People are always full of nostalgia for the past years, and often send out some feelings that the present is not as good as the past. This may be a bit absolute, but if you look at it purely from the perspective of the development of film art, people's nostalgia for the past is still very reasonable.
Isuzu Yamada is one of the four most recognized actresses in the Japanese film industry, and among the four people who are Yamada Isuzu, Tanaka Atsuyo, Hara Setsuko and Takayama Hideko, Yamada Isuzu is the most accomplished, most respected and longest-lived. She is the last big actress in the Japanese film industry, and there will be no such big actress in the future.
Isuzu Yamada, real name Mizu Yamada, nicknamed "A-Ling". Born on February 5, 1917 in Osaka, Japan, Yamada Isuzu's father, Kyushu Yamada, is a Japanese actor of the new drama school. Under the careful cultivation of his father, Yamada Isuzu began to learn traditional opera techniques such as Tokiwatsu, Kiyomoto, and dance from an early age, laying a good foundation for his future career in art. In 1930, at the age of 14, Isuzu Yamada entered the Japanese performing arts industry and joined Nichiren. In Nichizo, Yamada Isuzu's talent was quickly appreciated. Japan's first film did not hesitate to attract it at a salary price ten times higher than that of a daily worker. In 1934, Isuzu Yamada played the female lead in his first film, "Construction Ofe/Construction Man", playing against The Most Popular Costume Film Actor in Japan at the time, Ōkawa Nobujiro. In 1934, Isuzu Yamada starred in fifteen films. In the few years that Yamada Isuzu first entered the film industry, she worked with famous Japanese directors such as Daisuke Ito, Tomon Uchida, Masahiro Makino, Hiroshi Inagaki, Sadao Yamanaka, and Itami Mansaku, and established herself as the number one actress in Japanese costume films at the age of 18.
In 1934, Isuzu Yamada married Ichiro Tsukimi, and the following year gave birth to Michiko Yamada (Misato Uga), who later became a famous movie star. The marriage ended in 1940. The reason for the divorce was simply because Ichiro Tsukimi was not satisfied with the nickname of "Husband of Isuzu" by outsiders and did not want to live under his wife's fame for the rest of his life. In 1936, Isuzu Yamada starred in Kenji Mizoguchi's "Lamentations of the Waves" and "The Gion Sisters". In 1938, he starred in famous works such as "Jiro Tsuruhachi". These films brought Great Honor to Isuzu Yamada, and in 1936, in the japanese "Movie Shunbun" annual top ten films, "Gion Sisters" ranked first, "Wave Sorrow" ranked third. "Wave Sorrow Song" was later included in 200 Japanese business cards. Isuzu Yamada also transformed into a popular actress with two works, "Wave Sorrow" and "Gion Sisters".
After the collapse of the first picture in the 1940s, Isuzu Yamada moved to the Kyoto Photography Studio, a new Japanese film studio. Two years later, he switched to the Toho Film Factory in Japan, where Isuzu Yamada was in serious confrontation with the company at Toho. It was collectively banned by the Japanese film industry, and there was no drama for several years. He did not appear in a single film during his time with Toho and Shochiku. However, Isuzu Yamada later made a comeback with his own efforts, and in 1956 and 1957, he starred in Akio Naruse's "Wanderings", Akira Kurosawa's "Spider's Nest Castle" and Ozu Yasujiro's "Tokyo Twilight" and other film business cards, winning various Japanese actress awards that year.
The 1950s were a time of harvest for Yamada to reach the peak of his acting career. In 1952, she won the Blue Ribbon Award and the Mainichi Film Award for Best Actress for her outstanding performances in "Hakone" and "Modern Man"; in 1955, she won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actress for "Battle for Length"; in 1956, she won the Best Actress Award for Blue Ribbon, Daily Picture and Film Shunbao for "Mother and Child Portrait" and "Wandering"; in 1957, she won the Best Actress Award for Kurosawa for "Spider's Nest City" and "The Lower Level", two classic works of Kurosawa. The brilliant achievements of this period made her a veritable "big actress".
In addition to films, Isuzu Yamada has also made great contributions to the theatrical stage. In 1942, Isuzu Yamada and the famous actor Kazuo Hasegawa founded the Shin-Ryo-za Co., Ltd. In 1952, he founded the Modern Haiyou Association and starred in some left-wing films and plays. Isuzu Yamada, along with Yaeko Mizutani and Haruko Sugimura, is one of the three major actresses in Japanese stage dramas. In 1963, she officially joined Toho's acting department and began to open her own theatrical stage path. In 1963, Isuzu Yamada won the Drama Award for his three works, "Kaowa", "Kaoike", and "Wise Hikari"; the operas "Tanuki", "Ai Dye Takao" and "Taifu" won three consecutive art festival awards in 1974, 1977 and 1983, respectively. Isuzu Yamada starred in about 200 plays.
On July 9, 2012, Isuzu Yamada died of illness at the age of 95.
Isuzu Yamada in his later years
Movie The Gion Sisters (1936)
Movie "Jiro Tsuruhachi"
Movie "Langhua Lamentation"
Movie stills
Spider's Nest City
Movie "Wandering"
Movie "Hiroshima Hiroshima"
Movie "The Lower Class"
Movie "Tokyo Twilight"