By. LIU Leh-Er

The great Japanese actress Kinuyo TANAKA, just after her century anniversary on Nov. 29th 2009, was the representative of supreme leading actress in Japanese Cinema. In her 67 years of life, she had worked as an actress for 54 years even at the last moment of her life. From an innocent screen sweetheart transforming to a character actress then became the first female director in Japan, she had a lot of romances but as she mentioned that she had married to cinema and became the eternal actress. Even with her beloved director Kenji MIZOGUCHI, they only could unite as couple on the screen. TANAKA’s career was solitary, desolate and spectacular; there was no actress compare to her dedication and achievement to cinema.

Young actresses always worried playing the roles of mother and transforming to character actresses would reduce to the supporting roles. However, TANAKA broke the preconception, not only the roles of pretty girl or young lady, actress is capable of playing any kind of characters. Throughout her life, only the acting can settle her mind. She had lost her vision in last days yet asked director Masaki KOBAYASHI, “Is there any role for blind person?”

On the other hand, the forbidden love of TANAKA and married MIZOGUCHI matured her constantly, in which they elevated and competed each other. Although TANAKA was proud and aloof under Kaneto SHINDO’s description, she was a passionate woman even with high sexual appetite. She gave her love to MIZOGUCHI but never restrained her desire, she had favorite men at each phase and male adherents beside her till her death, she even aroused the mood of affection with director KOBAYASHI in her aged days. TANAKA was the woman belonged to no one.