Immortal Love (Eien no hito)
Directed by Keisuke Kinoshita
Written by Keisuke Kinoshita
1961/Japan
Shochiku Ofuna
First Viewing/FilmStruck
“My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I’m well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Healthcliff! He’s always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being.” ― Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights
Ever-lasting love is not an entirely good thing in this melodrama.
Sadako (Hideko Takamine) is the beautiful daughter of a tenant farmer. She is in love with Takashi who is away at the front. Heibei (Tatsuya Nakadai), the lame son of a wealthy landowner, is in love with her. Frustrated by her consistent refusals of his marriage proposals, he rapes her. She becomes pregnant and they marry.
Almost immediately thereafter, Takashi returns. He begs her to run away with him but she is prevented. He marries another. Years pass. He has a son and she has two sons and a daughter. All concerned remain mired in resentment for most of their lives.
This is more nuanced than your average doomed romance and has an unusual, refreshing outcome. Given the personnel involved, you know going in that the acting will be outstanding and the cast does not disappoint. Not a masterpiece, but recommended if the plot appeals.
Immortal Love was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
