The Makioka Sisters

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The Makioka Sisters

1983,

2h 20m,

Drama

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Watchlist

100%

10 Reviews

Tomatometer

69%

500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

10 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

The once-prominent Makioka family undergoes a decline over the years, partially as a result of the Allied Occupation during the '40s. But no matter what fortune has in store, the four sisters always gather in Kyoto, Japan, to view the cherry blossoms, the ritual marking the changes in their lives from year to year. Right now the major crisis for them is finding a husband for Yukiko (Sayuri Yoshinaga), the third eldest, so that the youngest sibling, Taeko (Yûko Kotegawa), can get married herself.

Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Sep 11, 2023

Ichikawa is a deadpan sophisticate, with a film technique so masterly that he pulls you into the worlds he creates. There doesn’t seem to be a narrative in The Makioka Sisters, yet you don't feel as if anything is missing.

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David Fear

Time Out

May 3, 2011

4/5

Makes the melodramatic seem positively majestic.

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Nick Pinkerton

Village Voice

May 3, 2011

The Makioka Sisters is a Whartonian work of compassionate nostalgia tinctured with irony.

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

Jan 25, 2018

3.5/4

...attuned to the ways women, bound by tradition, negotiate a world ostensibly run by men.

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Michael E. Grost

Classic Film and Television

Nov 21, 2017

Look inside the difficult romantic lives of sisters has beautiful photography.

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Christopher Long

Movie Metropolis

Jun 28, 2011

7/10

Though the story unfurls slowly, Ichikawa directs with a lively step.

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Albus R

Oct 22, 2017

I agree with the epicness of the story. The film happens a bit too much inside though. I guess that is where women are mostly found normally. There is a lack of action and a lot of talking about events that would normally make good scenes. The film is long still and found myself snoozing mid-way. Had to rewind. There are good scenes and beautiful scenes that are worth it. It comes out as a romantic film for girls to me. I think this would make a nice teleserie like there are so many in french and english.

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Kylo W

Mar 25, 2017

had to see the movie after reading the book. enjoyed seeing the book 'brought to life', basically to see the "kimono porn", and the hybrid Eastern/Western architecture. Wow are the younger sisters spoiled and indulged, in the book its not so clear, but painfully so in the movie.

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Kon Ichikawa

Director

Keiko Kishi

Tsuruko Makioka

Yoshiko Sakuma

Sachiko Makioka

Sayuri Yoshinaga

Yukiko Makioka

Yûko Kotegawa

Taeko Makioka

Juzo Itami

Tatsuo

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Synopsis

The once-prominent Makioka family undergoes a decline over the years, partially as a result of the Allied Occupation during the '40s. But no matter what fortune has in store, the four sisters always gather in Kyoto, Japan, to view the cherry blossoms, the ritual marking the changes in their lives from year to year. Right now the major crisis for them is finding a husband for Yukiko (Sayuri Yoshinaga), the third eldest, so that the youngest sibling, Taeko (Yûko Kotegawa), can get married herself.

Director: Kon Ichikawa
Production Co: Toho Company Ltd.
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (DVD): Jun 14, 2011
Runtime: 2h 20m

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