"The Four Seasons of a Woman"

... After that, he portrayed the Japanese common people in dark times in a series of "literary films" such as "Crybaby Boy" (1938) based on an original story by Hayashi Fumiko, "Winter Inn" (1938) based on an original story by Abe Tomoji, and "The Nightingale" (1938) based on an original story by Ito Einosuke. After "Okumura Ioko" (1940), a biographical film depicting the life of a Meiji heroine who founded the Patriotic Women's Association, and "Spring on Kojima" (1940), a lyrical humanist portrayal of the true story of a young female doctor dedicated to working at a leprosy sanatorium, he continued to make films after the war such as "A Woman's Four Seasons" (1950) based on an original story by Niwa Fumio, "The Wild Geese" (1953) based on an original story by Mori Ogai, and "A Certain His literary films include "Woman" (1954), "The Wheat Flute" (1955) based on an original story by Muro Saisei, "Married Couple Good-Looking" (1955) based on an original story by Oda Sakunosuke, "A Cat, Shozo and Two Women" (1956) based on an original story by Tanizaki Junichiro, "Snow Country" (1957) based on an original story by Kawabata Yasunari, "A Dark Night's Journey" (1959) based on an original story by Shiga Naoya, and "The Tale of the Strange Land of the East" (1960) based on an original story by Nagai Kafu. He portrayed many women and was called a feminist, but his feminism is said to be characterized by the harshness and tenacity of his gaze that focuses on ignorance and greed rather than on the beauty of women.

*Some of the terminology that refers to "A Woman's Four Seasons" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…　以後，林芙美子原作《泣虫小僧》(1938)，阿部知二原作《冬の宿》(1938)，伊藤永之介原作《鶯》(1938)など一連の〈文芸映画〉のなかで，暗い時代の日本の庶民像を描き出していった。愛国婦人会を創設した明治の女傑の半生を描いた伝記映画《奥村五百子》(1940)，ハンセン病療養所で献身する若い女医の実話をリリカルなヒューマニズムで描いた《小島の春》(1940)などをへて，戦後も丹羽文雄原作《女の四季》(1950)，森鷗外原作《雁》(1953)，有島武郎原作《或る女》(1954)，室生犀星原作《麦笛》(1955)，織田作之助原作《夫婦善哉》(1955)，谷崎潤一郎原作《猫と庄造と二人のをんな》(1956)，川端康成原作《雪国》(1957)，志賀直哉原作《暗夜行路》(1959)，永井荷風原作《濹東綺譚》(1960)と〈文芸映画〉の系列がある。　女を多く描き，フェミニストともいわれたが，そのフェミニズムは，女の美しさよりも無知や貪欲さを凝視する目のきびしさと執念に特色があるといわれる。…

※「《女の四季》」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報