Where Chimneys Are Seen


Where Chimneys Are Seen, also titled Four Chimneys, is a 1953 Japanese comedy-drama film directed by Heinosuke Gosho. Based on the novel Mujaki na hitobito by Rinzō Shiina, Where Chimneys Are Seen is regarded as one of Gosho's most important and well-known films and a typical example of the shōshimin-eiga genre.

Plot

Hiroko Ogata and her second husband Ryukichi live in the lower-class outskirts of Tokyo. The upper floor of the Ogatas' flat is rented to Kenzō and Senko, a young man and a woman who show interest in each other, but are not a couple. One day, the Ogatas find a baby in the house entrance with a note signed by Tsukahara, stating it was Hiroko's daughter. The marriage is engulfed in a crisis, with Hiroko nearly committing suicide. Kenzō searches the city for Tsukahara and finally finds him and his new wife, the actual mother of the abandoned child, who initially had wanted to abort it. Although the Ogatas have developed an affection for the baby, which fell seriously ill at one point, they agree to return it to Mrs. Tsukahara who, after some hesitation, accepts it as her own.

Cast

Where Chimneys Are Seen was produced by Gosho's own production company Studio Eight and distributed by Shintoho studios. The film was shown in competition at the 3rd Berlin International Film Festival.

Reception

In his Critical Handbook of Japanese Film Directors, film historian Alexander Jacoby described Where Chimneys Are Seen as "an exemplary depiction of the balance between aspiration and despair in a country recovering from war".

Awards