Love Letter (1953 film) explained

Love Letter
Director:	Kinuyo Tanaka
Producer:	Ichirō Nagashima
Music:	Ichirō Saitō
Cinematography:	Hiroshi Suzuki
Studio:	Shintoho
Distributor:	Shintoho
Runtime:	98 minutes
Country:	Japan
Language:	Japanese

is a 1953 Japanese drama film and the first film directed by actress Kinuyo Tanaka.^[1] With her directing debut, Tanaka became the second female film director in Japan after Tazuko Sakane. The screenplay by Keisuke Kinoshita is based on a novel by Fumio Niwa.

Cast

• Masayuki Mori as Reikichi Mayumi
• Jūzō Dosan as Hiroshi (Reikichi's brother)
• Yoshiko Kuga as Michiko Kubota
• Jūkichi Uno as Naoto Yamaji
• Kyōko Kagawa as Yasuko
• Shizue Natsukawa as Reikichi's mother
• Kinuyo Tanaka as landlady
• Chieko Seki as office lady
• Ranko Hanai as restaurant owner
• Chieko Nakakita as woman at restaurant
• Keisuke Kinoshita as photo studio owner

Release

Love Letter was shown in competition at the 1954 Cannes Film Festival.^[2]

Awards

• 1953 Mainichi Film Award for Best Screenplay for Keisuke Kinoshita (for Love Letter, A Japanese Tragedy and Sincere Heart)^[3]
• 1953 Blue Ribbon Award for Best Screenplay for Keisuke Kinoshita (for Love Letter, A Japanese Tragedy, Sincere Heart and Ai no sakyū)^[4]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Kinuyo Tanaka—Actress, Director, Pioneer . Harvard Film Archive . 27 August 2023.
2. Web site: Koibumi . 27 August 2023 . Festival de Cannes.
3. Web site: 毎日映画コンクール 第8回（1953年） . Mainichi . ja . 27 August 2023.
4. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20090207075508mp_/http://cinemahochi.yomiuri.co.jp/b_award/1953/ . ブルーリボン賞ヒストリー . Cinema Hochi . ja . 7 February 2009 . 27 August 2023.