Japan Synopsis
鰯雲
A war widow with a young boy manages a farm with her bossy mother-in-law. When a reporter comes to interview her, the two begin an affair. He turns out to be married and won't leave his wife. Her older brother tries to marry off his children and hang on to/ extend his farm through an advantageous marriage in the face of threatened land confiscation and the desire of his children to get comfortable urban jobs instead of the backbreaking work in the paddy fields under parental control.
The 1957–1959 Japan Window
32 Japan films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. Summer Clouds sits at position #9.
#1The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
★ 8.2 · 1959
#2The Hidden Fortress
★ 8.0 · 1958
#3The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
★ 8.0 · 1959
#4Throne of Blood
★ 7.9 · 1957
#5Hiroshima Mon Amour
★ 7.8 · 1959
#6Good Morning
★ 7.7 · 1959
#7Fires on the Plain
★ 7.6 · 1959
#8The Ballad of Narayama
★ 7.5 · 1958
Other Titles From TOHO
The 1950s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1950s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Summer Clouds premiered. 76 total titles in this decade from Japan.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #1,315 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (71st percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is +0.6 points above the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Drama productions specifically: #572 of 1,933 (top 30%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | TOHO |
| Runtime | 2h 8m |
| Release Date | September 2, 1958 |
| IMDb | tt0051791 |