Shukujo Wa Nani Wo Wasureta (aka What Did The Lady Forget?) (1937)

A professor (Tatsuo Saito) of medicine at a Tokyo university and his wife (Sumiko Kurishima) are visited by his niece (Michiko Kuwano). The niece is a modern liberated girl who smokes and drinks and resents her Aunt's interference and doesn't approve of the shrewish way she treats her Uncle. Directed by Yasujiru Ozu, the movie bears a slight resemblance to the battle of the sexes Tracy and Hepburn comedies that ends happily when the male of the species asserts his dominance over the female. The mild mannered professor gives his bossy wife a smack in the face and voila! Suddenly she's the good wife. Well, there's more to it than that of course but I wouldn't classify this as one of Ozu's best. He would rework the material many years later into THE FLAVOR OF GREEN TEA OVER RICE somewhat more successfully. The film has its compensations, notably Kuwano's feisty performance and a brief running time (one hour and 11 minutes) which doesn't outstay its welcome. With Shuji Sano and Choko Iida.