The Makioka Sisters (Sasame-yuki)
Adapted from the 1948 literary classic by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, The Makioka Sisters follows the lives of four siblings who have taken on their family’s kimono manufacturing business in the years leading up to the Pacific War. The two oldest have been married for some time, but according to tradition, the rebellious youngest sister cannot wed until the third (conservative and terribly shy) finds a husband. Film scholar James Quandt observed that veteran filmmaker Kon Ichikawa created “an exercise in traditionalism, intended to affirm Japanese identity at a time when Japan was reemerging as a major commercial and industrial power.”
Underwriting for the Film Department is provided by Tenaris, The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation, and the Vaughn Foundation.
Generous funding is provided by The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea; Nina and Michael Zilkha; Lois Chiles; Foundation for Independent Media Arts; Franci Neely; Carrin Patman and Jim Derrick; Ms. Laurence Unger; L'Alliance Française de Houston; and ILEX Foundation.
The Makioka Sisters (Sasame-yuki)
Directed by Kon Ichikawa
(Japan, 1983, 140 minutes, in Japanese with English subtitles)
Brown Auditorium Theater, 35mm