The Most Beautiful (1944)
Original title: 一番美しく
The Most Beautiful is a 1944 Japanese-language drama movie directed by Akira Kurosawa, with a running time of 1h 25m. It stars Takashi Shimura, Shōji Kiyokawa and Ichirō Sugai.
Young women at a precision optics factory in wartime Japan push to exceed production quotas, enduring illness, injury, and personal hardship to “serve the country.” Led by Tsuru Watanabe, they fight fatigue and setbacks to keep their line moving, even when duty collides with grief.
Where to watch The Most Beautiful
Stream: Criterion Channel
Watch free with ads: Plex, Plex Channel
Cast
- Takashi Shimura as Chief Goro Ishida
- Shōji Kiyokawa as Soichi Yoshikawa, Chief of General Affairs Section
- Ichirō Sugai as Ken Shinda, Chief of Labor Section
- Takako Irie as Noriko Mizushima, dorm mother
- Yôko Yaguchi as Tsuru Watanabe, president of women workers
- Sayuri Tanima as Yuriko Tanimura, vice president of women workers
- Sachiko Ozaki as Sachiko Yamazaki
- Shizuko Nishigaki as Fusae Nishioka
- Asako Suzuki as Asako Suzumura
- Haruko Toyama as Masako Koyama
- Aiko Masu as Tokiko Hiroda
- Kazuko Hitomi as Kazuko Futomi