If Indeed One Loves

Story

Synopsis

The film consists of three short stories. Tomiko, the heroine of the first story, "The Flower Girl" (dir. Kozaburo Yoshimura), is a little girl who bears the unbearable burden of caring for her family. Tomiko's father has been unable to find work for a long time, and her older sister is terminally ill—it is unlikely that she will ever recover. To feed her family, Tomiko runs around the city from morning until late at night selling flowers... The second novella (dir. Tadashi Imai) also depicts the lives of the poor. An unfamiliar girl brings young Kavano a letter from his mother. It turns out that the girl's name is Kuniko, she is very hardworking, but her family is dying of hunger. Therefore, her mother decided to send Kuniko to her son so that he would marry her. The short story is called "The Unexpected Bride." The third short story, which gave the film its title, is particularly interesting: "When You Love" (dir. Satsuo Yamamoto). It shows the family of a young peace activist.

Directors

Tadashi Imai, Satsuo Yamamoto, Kōzaburō Yoshimura

Writers

Kaneto Shindō, Yusaku Yamagata

Language

Japanese

Country

Japan

Release date

5 July 1955

Ensemble

Cast

• 

  Nobuko Otowa

  Michie (segment 1)

• Yoshiko Machida

  Tamiko (segment 1)

• 

  Taketoshi Naitō

  Kôno (segment 2)

• 

  Kyōko Kagawa

  Kuniko (segment 2)

• 

  Isuzu Yamada

  Yaeko (segment 3)

• 

  So Yamamura

  Gorô (segment 3)

• 

  Taiji Tonoyama

  Bartender (segment 1)

• 

  Fudeko Tanaka

  Tamiko's mother (segment 1)

• 

  Takashi Kanda

  Master (segment 1)

• 

  Shinsuke Ashida

  Customer (segment 1)

• 

  Yasumi Hara

  Customer (segment 1)

• Kunio Mita

  Customer (segment 1)