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A girl sets out on a lonely journey when a father decides it is best for his young daughter to go live with his brother and her uncle. The trek begins on a train, but has to continue on foot and by cart when a stranger gives her a lift. Alas, there is not any joy, compassion or kindness to be found; least of all at the uncle's home where she is both a surprise arrival and unwanted. She is sold to servitude and employment soon. Her world and life spirals downward as the girl finds how she is not able to rely on family, humanity or god for an iota of grace or assistance. (Source: IMDb) Edit Translation
- English
- magyar / magyar nyelv
- dansk
- Norsk
- Native Title: 何が彼女をそうさせたか
- Also Known As: Nani ga Kanojo wo sou Saseta ka , Nani ga Kanojo wo Sousaseta ka
- Genres: Historical, Melodrama
Cast & Credits
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![Takatsu Keiko in What Made Her Do It? Japanese Movie ()]( "Takatsu Keiko in What Made Her Do It? Japanese Movie ()")
Takatsu Keiko Main Role -
![Fujima Rintaro in What Made Her Do It? Japanese Movie ()]( "Fujima Rintaro in What Made Her Do It? Japanese Movie ()")
Fujima RintaroHasegawa AkimitsuSupport Role -
![Kojima Yoyo in What Made Her Do It? Japanese Movie ()]( "Kojima Yoyo in What Made Her Do It? Japanese Movie ()")
Kojima YoyoSakamoto SaheiSupport Role -
![Shizuko Ozaki in What Made Her Do It? Japanese Movie ()]( "Shizuko Ozaki in What Made Her Do It? Japanese Movie ()")
Shizuko OzakiUmeko YazawaSupport Role -
![Hamada Gaku in What Made Her Do It? Japanese Movie ()]( "Hamada Gaku in What Made Her Do It? Japanese Movie ()")
Hamada GakuOgawa Tetsuzo [Head of acrobatics]Support Role
Photos
Reviews
This review may contain spoilers
Life is a path of suffering that leads to death
The old phrase, “If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all,” applied perfectly for poor abandoned and abused Sumiko. Sumiko was thrown from one bad situation to another and another throughout the length of the film.Described as a masterpiece of the proletarian film genre, What Made Her Do It could be a difficult watch. The film was thought completely lost after WWII. A large segment of it was found in The Russian National Film Library during the 1990’s. The first section and last section are lost to the ages, replaced by descriptive title cards.
Young Sumiko was sent to her no good uncle when her father could not find employment and committed suicide unbeknownst to her. Her uncle stole her money and sold her to a circus. She made friends with Shintaro at the circus and they later escaped only to be separated. She ended up in a string of bad situations: a work house, evil employer, work house, evil employer, and ultimately a church home for wayward women which was as bad or worse than any prison.
Every single situation she ended up in was dreadful except for a brief happy one and even it ended in disaster. Exploited, starved, and upbraided, slowly she began to lose her ability to hold in her anger and resentment. When family, the government, and even religion failed her miserably she snapped and the answer came in a blaze of glory when the audience finds out what she did in What Made Her Do It.
What made her do it? The utter failing of society and its brutal treatment of people considered less than. Some may have blamed capitalist society or religion but more often than not, the dark side of human nature for any economic or social level during times of financial collapse or upheaval preys on those considered weaker. In this film, without family or friends, Sumiko had no safety net, no safe shelter from the storm, but she still had enough dignity and fire left to finally take a stand.
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