Villon's Wife

Villon's Wife (ヴィヨンの妻 〜桜桃とタンポポ〜, Viyon no tsuma – ōtō to tanpopo) is a 2009 Japanese drama film directed by Kichitaro Negishi. It is based on the 1947 short story of the same name by Osamu Dazai.^[1]

Villon's Wife
Original Japanese poster
Directed by	Kichitaro Negishi
Written by	Yōzō Tanaka
Cinematography	Takahide Shibanushi
Edited by	Akimasa Kawashima
Music by	Takashi Yoshimatsu
Production companies	Fuji TV PAPADO Inc. Shinchosha Japan Film Broadcasting Corp.
Distributed by	Toho
Release date	October 10, 2009 (2009-10-10) ^[1]
Running time	114 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Synopsis

Sachi is the long-suffering wife of popular novelist Otani in post-World War II Japan. Brilliant but self-destructive, Otani spends his days drinking, running up debts, and looking for inspiration with other women. A visit from Miyo and Kichizo, the owners of the tavern which Otani frequents, informs Sachi that her husband has run up a fortune in debts and has stolen money from them. To pay off the debt, Sachi becomes a waitress at the bar, where her beauty and warmth bring in new customers. While working at the bar, she meets a young laborer, Okada, who falls in love with her. Also on hand are Sachi's old boyfriend, Tsuji, and her husband's mistress, Akiko. Though increasingly empowered by her new independence, Sachi retains her allegiance to her husband.

Cast

• Takako Matsu as Sachi
• Tadanobu Asano as Otani
• Shigeru Muroi as Miyo
• Masatō Ibu as Kichizo
• Ryōko Hirosue as Akiko
• Satoshi Tsumabuki as Okada
• Shinichi Tsutsumi as Tsuji
• Ken Mitsuishi
• Mirai Yamamoto

Release

The film premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival in September 2009^{[citation needed]} and was released theatrically in Japan on 10 October 2009.^[1]

It was released in New York in July 2010^[2] and had its UK premiere in December 2010.^[3]

Home media

Villon's Wife was released on DVD in Japan in April 2010^[4] and in Hong Kong in May 2010.^[5]

Awards

2009 Montreal World Film Festival^[6]

• Best Director: Kichitaro Negishi

33rd Japan Academy Prize^[7]

• Best Actress: Takako Matsu
• Best Art Direction: Yohei Taneda and Kyōko Yauchi

34th Hochi Film Award^[8]

• Best Actress: Takako Matsu

2010 Kinema Junpo Award^[9]

• Best Actress: Takako Matsu

23rd Nikkan Sports Film Award^[10]

• Best Actress: Takako Matsu

References

1. "ヴィヨンの妻 桜桃とタンポポ". Kinema Junpo (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 August 2021.
2. . Japan Society. Archived from the original on 2017-01-07. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
3. "Premiere Japan 2010". Embassy of Japan in the UK. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
4. ヴィヨンの妻 ~桜桃とタンポポ~ (in Japanese). amazon.co.jp. 7 April 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
5. "Villon's Wife (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)". YesAsia. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
6. "Roma film wins top prize in Montreal". CBC. 2009-09-08. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
7. "33rd Japan Academy Prizes" (in Japanese). Japan Academy Prize. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
8. "List of past awards" (in Japanese). Hochi Shimbun. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
9. "Kinema Junpo Awards 2010". MUBI.com. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
10. "Nikkan Sports Film Awards" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. Retrieved 18 August 2021.

External links

• Villon's Wife at IMDb
• ヴィヨンの妻 ～桜桃とタンポポ～ (in Japanese). AllCinema. Retrieved 2011-11-29.
• Scheib, Ronnie (2009-09-14). "Villon's Wife". Variety.
• "Review from JFilm Pow-Wow". 25 September 2010.