The Good Fairy (1951 film)

The Good Fairy
The Good Fairy
Japanese name
Kanji	善魔
Directed by	Keisuke Kinoshita
Written by	Keisuke Kinoshita; Kōgo Noda; Kunio Kishida (novel);
Produced by	Takashi Koide
Starring	Rentarō Mikuni; Masayuki Mori; Chikage Awashima;
Cinematography	Hiroshi Kusuda
Edited by	Yoshi Sugihara
Music by	Tadashi Kinoshita
Production; company	Shochiku
Distributed by	Shochiku
Release date	17 February 1951 (Japan);
Running time	108
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

The Good Fairy (善魔, Zenma, lit. Good Demon) is a 1951 Japanese drama film based on a novel by Kunio Kishida and directed by Keisuke Kinoshita.^[2]^[3]^[4] It is the film debut of actor Rentarō Mikuni (born Masao Sato), who took his character name as his stage name.^[5]

Plot

Newspaper editor Nakanuma sends out his reporter Rentarō to find Itsuko Kitaura, a politician's wife who left her husband, for an exclusive interview. Nakanuma had been in love with Itsuko as a student, but didn't propose to her due to his poor financial situation. He now has a mistress, Suzue, whom he treats rather carelessly. Rentarō succeeds in finding Itsuko, who hides at a friend's place, and talking her into the interview. Itsuko admits that she married her husband to gain social status, but was increasingly repelled by his corrupt schemes. During his research, the reporter falls in love with Itsuko's younger and consumptive sister Mikako, and vows to marry her despite her illness. Rentarō, a good-hearted man, but tending to outbursts of rage when confronted with what he considers immoral behaviour, verbally attacks Itsuko's husband during a meeting between the politician, Nakanuma and himself. While Nakanuma and Rentarō make preparations to meet Itsuko and Mikako, Suzue realises that Nakanuma will never return the feelings she has for him, and moves out of their flat. Moments before the men arrive at the house of Mikako and her father, the young woman dies. Rentarō, shattered by Mikako's death, scolds Nakanuma for his indifferent behaviour towards Suzue, shocking Itsuko with his unrestrained anger. Mikako's father, a former buddhist priest, performs a wedding ceremony for his deceased daughter and Rentarō. Nakanuma leaves after Itsuko declares that too much has happened for her to give in to anything more than a friendship.

Cast

Rentarō Mikuni as Rentarō Mikuni
Masayuki Mori as Yoshiko Nakanuma
Chikage Awashima as Itsuko Kitaura
Yōko Katsuragi as Mikako Toba
Chishū Ryū as Ryōen Toba
Toshiko Kobayashi as Suzue
Ryūji Kita as Kitaura's lawyer

References

^ "善魔 (The Good Fairy)". Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b "善魔 (The Good Fairy)". Kinenote (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 July 2021.
^ "Entry for The Good Fairy at the Shochiku Cinema Classics site". Retrieved 27 December 2020.
^ Entry for The Good Fairy at worldcat.org. OCLC 154990811. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
^ Anderson, Joseph L.; Richie, Donald (1959). The Japanese Film – Art & Industry. Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company.