Yearning Laurel

Use your words!

Aizen Katsura AKA The Tree of Love was a melodramatic love story with a plentitude of nice people who excelled at communication except for the two people who mattered most. But how else to keep two pleasant people apart except with timeworn misunderstandings and lack of communication? Katsue and Kozo would test the Tree of Love's blessing and patience to find out if it was strong enough to grant them everlasting happiness.

Gentle Katsue earns a living as a nurse supporting her daughter as well as her older sister. The problem being, that nurses have to live in the dormitory and are expected to be virgins---no married women! When Katsue is caught in the park with her daughter a fellow nurse convenes a late-night accusation party. After Katsue explains she's been a widow since she was eight months pregnant and had been forced to marry at eighteen, her fellow nurses declared solidarity with her. The hospital owner's son returns after his medical training and promptly falls for Katsue when she sings at his party. They begin seeing each other and Kozo makes what amounts to his declaration at the Tree of Love. His father has arranged a marriage with Michiko, an American educated young woman, whose father is also a doctor, a plan Kozo rejects. When he decides to travel to Kyoto so that he and Katsue can be together she agrees. Unfortunately, her daughter falls ill and she doesn't make the train. Kozo assumes the worst, that she's dumped him and doesn't contact her again. From there it's a series of more misunderstandings and near misses.

The romance in Tree of Love was pretty thin even though it was a popular movie in its time. As many films from this period did, it highlighted the plight of single women and single mothers. Few jobs were available to women, much less married women. Aside from having to work to survive, as a young widow, Katsue wasn't going to be most parents' first or tenth choice for a child's spouse. One of my favorite aspects of this story was the generous support of Katsue's fellow nurses. Not a jealous, spiteful woman in the lot. From beginning to end, they had her back which I found delightful as positive women's friendships tend to be scarce. Even Michiko, the possible fiancée, was understanding and kind, looking out for Kozo's best interests even if she didn't end up as his wife.

Tanaka Kinuyo was lovely as the gentle Katsue believably portraying a nurse and caring mother, a genuinely likeable heroine. Uehara Ken had little to do but sit around looking dashing, which he did well and Kozo was never cruel to Katsue even with the misunderstandings. Though it was billed as a melodrama, with people this beautiful and amiable, supported by Katsue's cheerleading squad of friends, this sweet couple didn't need a Tree of Love, more like a Tree of How to Use Your Words. If you enjoy older movies, Aizen Katsura is not a bad way to spend 90 minutes.

7/4/23

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