When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960)
Onna ga kaidan wo agaru toki (original title)Reference View | Change View
- Not Rated
- 1h 51min
- Drama
- 25 Jun 1963 (USA)
- Movie
A middle-aged bar hostess, constantly in debt, is faced with numerous social constraints and challenges posed to her by her family, customers and friends.
Director:
Writer:
Stars:
Photos and Videos
Cast
| Hideko Takamine | ... |
Keiko Yashiro
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| Masayuki Mori | ... |
Nobuhiko Fujisaki
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| Reiko Dan | ... |
Junko Inchihashi
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| Tatsuya Nakadai | ... |
Kenichi Komatsu, the manager
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| Daisuke Katô | ... |
Matsukichi Sekine
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| Ganjirô Nakamura | ... |
Goda
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| Eitarô Ozawa | ... |
Minobe
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| Keiko Awaji | ... |
Yuri
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| Chieko Nakakita | ... |
Tomoko
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Jun Tatara | ... |
Goldfish
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Yû Fujiki | ... |
Matsui (Miyuki's husband)
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| Masao Oda | ... |
Yoshizo Yashiro (Keiko's brother)
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| Ken Mitsuda | ... |
Sonoda
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| Chikako Hosokawa | ... |
Matsuko
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| Sadako Sawamura | ... |
Toshiko (Yuri's mother)
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Toshiko Higuchi | ... |
Hostess
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| Noriko Honma | ... |
Mineko (Sekine's wife)
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| Natsuko Kahara | ... |
Fujie (Keiko's mother)
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Shigeo Katô |
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Machiko Kitagawa | ... |
Kiyomi
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Rumi Konishi |
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Takuzô Kumagai |
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Akio Kusama | ... |
Bar guest
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Kôko Mori | ... |
(as Kyôko Mori)
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Fuyuki Nakagami |
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Fumie Noguchi |
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| Yutaka Sada | ... |
Yoshikawa (kimono shop clerk)
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| Kyû Sazanka | ... |
Bar owner
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| Noriko Sengoku | ... |
Fortune-teller
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Akira Sera | ... |
Mizutani (Minobe's subordinate)
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Toki Shiozawa |
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Ayumi Sonoda |
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| Kin Sugai |
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Takaji Suzuki |
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| Yoshifumi Tajima | ... |
Electric company director
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Akira Tani |
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Mitsuo Tsuda |
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Haruko Tôgô | ... |
Shizuko (Fujisaki's wife)
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| Akiko Wakabayashi |
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Keiko Yanagawa | ... |
Yukiko
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Michino Yokoyama | ... |
Miyuki
(as Michiyo Yokoyama)
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Directed by
| Mikio Naruse | ||
Written by
| Ryûzô Kikushima | ... | () |
Produced by
| Ryûzô Kikushima | ... | producer |
Music by
| Toshirô Mayuzumi | ||
Cinematography by
| Masao Tamai | ||
Editing by
| Eiji Ooi | ||
Production Design by
| Satoru Chûko | ||
Costume Design by
| Hideko Takamine | ||
Production Management
| Shin Morita | ... | executive in charge of production |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Sakae Hirosawa | ... | assistant director |
Sound Department
| Masao Fujiyoshi | ... | sound |
| Hisashi Shimonaga | ... | sound |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Ichirô Inohara | ... | gaffer |
| Chôshirô Ishii | ... | gaffer |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Toho (1963) (United States) (theatrical) (subtitled)
- Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1975) (United States) (tv) (network premiere)
- New Star (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
- BFI Video (2007) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
- Filmax Home Video (2002) (Spain) (DVD)
- The Criterion Collection (2006) (United States) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
This is the story of Mama, a.k.a. Keiko, a middle-aged bar hostess who must choose to either get married or buy a bar of her own. Her family hounds her for money, her customers for her attention, and she is continually in debt. The life of a bar hostess is examined as well as the way in which the system traps and sometimes kills those in it. Written by PastaQueen |
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| Parents Guide | Add content advisory for parents » |
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Additional Details
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | Included in Kinema Junpo Critic's Top 200 best Japanese films of all time. See more » |
| Quotes |
Matsukichi Sekine:
[to Keiko]
Would you laugh if I proposed to you? Matsukichi Sekine: [Keiko appears uncomfortable, remains silent] I know. No need to answer. I just wanted to say it once. Pretend I never said it. Bye. See more » |