Mastectomies as subject matter are, not surprisingly, a hard sell. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the first time Hollywood breached the subject was the small screen 1978 biopic, First, You Cry starring Mary Tyler Moore as news correspondent Betty Rollin. Some 22 years earlier, Kinuyo Tanaka’s The Eternal Breasts (playing here under the title, Forever a Woman) introduced Japanese audiences to Fumiko Shimojô (Yumeji Tsukioka), a frustrated poet whose marriage to a failed, philandering stockbroker ends in divorce. Her poetry reflects her suffering; she longs for a different life, the kind that would bring joy to her writing. But no matter how strong her character is, happiness eludes Fumiko. Moments of euphoric liberation brought on by the separation are quickly scuttled by her doctor’s diagnosis. That doesn’t mean the pain she endures doesn’t lead to a period of emotional growth and enlightenment. Every moment of happiness she’s afforded is matched by misfortune: news of her winning a poetry contest coincides with the discovery of a lump on her breast. With two romances left in her, Fumiko refuses to let her illness define her. If there’s a complaint to be made, it would the absence of her children during the final third. Other than that, this stands as one of the most profound emotional experiences cinema has to offer. Do not miss this movie! (1955) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.