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The 1956 Night River was shown at Japan House in New York as a part of a series of films that celebrate the work of cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa. Like other films in the series, the color in Night River has shifted to a purplish red throughout, although that does not detract from the appreciation of Miyagawa's "eye." The story begins with Kiwa (Fujiko Yamanoto), a talented young woman who creates designs for her father's kimono business based on famous motifs from the past. The young Kiwa is very strait-laced and traditional, so when she begins to fall in love with a visiting professor, she is torn between the traditions of the past she loves, and the more liberal, modern views of life. Her dilemma lies in the fact that she is married. Kiwa has to face her own situation squarely, and reassess the beliefs that have guided her until this point in time.