The late Etsuko Takano, general manager of Iwanami Hall, a Tokyo movie theater famous for showing foreign art films, played a pioneering role in bringing international masterpieces to the silver screen in Japan before the age of the Internet and cable television.

Takano died of colon cancer at a Tokyo hospital Feb. 9, the 45th anniversary of the founding of Iwanami Hall. She was 83.

Works brought to Japanese audiences by Takano included "The Travelling Players" from Greece, "Man of Marble" from Poland, "The Whales of August" from the United States and "Pather Panchali" from India.