Zangiku monogatari (AKA The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums) (1939) (English Subtitles)

AKA 残菊物語 Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi (溝口健二) Written by Matsutarō Kawaguchi (川口松太郎) and Yoshikata Yoda (依田義賢) Novel by Shōfu Muramatsu (村松梢風) Starring: Shōtarō Hanayagi (花柳章太郎), Kōkichi Takada (高田浩吉), Gonjurō Kawarazaki (河原崎権十郎), Kakuko Mori (森赫子), Tokusaburo Arashi (嵐徳三郎), Yōko Umemura (梅村蓉子), Benkei Shiganoya, Kinnosuke Takamatsu (高松錦之助) Synopsis: In Tokyo in 1888, Kikunosuke Onoue, the adoptive son of an important actor, discovers that he is praised for his acting only because he is his father's heir, and that the troupe complains how bad he is behind his back. The only person to talk to him honestly about his acting is Otoku, the wet-nurse of his adoptive father's child. She is fired by the family, and Kikunosuke is forbidden to see her, because of the gossip a relationship with a servant would cause. Kikunosuke falls in love with Otoku, and leaves home to try to make a living on his own merits outside Tokyo. He is eventually joined by Otoku, who encourages him to become a famous actor to regain the recognition of his family.