The Daughter of the Samurai

Teruo gets caught up in a conflict between tradition and modernism after returning to Japan from Germany after having spent a number of years there studying. Now, he is supposed to marry Mitsuko, the daughter of his adoptive father, to whom Teruo has long been promised. But Teruo, who has gotten to know the freedoms of the western world, would rather marry the woman he loves and behaves brusquely to Mitsuko.

Directed by Arnold Fanck, Mansaku Itami, The Daughter of the Samurai leans on a strong ensemble — Setsuko Hara, Ruth Eweler, Sessue Hayakawa — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1937.