When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

"The tree sprouts no matter how strong the wind blows."

1960 1h 51m JA

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 131

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Keiko, whom everyone calls Mama, narrates her story: she's a hostess on the Ginza, 30, a widow. She describes life's vicious cycle: acting cheerful around drunks, dressing and living well to convey confidence, needing money for these expenses and for her demanding mother and brother, and knowing she's growing older.

“The tree sprouts no matter how strong the wind blows.”

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Cast

Hideko Takamine
Keiko Yashiro
Masayuki Mori
Nobuhiko Fujisaki
Reiko Dan
Junko Inchihashi
Tatsuya Nakadai
Kenichi Komatsu
Daisuke Katō
Matsukichi Sekine
Ganjirō Nakamura II
Goda
Eitarō Ozawa
Minobe
Keiko Awaji
Yuri

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mikio Naruse
Writers: Ryuzo Kikushima
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

66 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mikio Naruse, shot by Masao Tamai. 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 Toshirō Mayuzumi. 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 Eiji Ooi 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

Hideko Takamine and Masayuki Mori and Reiko Dan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The tree sprouts no matter how strong the wind blows.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0054144 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mikio Naruse directs. Masao Tamai behind the camera. Toshirō Mayuzumi scores. Eiji Ooi cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

166 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Mikio Naruse, shot by Masao Tamai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Toshirō Mayuzumi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Eiji Ooi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Hideko Takamine and Masayuki Mori and Reiko Dan carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The tree sprouts no matter how strong the wind blows.".
7IMDB entry: tt0054144 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 13 themes, including "alcohol", "widow", "money", "tokyo, japan".