The Most Valuable Wife

1959 1h 35m JA

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 5

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Kyoko is the third daughter of the Nonomiya family, a very ordinary family. Momoko, the eldest daughter, is married to Ichiro, the president of Mihara Shoji, and Riko, the second daughter, is married to Jiro, the managing director, and they plot to marry Kyoko to Saburo, the third son of the Mihara family. Kyoko is angry at the marriage talk that is being pushed forward without her permission, and declares that she "definitely won't get married," but before she knows it, she begins to become aware of the other person...

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Ayako Wakao
Kyoko Nonomiya
Hiroshi Kawaguchi
Saburo Mihara
Eiji Funakoshi
Ichiro Mihara
Seiji Miyaguchi
Rintaro Nonomiya
Chieko Higashiyama
Yatsuko Tan'ami
Momoko Mihara
Hisako Takihana
Sugiko Nonomiya
Atsuko Kindaichi
Fujiko Oshima

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Yasuzō Masumura
Writers: Yoshio Shirasaka
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Yasuzō Masumura, shot by Hiroshi Murai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Setsuo Tsukahara. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tatsuji Nakashizu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Ayako Wakao and Hiroshi Kawaguchi and Eiji Funakoshi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0228806 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 5 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Yasuzō Masumura directs. Hiroshi Murai behind the camera. Setsuo Tsukahara scores. Tatsuji Nakashizu cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

167 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Yasuzō Masumura, shot by Hiroshi Murai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Setsuo Tsukahara. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Tatsuji Nakashizu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Ayako Wakao and Hiroshi Kawaguchi and Eiji Funakoshi carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0228806 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 5 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.