Bruce Loeb on Piano

(Yogoto no yume, a.k.a. Every Night Dreams, Each Night I Dream). Nightly Dreams has been called Naruse's most visually audacious work; it is also an early statement of the director's cardinal theme of a woman trapped and betrayed by weak or corrupt men. A young woman, Omitsu, abandoned by her husband, is forced to work as a harbor prostitute to support her young child. When the husband returns, contrite and full of promises, the couple look forward briefly to a semblance of normal family life. But times are hard, no one is hiring, and the family fragments once again, this time more tragically. A virtuoso display of camera movement, unusual angles, and startling montage, Every Night Dreams also features an early instance of an actress (Sumiko Kurishima) prodded to greatness by Naruse's directing.