tetsuro's elder brother
Yasushi Kachi as Fumiya
Karin Yamaguchi as Aya
Kin Sugai as Wellwisher on train
Toshie Kimura as Okami

Release

The Long Darkness was released theatrically in Japan on 25 May 1972 where it was distributed by Toho.^[1] The film saw theatrical release in the United States by Toho International with English subtitles in July 1973.^[1] It was entered into the 8th Moscow International Film Festival.^[4]

Reception

In Japan, Kinema Junpo awarded The Long Darkness with the awards for Best Film, Best Director and Co-Best Screenplay for the year.^[1] At the Mainichi Film Award the film won awards for Best Film, Best Actress (Komaki Kurihara), Best Film Score and Best Sound Recording.^[1]

References

Footnotes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Galbraith IV 2008, p. 283.
^ "映画監督の熊井啓氏が死去". Fuji Sankei Shinbun. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
^ "忍ぶ川". kotobank. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
^ "8th Moscow International Film Festival (1973)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2013.

Sources

Galbraith IV, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-1461673743.

External links

The Long Darkness at IMDb

Films directed by Kei Kumai

The Sands of Kurobe (1968)
Apart from Life (1970)
The Long Darkness (1972)
Rise, Fair Sun (1973)
Sandakan No. 8 (1974)
Nihon no Atsui Hibi Bōsatsu: Shimoyama Jiken (1981)
The Sea and Poison (1986)
Luminous Moss (1992)
Deep River (1995)

Awards

v t e Mainichi Film Award for Best Film
1946–1960	Aru yo no Tonosama (1946) Ima Hitotabi no (1947) Drunken Angel (1948) Late Spring (1949) Until We Meet Again (1950) Repast (1951) Ikiru (1952) An Inlet of Muddy Water (1953) Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) Floating Clouds (1955) Mahiru no ankoku (1956) The Rice People (1957) The Ballad of Narayama (1958) Kiku to Isamu (1959) Her Brother (1960)
1961–1980	A Soldier's Prayer (1961) Harakiri (1962) High and Low (1963) Woman in the Dunes (1964) Red Beard (1965) Shiroi Kyotō (1966) Samurai Rebellion (1967) The Profound Desire of the Gods (1968) Double Suicide (1969) Where Spring Comes Late (1970) Silence (1971) The Long Darkness (1972) Tsugaru Folk Song (1973) Castle of Sand (1974) The Fossil (1975) Fumō Chitai (1976) The Yellow Handkerchief (1977) The Incident (1978) Nomugi Pass (1979) Kagemusha (1980)
1981–2000	Muddy River (1981) Fall Guy (1982) Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) W's Tragedy (1984) Ran (1985) The Sea and Poison (1986) A Taxing Woman (1987) My Neighbor Totoro (1988) Black Rain (1989) Childhood Days (1990) My Sons (1991) Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (1992) All Under the Moon (1993) A Dedicated Life (1994) A Last Note (1995) Shall We Dance? (1996) Princess Mononoke (1997) Begging for Love (1998) Poppoya (1999) Face (2000)
2001–2020	Spirited Away (2001) The Twilight Samurai (2002) Akame 48 Waterfalls (2003) Blood and Bones (2004) Break Through! (2005) Sway (2006) I Just Didn't Do It (2007) Departures (2008) The Unbroken (2009) Villain (2010) Postcard (2011) A Terminal Trust (2012) The Great Passage (2013) My Man (2014) Three Stories of Love (2015) Shin Godzilla (2016) Hanagatami (2017) Shoplifters (2018) Listen to the Universe (2019) Mother (2020)
2021–present	Drive My Car (2021) Small, Slow But Steady (2022) Okiku and the World (2023)

v t e Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film
1927–1940	Ashi ni sawatta onna (1927) A Diary of Chuji's Travels (1928) Jobless Samurai (1929) Beheading Place (1930) What Made Her Do It? (1931) The Neighbor's Wife and Mine (1932) I Was Born, But... (1933) Passing Fancy (1934) A Story of Floating Weeds (1935) Wife! Be Like a Rose! (1936) Sisters of the Gion (1937) Limitless Advance (1938) Five Scouts (1939) Earth (1940)
1941–1960	Kojima no haru (1941) The Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family (1942) The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malay (1943) Morning for the Osone Family (1947) A Ball at the Anjo House (1948) Drunken Angel (1949) Late Spring (1950) Until We Meet Again (1951) Early Summer (1952) Ikiru (1953) An Inlet of Muddy Water (1954) Twenty-Four Eyes (1955) Floating Clouds (1956) Darkness at Noon (1957) The Rice People (1958) The Ballad of Narayama (1959) Kiku to Isamu (1960)
1961–1980	Her Brother (1961) Bad Boys (1962) Being Two Isn't Easy (1963) The Insect Woman (1964) Woman in the Dunes (1965) Red Beard (1966) The Great White Tower (1967) Samurai Rebellion (1968) The Profound Desire of the Gods (1969) Double Suicide (1970) Where Spring Comes Late (1971) The Ceremony (1972) The Long Darkness (1973) Tsugaru Folk Song (1974) Sandakan No. 8 (1975) Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1976) The Youth Killer (1977) The Yellow Handkerchief (1978) Third Base (1979) Vengeance Is Mine (1980)
1981–2000	Zigeunerweisen (1981) Muddy River (1982) Fall Guy (1983) The Family Game (1984) The Funeral (1985) And Then (1986) The Sea and Poison (1987) A Taxing Woman (1988) My Neighbor Totoro (1989) Black Rain (1990) The Cherry Orchard (1991) My Sons (1992) Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (1993) All Under the Moon (1994) A Dedicated Life (1995) A Last Note (1996) Shall We Dance? (1997) The Eel (1998) Fireworks (1998) Wait and See (2000)
2001–present	Face (2001) Go (2002) The Twilight Samurai (2003) A Boy's Summer in 1945 (2004) Nobody Knows (2005) Break Through! (2006) Hula Girls (2007) I Just Didn't Do It (2008) Departures (2009) Dear Doctor (2010) Villain (2011) Postcard (2012) Our Homeland (2013) Pecoross' Mother and Her Days (2014) The Light Shines Only There (2015) Three Stories of Love (2016) In This Corner of the World (2017) The Tokyo Night Sky Is Always the Densest Shade of Blue (2018) Shoplifters (2019) It Feels So Good (2020) Wife of a Spy (2021) Drive My Car (2022) Small, Slow But Steady (2023) Okiku and the World (2024)