When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960): Cast, Box Office & Plot
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs is a 1960 drama directed by Mikio Naruse, starring Hideko Takamine as Keiko Yashiro, Tatsuya Nakadai and Keiko Awaji. It runs 1 hour 51 minutes and earned $51,775 worldwide.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 51m (111 min)
- Director
- Mikio Naruse
- Genre
- Drama
- Original language
-
Japanese - Studio
- Toho
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is When a Woman Ascends the Stairs About?
The premise of When a Woman Ascends the Stairs without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Keiko, called Mama, is a 30‑year‑old widow working as a hostess in Ginza. She narrates her relentless cycle: putting on a bright front for drunken patrons, maintaining a stylish appearance to project confidence, juggling expenses for herself, her demanding mother and brother, while feeling the pressure of aging.
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs Themes & Keywords
· 37 tags- drunkenness
- man slaps a woman
- drunken sex
- sex with employee
- kimono
- sugar daddy
- multiple suitors
- bar
- money
- debt
- middle aged
- widow
+25 more Show fewer
- ginza
- brother
- bar hostess
- gift
- train
- train station
- slapped in the face
- infidelity
- love
- crying woman
- crying
- lie
- voice over narration
- voice over
- mother daughter conflict
- telephone call
- photograph
- abacus
- middle aged woman
- tokyo japan
- one night stand
- entrepreneur
- businessman
- alcohol
- adultery
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs Cast & Characters
Hideko Takamine leads the cast as Keiko Yashiro, with Tatsuya Nakadai as Kenichi Komatsu and Keiko Awaji as Yuri. Directed by Mikio Naruse; 37 actors are credited in all.
- Director Mikio Naruse
- Hideko Takamine as Keiko Yashiro
-
Tatsuya Nakadai as Kenichi Komatsu - Keiko Awaji as Yuri
-
Reiko Dan as Junko Inchihashi
Also Starring in When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
· 33 more- Masayuki Mori Nobuhiko Fujisaki
- Daisuke Katô Matsukichi Sekine
- Sadako Sawamura Toshiko
- Akiko Wakabayashi Hostess
- Eitarô Ozawa Minobe
- Kin Sugai Katsuko
- Chieko Nakakita Tomoko
- Yoshifumi Tajima Electric Company Director
- Yutaka Sada Yoshikawa
- Noriko Sengoku Fortune Teller
- Masao Oda Yoshizo Yashiro
- Yû Fujiki Matsui
- Jun Tatara Goldfish
- Akira Tani Real Estate Agent
- Noriko Honma Mineko
- Kyū Sazanka Bar Owner
Show all 37 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Takuzō Kumagai Bar Customer
- Ganjirō Nakamura II Goda
- Toki Shiozawa Hostess
- Akira Sera Mizutani
- Ken Mitsuda Sonoda
- Natsuko Kahara Fujie
- Mitsuo Tsuda Bar Customer
- Michino Yokoyama Miyuki
- Chikako Hosokawa Matsuko
- Haruko Tōgō Shizuko
- Toshiko Higuchi Hostess
- Keiko Yanagawa Yukiko
- Machiko Kitagawa Kiyomi
- Ayumi Sonoda Mitsuko
- Kyoko Mori
- Rumi Konishi
- Fumie Noguchi Natsuko
More from Mikio Naruse
More films directed by Mikio Naruse: Moment of Terror, The Thin Line, Yearning and A Woman’s Life.
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs Plot Summary
What happens in When a Woman Ascends the Stairs from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Keiko, Hideko Takamine, a young widow approaching 30, works as a hostess at a Ginza bar. Realizing she is getting older, after talking with her bar manager Kenichi Komatsu, Tatsuya Nakadai, she resolves to open her own bar rather than remarrying and dishonoring the memory of her late husband, to whom she remains devoted. To make this dream a reality, she pursues loans from affluent patrons who frequent the bar, but she finds little success and the financial path ahead looks stubbornly obstructed.
Full summary
The whole story of When a Woman Ascends the Stairs, scene by scene
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs Box Office
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs grossed $51,775 worldwide.
Worldwide gross
$51.8K
- International
- $51.8K
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs Trailers & Videos
The trailer of When a Woman Ascends the Stairs.
How Well Do You Know When a Woman Ascends the Stairs?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Which actress portrays the protagonist Keiko?
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs Also Known As
16 alternative titles, including “Onna ga Kaidan wo Agaru Toki” and “Quando Uma Mulher Sobe as Escadas”.
- Also known as
-
- Onna ga Kaidan wo Agaru Toki
- Quando Uma Mulher Sobe as Escadas
- Quand une femme monte l'escalier
- Cuando una mujer sube la escalera
- Quando una donna sale le scale
- Quando a Mulher Sobe a Escada
- Die Mädchen der Ginza
- Когда женщина поднимается по лестнице
- 女人踏上樓梯時
- 女人步上樓梯時
- 女人步上楼梯时
- Basamaklarda Bir Kadın
+4 more Show fewer
- 여자가 계단을 오를 때
- Коли жінка підіймається сходами
- 女が階段を上る時
- Όταν μια γυναίκα ανεβαίνει τις σκάλες
Seen When a Woman Ascends the Stairs?
Movies Like When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including A Woman’s Uphill Slope, Women of the Night and The Woman in the Rumor.
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs FAQ: Cast & Box Office
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, post-credit scenes and language of When a Woman Ascends the Stairs, each answered in a sentence.
How long is When a Woman Ascends the Stairs?
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs runs 1 hour 51 minutes (111 minutes).
When was When a Woman Ascends the Stairs released?
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs was released on January 15, 1960.
Who directed When a Woman Ascends the Stairs?
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs was directed by Mikio Naruse.
More films by Mikio Naruse Who is in the cast of When a Woman Ascends the Stairs?
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs stars Hideko Takamine as Keiko Yashiro, Tatsuya Nakadai as Kenichi Komatsu and Keiko Awaji as Yuri, among 37 credited actors.
How much did When a Woman Ascends the Stairs make at the box office?
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs grossed $51,775 worldwide.
Does When a Woman Ascends the Stairs have a post-credit scene?
No. When a Woman Ascends the Stairs has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is When a Woman Ascends the Stairs in?
The original language of When a Woman Ascends the Stairs is Japanese.
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