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When a Woman Ascends the Stairs Poster

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

Movie
1960
1h 51m
Japanese
Drama
Keiko, whom everyone calls Mama, narrates her story: she's a hostess on the Ginza, 30, a widow. She describes life's vicious cycle: acting cheerful around drunks, dressing and living well to convey confidence, needing money for these expenses and for her demanding mother and brother, and knowing she's growing older. She's of an age when she must choose: to seek marriage (difficult given her tarnished occupation), to be a kept woman, or to borrow money to buy a bar of her own. Each route has dangers, including investors demanding a return on their loans. Keiko has a quiet dignity that attracts men, but are they what they seem? Does she actually have choices?
Rating
WATCHMODE
8.1
IMDB
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960) on IMDb
CRITIC SCORE
95

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USA Streaming Sources
 
The Criterion Channel
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Hideko Takamine
Keiko Yashiro
Masayuki Mori
Nobuhiko Fujisaki
Reiko Dan
Junko Inchihashi
Tatsuya Nakadai
Kenichi Komatsu
Daisuke Kat
Matsukichi Sekine
Jun Tatara
Goldfish
Masao Oda
Yoshizo Yashiro
Ky Sazanka
Bar Owner
Noriko Sengoku
Fortune Teller
Kin Sugai
Katsuko
Takuz Kumagai
Bar Customer
Yutaka Sada
Yoshikawa
Directed By: Mikio Naruse
Written By: Ryūzō Kikushima (Screenplay)

Featured Comments/Tips

Jay Shuai says...
2 years ago
Man this film is nasty! Love it! Grim atmosphere. Some scenes that make u go ‘oh they really went there?’ but masterful filmmaking. If you like a movie with at least one person to root for, don’t watch this. 8/10
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  000
Jay Shuai says...
2 years ago
Well made but grim. So bleak it’s a hard watch. My mood plummeted watching this.
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  000
Maarten Delfgou says...
3 years ago
The original title of the film is Onna Ga Kaidan Wo Agaru Toki.
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  001

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