Appassionata

Appassionata

This story is based on the novel "Jo no mai" by Tomiko Miyao which is based on the life of painter Shōen Uemura (1875–1949), the first woman to be awarded the Order of Culture. The title refers to the masterpiece bijinga ("picture of a beautiful woman") that Uemura painted at the age of 61. The main character, Tsuya Shimamura, is born in Kyoto as the second daughter of a tea trader who dies before her birth. Tsuya, who loves painting more than anything and is hopeless at housework, attends art school and at age 15 receives the name Shōsui (from the characters for "pine" and "green") from her teacher. The crown prince of England purchases one of her works, propelling her to fame overnight. The novel portrays the remainder of her stormy life, during which she is impregnated by her teacher and raises a fatherless child; through it all she devotes herself to her painting, undaunted.

Cast for Appassionata...

Yûko Natori
Tsuya Shimamura
Aki Mizusawa
Shima Shimamura
Mariko Okada
Sei Shimamura
Ayako Kobayashi
Sei as a girl
Mineko Maruhira
Neighborhood lady
Mitsue Wakabayashi
Sei's grandmother
Kayoko Tominaga
Kura Shimamura
Mieko Hoshino
Neighborhood lady
Aki Sawa
Neighborhood lady
Mayumi Tokunaga
Neighborhood lady
Mayumi Eda
Waitress
Makoto Asai
Rickshaw man
Etsuko Ichihara
Narrator (voice)