Portrait of Chieko Reviews

Based on the real-life incidences of Kotaro Takamura, one of Japan's foremost poets and sculptors, concerning his wife's (Iwashita) obsession to express herself creatively. When her paintings are criticized, she becomes depressed over the knowledge that she does not possess the proper talent. Tamba, her poet-husband, devotes himself to his wife's problems, writing numerous poems for her. But she continues to withdraw, attempts suicide, and eventually goes mad. Slow pacing and rich color photography combine to create a near-poetic effect and the moody atmosphere fitting the film's content. Nominated as Best Foreign Film in the 1968 Academy Awards.