Original subtitles

A SANPORD PRESENTATION

"What made her do it?" (Nani ga kanojo o so saseta ka)

This silent film appeared in 1930. It was appreciated

as a masterpiece of the "proletarian film" genre at the time.

Unfortunately, it was cut into pieces later on and seemed to

have been lost until it was found, that the film had been saved,

at the Gosfilmofond Russian National Film Library.

However, the Russian version is not complete.

The beginning and important scenes at the end are missing.

In order to reconstruct the film the best way possible,

all materials relating to it were researched

and short titles for the missing scenes were prepared.

The production company, Teikoku Kinema. 1929

What made her do it?

Directed by Shigeyoshi Suzuki

Sumiko is played by Keiko Takatsu

Life is a path of suffering

that leads to death.

Dark, gloomy clouds - late autumn

Neverending dark glittering railroad track:

a symbol of a deserted life.

Sumiko Nakamura: a lonely girl drags herself beside the track.

Her shabby appearance: a symbol of her life.

A noisy train passes by.

Girls on a class outing waving their hands.

They all seem happy.

Following the train with her eyes, the girl struggles forward.

Tears on her face...

Fatigue. She takes out a slice of bread and eats it

as if she were starving to death.

It's the last one.

She's totally desperate but still has to go on.

Suddenly her wooden sandal is broken.

The girl doesn't know where to go.

She is saved by a poor old man.

The poor man is old Doi, a rickshaw man.

"Have something to eat, first of all.

We can do everything else, later on."

"Where are you going?"

"My uncle is living in Nitta."

"My father told me to give this to him."

"Sorry, but I can't read."

"There is no school in my village.

My uncle is supposed to sent me to school."

"You are probably quite tired. Go to bed.

Tomorrow morning, we have to leave early."

The next morning.

"Look, there is Nitta."

"This is the way to Nitta."

"Thank you very much."

"Take care and ask a policeman how to get there."

"I'll be back during my school holidays."

A policeman shows her the way to her uncle's house.

This is Kanta Yamada, her uncle in Nitta.

"My father told me, that all is written down there..."

"To whom belongs this child?"

"She is my brother's daughter.

I haven't heard from him for quite a long time.

Now he sends me somebody like this."

We haven't heards from each other for a long time,

but I hope you are all well.

Due to long unemployment and illness, we can't go on,

I don't want to burden you with her,

but, please, take care of Sumiko.

"My brother committed suicide. This is his last will."

"This is mine!"

"You spent all our money drinking."

"Do you have to quarrel all the time?"

"Sumiko, from now on you are one of our children."

"In this letter, it says that we're going to take care of you."

"Uncle, please let me go to school right away."

"To school?"

"You don't have to go to school,

because I'll teach you all need to know."

"You'll be lucky here. Life is easy here."

"Where have you been? Look at the poor little baby."

"Just wait a bit. As soon as the others have finished,

you can have dine peacefully."

"That's the girl I told you about.

Sumiko, this man is a good acquaintance of your father."

"You have grown up, haven't you? You are like your father."

"When you were a little girl, I often carried you in my arms."

"Hurry up, this man will give you a good education."

"Are you going to send me to school?"

"I'll be ready in a minute."

"Thanks to father's good acquaintance,

from now on, I can go to school. I'll work hard."

"The girl is valuable, although she has a lot to learn."

"Father, I'll be back."

"Oh, the old rickshaw man gave me a silver coin."

"She'll be very profitable."

Her father' s letter.

"Sumiko, you are my daughter, now."

"You're so lucky."

"I'll write a letter to my father. He'll certainly be giad."

Sold to a circus - the girl.

Beautiful clothes, various lessons...

What the man said is true...

"Don't move, otherwise you'll be hurt badly."

"In the end, that girl will be stabbed to death."

"Please, please, let me go back to my father!"

"Stupid girl! We paid so much money for you, how could I let you go?"

"We're on our own, we are orphans."

"I'm not an orphan, my father is alive."

"Look, that's my father."

"There... what's written here? Read it to me, Shintaro."

"Let the clown Kuma read it."

"Kuma, can you read this to Sumiko?"

"Your father is..."

"Your father committed suicide... he is dead."

"Dead? My father is... dead!"

As the days go by, time heals her sorrow.

But at the circus everything is going on as usual.

"We can' t stand it anymore. We don't have enough to eat."

"Look, the mouse is labouring just the same way we do."

"We're working ourselves to death

and who is getting the money from it?"

"Who stole my money?"

"Whose purse is this?"

"I don' t steal the money.

I've been saving money for quite some time."

"Don't tell me lies. You can't have saved so much money."

"Just confess! You thief."

"Perhaps, we don't taught her enough good manners."

"Master, stop it! Just a minute,

I would like to tell you something.

"Sumiko, stop crying. I can't stand it any longer,

either, let's run away."

The midnight bell: the signal.

"If you don't listen to us, we'll do what we want anyway."

"I spent good money on you. You'd better not do that!"

"I can't stand to see the boss' face anymore. Let's run away."

During the turmoil,

Sumiko and Shintaro manage to escape from the circus.

"Now, we're safe.

The village Yui, where my sister is living, is nearby."

"I'll go ask for directions."

"Shintaro, please, hurry back."

"I'll be back soon, stay here."

"He jumped out unexpectedly."

"There is no hospital in this village.

You have to go to the next one."

A bad twist of fate, Shintaro and Sumiko are separated.

One year later. We find her at an unexpected piace.

At a police station.

Used as an agent by thieves - the girl.

"You, poor girl. They were only using you."

"The greedy thieves just treat you badly and exploit you."

Once she got away, but the head thief Sahei

pursued and caught her. She became a pawn for

the thieves once again. - the girl.

Sahei's caught stealing and she is entrusted to a privately -

owned poor house.

the poor house

At night.

"You can't breast-feed with the food they give us here."

"Working all day long,

we deserve better food."

"Oamn! Who can we complain to? It's a private home."

"The director pockets everything."

"Let me hold the baby for you"

Sumiko has various memories...

the old rickshaw man, Shintaro.

"Thank you very much, the baby has fallen asleep."

"You'll be engaged as a maid in the house of Yoshio Akiyama,

the town councillor."

"You really got a good job. I envy you."

"Goodbye and don't forget us."

"We'll meet again... with the baby too."

"Goodbye, baby."

She is empioyed as servant of Yoshio Akiyama,

the town councillor - the girl.

"The young lady of the house has come home."

"Sumiko, go, serve the young lady."

"Miss, should we play some jazz?"

"Are you trying to kill my daughter?"

"She says the fish hasn' t been boned."

"You idiots! Don't you have eyes?

Do you want to kill the young lady?"

The young lady leaves the house.

"Silly, don't cry."

"But can't the young lady bone the fish herself?"

"If she has to do it on her own, she'd rather not eat it."

"What an inconvenience for her."

"I've told you to clean up everything before eating."

"Oh, no. You left the water running again."

"You've broken a bowl again."

"Sumiko, you're not allowed to put soy sauce on your pickles."

"I don't allow something like that, in order to train my servants properly!"

"Sumiko must have learn the rules of this house perfectly.

You mustn't spoil her."

"You came here looking very unhappy,

but you must be much happier now."

"I'm sure you can't compare the food

you got in the poor house to what you get here.

You've probably never eaten such expensive fish, have you?"

"I often eat fish."

"These left-overs I'll throw to the dogs."

"Do you think I'll left a young girl from a poor house

make fun of me, the wife of the town councillor?"

"What a foolish girl! A poor house is a poor house,

sending us someone like this!"

"Number 1-6-5-9, please."

"I'm the wife of councillor Akiyama.

I want Mr. Hara, the manager, to come immediately."

She is sent back to the poor house.

Three years later.

We find her at the house of a Biwa instructor.

The instructor's mother is out

and she has to take care of the house.

"Sumiko!"

"Oh, Shintaro!"

"Sumiko, it's really you!"

"But, why did you abandon me?"

"An accident prevented me from coming back to you; since then

I have been searching for you everywhere."

"I'm glad, you look well."

"We can't chat out here."

"Thisis the house of a Biwa instructor, isn't it?

Are you working here?"

"Have you been here long?"

"Yes, about 6 months.

It's been so long since I've seen you, hasn't it?"

"It's not so easy to tell you what has happened up to now..."

"I'm working with a theater troupe now."

"The address is on the other side. Come over when you're free."

"Excuse me for entering your house while you were out."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Shintaro Ichikawa.

I'm a member of the Kotobuki theater troupe."

"We worked together some time ago."

"Please, let me call on you again. Goodbye."

"Sumiko, that's a joke, just a joke."

Sumiko - with the happiness of a married woman.

Happily living with Shintaro - the girl.

A telegram from the theater: "No contract."

Unemployed and desolate, they write to a friend for help.

I can't help you.

There is no way out anymore for the two of them.

On the moonlit sands of the beach, two shadows.

It is the two of them, looking for peace in death.

"Those two over there, they're not thinking

of drowning themselves, are they?"

"How beautiful. The moon, the sea...

I can't believe we're going to die now."

"Are you having doubts?"

"I'm happy I'll be able to go with you, Shintaro."

"Two persons drowned over there!"

"Try to find them!"

"Did you find anyone?"

"Here! Over here!"

"A woman, only the woman!"

"How lucky to survive a double suicide!

It 's like she's in heaven. What a lucky girl!"

She couldn't die even though she wanted to saved once more,

she is taken to a place called the "Garden of Angels",

a reformatory for wayward woman.

"You're lucky: your husband is alive."

"Sumiko, why don't you write a letter?

I'll be getting out of here, and I'll mail it for you."

"But I've al ready resigned myself to living without him."

"I'm sure he's longing for you.

It shouldn't be hard to find out where he is."

"The two of you deaded to commit suicide together,

so he wouldn't have forgotten you that easily."

"But, I've decided to start a new life."

"A new life! I hate this place, this is so called heaven of ours

where you aren't even free to write one letter."

"Don't blame me if you're sorry later on

- A short note is enough."

"Write quickly before the bell rings."

"Our sister, Okaku Shimamura, who has repented her sins

thanks to God's grace, will leave us today."

"Everyone, please use her as a model."

"Oh, Lord, you have enlightened my soul and give me salvation.

Oh Lord, give your blessing to our teacher

as well as to all the others. Amen."

"Okaku, wait!"

"Please, headmistress, in the name of God, have mercy!"

"Forgive me for my terrible sins."

"You aren't leaving, you're going into solitary confinement,

I'll speak to Sumiko on my own."

"Forgive me! She begged me to do this,

and I feel sorry for her."

"You haven't betrayed me, but God himself."

"This sin will never be forgiven."

"Oh Lord, forgive this lost lamb."

"You gave this letter to Okaku."

"Yes, but she talked me to writing it."

"Don't blame others for your sins. You have already died.

You are a living corpse."

"When God resurrected you through a miracle of seven days,

you became another person."

"You have ruined everything. This is a garden of angels,

everyone living here is as pure as the white lilies

blooming on the field."

"Repent! Ask for forgiveness. Forget this sinful man."

"Atone for your sins during the next holy service

by confessing about the men who made you a sinner."

"You have to confess before the others.

Then your sins will be washed away."

"Please, have mercy on me! It's too painful

to do that in front of so many people."

"You must endure the pain, it will make you stronger."

"Confess! For your own sake."

Shortly there after, the Sunday church bells ring.

Virtuous believers flock toward the Garden of Angels.

After the service, the headmistress Umeko faces the congregation.

"Dear members. Today one of our sisters will confess to you...

Sumiko, come and confess to everyone."

All eyes are on Sumiko. She trembles with fear.

In an angry voice, the headmistress says:

"Fine! If you're too ashamed to confess, I'll do it for you."

Sumiko endures the pain. Suddenly, she stands up

and looks up at the alter. Pointing at the crucifix, she screams:

"That God is love is a lie! It's all lies!

Even though I've asked for forgiveness, you still want to shame me."

"If God were love, I would already be forgiven.

I'm better off without such a God."

"The garden of angels is a lie! It's all lies!"

Everyone is in an uproar, and the headmistress is praying

with exaggerated gestures. No one can stop Sumiko.

"Lies!"

Sumiko throws the Bible at the crucifix.

Late that night, flames rise from the church at the garden of angels.

The old building is suddenly engulfed in flames.

The headmistress panics and taking only the time to grab some money,

she flees, abandoning all the inmates.

The golden crucifix and the figure of Christ

succumb to the flames and burn up.

The violent red flames, the scattering cinders,

ringing bells, the sound of the burnt building collapsing,

the cries of people trying to escape.

In the midst of it all, a young woman dances a crazed dance,

wildly tossing her hair.

"This despicable home will burn to ashes.

Burn, burn! It should all burn!"

Dark shadows appear from either side, reaching for Sumiko.

"You started the fire!"

"Yes, I did it."

Sumiko looks up at the sky, Lit by fire and cries.

"Oh, red angels are dancing up..."

"Up to heaven, to heaven!"

The flames rise into the sky.

What made her do it?

Produced by the committee for the reconstruction of

"What made her do it?"

Teruo Yamakawa

Restored by Yoneo Ota Akihiro Sakurada

Akiko Shimura Hitoshi Fukunaga

Akio Matsuda Kaoru Mizuguchi

Akiko Yamashita

Directed of the reconstruction: Yoneo Ota

Distribution by SANPORD Co.

English subtitle: Joanne Bernardi Grammar check: Dan.