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Tadashi Imai

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Japanese film director (1912–1991)
Tadashi Imai
Tadashi Imai in the April 1953 issue
ofAsahi Camera
Born(1912-01-08)January 8, 1912
DiedNovember 22, 1991(1991-11-22) (aged 79)
Sōka, Japan[1]
OccupationFilm director
Years active1939–1991

Tadashi Imai (今井正,Imai Tadashi; January 8, 1912 – November 22, 1991) was a Japanesefilm director known forsocial realist filmmaking informed by aleft-wing perspective.[2] His most noted films includeAn Inlet of Muddy Water (1953) andBushido, Samurai Saga (1963).

Life

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Although leaning towards left-wing politics already atTokyo University, where he joined aCommunist student group, Imai's directing career, after serving ascontinuity writer at J.O. studios (laterToho), started in 1939 with a series of films promoting the war efforts of themilitarist regime.[3] Later calling these films "the biggest mistake of my life", he soon turned to socially conscious themes after thewar.[4]Aoi sanmyaku (1949), although a light comedy, observed the educational system, and was successful both with moviegoers and critics.[5] While his 1950 dramaUntil We Meet Again portrayed a young couple's doomed love against the backdrop of the Pacific War, the 1953 anti-war filmTower of Lilies was a stark account of untrained female students forced into aiding military troops during the final stage of theBattle of Okinawa. Other films addressed the present-day struggles of day labourers (And Yet We Live), troubled youths (Jun'ai monogatari), poor farmers (The Rice People) and children of interracial relationships (Kiku to Isamu). Yet the films regarded his most important of this era had a historical instead of a contemporary setting:An Inlet of Muddy Water (1953), based on stories byIchiyō Higuchi, took a look at the fate of a group of women during theMeiji era,Night Drum (1958), scripted byKaneto Shindo, denounced theSamurai honour codex in a tale about adultery and revenge during theEdo period.[3][4] Imai returned to the latter subject in the critically acclaimedBushido, Samurai Saga (1963) and inRevenge (1964).

Legacy

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Japanese critics tended to define Imai's way of storytelling as "nakanai realism", a "realism without tears", a fact questioned by film historian Joan Mellen who saw his work repeatedly "close to the sentimental".[4] In an interview, Imai himself summed up his films as "centered on human tragedies", which locates them close to the works ofKeisuke Kinoshita who addressed similar topics (though in a less political manner) and whom Imai admired.[6] While film historians acknowledge Imai's solid directorial skills, the lack of a consistent style, and tendency to focus more on consequences than analysis of his themes, have been recurring subjects of criticism.[3][4]

Selected filmography

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Awards

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Imai received theKinema Junpo Award for Best Director forMahiru no ankoku,The Rice People andKiku to Isamu. All three films plusUntil We Meet Again andAn Inlet of Muddy Water were also awarded Best Film.

Year of awardName of AwardAwarding organizationCountry of originFilm title
(if applicable)
1946Best Director[7]Mainichi Film AwardsJapanMinshū no Teki
1950Best Film[8]Blue Ribbon AwardsUntil We Meet Again
Best Director[8]
Best Film[9]Mainichi Film Awards
1953Best Film[10]Blue Ribbon AwardsAn Inlet of Muddy Water
Best Director[10]
  • An Inlet of Muddy Water
  • Tower of Lilies
Best Film[11]Mainichi Film AwardsAn Inlet of Muddy Water
Best Director[11]
1956Best Film[12]Blue Ribbon AwardsMahiru no ankoku
Best Director[12]
Best Film[13]Mainichi Film Awards
Best Director[13]
1957Best Film[14]Blue Ribbon AwardsRice
Best Director[14]
Best Film[15]Mainichi Film AwardsRice
Best Director[15]
  • Jun'ai monogatari
  • Rice
1958Best Director[16]Berlin International Film FestivalGermanyJun'ai monogatari
1959Best Film[17]Blue Ribbon AwardsJapanKiku to Isamu
Best Film[18]Mainichi Film Awards
1963Golden Bear[19]Berlin International Film FestivalGermanyBushido, Samurai Saga
1991Special Award[20]Mainichi Film AwardsJapan

References

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  1. ^"Film Director Tadashi Imai Dead at 79".Associated Press (in Japanese). 22 November 1991. Retrieved19 December 2020.
  2. ^"Imai Tadashi".Nihon jinmei jiten (in Japanese). Kōdansha. Retrieved27 October 2010.
  3. ^abcAnderson, Joseph L.; Richie, Donald (1959).The Japanese Film – Art & Industry. Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company.
  4. ^abcdJacoby, Alexander (2008).Critical Handbook of Japanese Film Directors: From the Silent Era to the Present Day. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press.ISBN 978-1-933330-53-2.
  5. ^Hirano, Kyoko (1992).Mr. Smith Goes to Tokyo: Japanese Cinema Under the American Occupation, 1945–1952. Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press.ISBN 1-56098-157-1.
  6. ^Richie, Donald (2005).A Hundred Years of Japanese Film (Revised ed.). Tokyo, New York, London: Kodansha International.ISBN 978-4-7700-2995-9.
  7. ^毎日映画コンクール 第1回（1946年） [1st Mainichi Film Awards (1946)].Mainichi Film Awards (in Japanese).Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. RetrievedMarch 26, 2025.
  8. ^ab"ブルーリボン賞ヒストリー" (in Japanese). Cinema Hochi. Archived fromthe original on 2013-04-15. Retrieved2010-01-17.
  9. ^毎日映画コンクール 第5回（1950年） [5th Mainichi Film Awards (1950)].Mainichi Film Awards (in Japanese).Archived from the original on February 21, 2025. RetrievedMarch 26, 2025.
  10. ^ab"ブルーリボン賞ヒストリー" (in Japanese). Cinema Hochi. Archived fromthe original on 2009-02-07. Retrieved2020-12-20.
  11. ^ab"8th Mainichi Film Awards 1953" (in Japanese). Retrieved19 December 2020.
  12. ^ab"ブルーリボン賞ヒストリー" (in Japanese). Cinema Hochi. Archived fromthe original on 2010-12-27. Retrieved2010-01-17.
  13. ^ab毎日映画コンクール 第11回（1956年） [11th Mainichi Film Awards (1956)].Mainichi Film Awards (in Japanese).Archived from the original on January 14, 2025. RetrievedMarch 26, 2025.
  14. ^ab"ブルーリボン賞ヒストリー" (in Japanese). Cinema Hochi. Archived fromthe original on 2008-10-22. Retrieved2010-01-17.
  15. ^ab毎日映画コンクール 第12回（1957年） [12th Mainichi Film Awards (1957)].Mainichi Film Awards (in Japanese).Archived from the original on February 25, 2025. RetrievedMarch 26, 2025.
  16. ^"Berlin Film Festival: Prize Winners".berlinale.de. Retrieved2010-01-02.
  17. ^"ブルーリボン賞ヒストリー" (in Japanese). Cinema Hochi. Archived fromthe original on 2009-02-07. Retrieved2020-12-20.
  18. ^毎日映画コンクール 第14回（1959年） [14th Mainichi Film Awards (1959)].Mainichi Film Awards (in Japanese).Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. RetrievedMarch 26, 2025.
  19. ^"Berlinale: Prize Winners".berlinale.de. Retrieved2010-02-13.
  20. ^毎日映画コンクール 第46回（1991年） [46th Mainichi Film Awards (1991)].Mainichi Film Awards (in Japanese).Archived from the original on January 26, 2025. RetrievedMarch 26, 2025.

External links

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Films directed byTadashi Imai
1956–1975
1976–2000
2001–present
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