Yama no oto (Sound of the Mountain) (1954)

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In this characteristically subtle, somber study by underrated Japanese director Mikio Naruse, an ingratiating bride develops warm ties to her father-in-law while her cold husband blithely slights her for another woman. Setsuko Hara, probably Japan's greatest post-war actress, proves typically… More In this characteristically subtle, somber study by underrated Japanese director Mikio Naruse, an ingratiating bride develops warm ties to her father-in-law while her cold husband blithely slights her for another woman. Setsuko Hara, probably Japan's greatest post-war actress, proves typically endearing as the wife whose youthful enthusiasms are crushed by her unfeeling husband (Naruse favorite Ken Ohara), while So Yamamura excels as the aging father-in-law moved by his daughter-in-law's sadness. This pivotal film in Naruse's career marks his turning away from idealized renderings of Japanese wives and points towards his more complex renderings of women in such great works as Nagareru, Onna ga Kaidan o Agaru Toki, and his masterpiece, Ukigumo. ~ Les Stone, Rovi