| Miss Oyu | |
| Director: | Kenji Mizoguchi |
| Based On: | The Reed Cutter by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki |
| Producer: | Masaichi Nagata |
| Screenplay: | Yoshikata Yoda |
| Music: | Fumio Hayasaka |
| Cinematography: | Kazuo Miyagawa |
| Editing: | Mizuzo Miyada |
| Studio: | Daiei |
| Distributor: | Daiei |
| Runtime: | 95 minutes |
| Country: | Japan |
| Language: | Japanese |
is a 1951 black-and-white Japanese drama film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi.[1] [2] It is based on the 1932 novella The Reed Cutter (Ashikari) by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki.
In 19th century Japan, Shinnosuke is paid a visit by Shizu and her sister Oyū to see if Shizu is a fitting marriage prospect for him. Yet, Shinnosuke is more fascinated by the older Oyū. Tradition forbids that the widowed Oyū marries again, as she has to raise her son and future heir of her deceased husband's family, so Shinnosuke and Shizu marry as a means for him and Oyū being as close as possible. When Oyū learns that Shizu declined to consummate the marriage as a sign of respect for the older sister and the affection between her and Shinnosuke, Oyū scolds her. Also, rumours about the true nature of the relationship between the three have started to spread, so Oyū insists on a geographical distance. Later, Oyū's son dies, and she has to leave her husband's family, while Shizu dies shortly after giving birth to her and Shinnosuke's child. Shinnosuke, whose family has lost its fortune, leaves his child at the house of the remarried Oyū, asking her in a letter to raise it as her own.