Street Without End (“Kagirinaki hodô”) 
Directed by Mikio Naruse
1934/Japan
Shochiku Company
First Viewing
Hikaru: Don’t you see how I’m suffering?
Sugiko: I don’t think suffering is enough.
Sugiko works as a waitress in a Tokyo tea room. It looks like the world is her oyster. She has just received a proposal from her boyfriend and an offer from a movie studio for work as an actress. Then a rich young man hits her with his car. She loses her boyfriend due to a misunderstanding but the driver is falling for her. Can true love conquer the objections of his snobbish aristocratic family?
Naruse really hit his stride in this, his final silent film. I liked the way I was kept off guard with where the plot was taking me. It all felt very fresh. The film is bracketed with shots of life on a busy downtown Tokyo Street, which were an enjoyable slice of history. It’s a bit melodramatic but excellent nonetheless.
The complete film was available on YouTube as of May 23, 2020.
