The Stranger Within a Woman (1966)

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The Stranger Within a Woman (1966) – M. Naruse

Melodrama of the highest form from Mikio Naruse – one of his late films and as usual focused on family dynamics when something is going wrong.  In this case, a close family friend’s wife has been killed and this weighs especially heavily on the father, Isao.  So, the film takes elements from the murder mystery and, as things grow dark, from the film noir.  However, Naruse sticks to his strengths and turns this into an investigation of feelings and how they are impacted by obligations to others.  Still, times change and the mid-1960s mean that even Naruse is willing to introduce some startling plot turns to spice things up.  This is the 12^th Naruse film I’ve seen and really you can’t go wrong (try When a Woman Ascends the Stairs or Floating Clouds).   

I can no longer find a clip from this film, so here are some scenes from a variety of Naruse films: