The ones that got away
Dan Sallitt
> encompass all of Naruse's worthwhile films. (Toronto is going to have
> four extras -- one is surely "Nightly Dreams" which came to NYC
> separately -- I wonder what the other three extras will be?)
One is FLUNKY WORK HARD, which is part of the traveling retro but was
left out of the NYC selection. It screened earlier this evening in
Toronto. I saw it during the 1985 retro, thought it was a nice comedy,
if perhaps a little conventional.
I heard from a programmer that the PFA in Berkeley will supplement this
retro with titles from their own holdings, which apparently are strong
on Asian cinema. I don't know when the series arrives at the PFA.
In addition to EVERY NIGHT DREAMS and FLUNKY WORK HARD, there are three
other films that were part of the 1985 retro but were left off of this one:
- HIT AND RUN (1966), which I didn't care for at all at the time - it
seemed to me heavy-handed, and the script bad.
- THE OTHER WOMAN (1961), which I'm sorry not to be able to revisit - a
very melodramatic film, but in a good way, with a strong structure.
Definitely my favorite of the missing films.
- HIDEKO THE BUS CONDUCTOR (1941), an amiable comedy which I wouldn't
call major.
And then there are the films that haven't been in either the 1985 or
2005 retros. Most wanted for me are:
- UNTAMED (1957), a literary adaptation that everyone seems to like:
Audie Bock called it excellent, Chris Fujiwara superb; even Donald
Richie coughs up some complimentary words for it.
- THE STRANGER WITHIN A WOMAN (1966), which placed #10 in the Kinema
Jumpo rankings, and which Audie Bock praises. Michael, did you say
you'd seen this one?
- THE GIRL IN THE RUMOR (1935), #8 in the Kinema Jumpo rankings, highly
praised by Fujiwara, mentioned ambiguously by Richie (I can never tell
whether he's seen the early movies he writes about) as a triumph of
style over lack of substance.
Any information about these or other titles is welcome. - Dan
Michael Kerpan
Theater Near You". You beat me to the punch.
If you didn't like "Hit and Run", you might not like "The Stanger
Within a Woman" either. This is even more neo-noirish in some ways --
and similarly much more melodramatic than the 50s norm. Where this
tops "Hit and Run" is in its extremely stark, atypically high contrast
black and white cinematography. (I find the cinematography in "Hit and
Run" pretty striking in its own right, by the way) Perhaps as evidence
of its "homage to noir" nature, it also marks Naruse's last return to
Academy format.
The "plot" in this is more suspenseful than the norm -- which makes it
quite hard to discuss without extensive spoilers. My IMDB review is
here:
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0060786/
The new Japanese DVD of this is absolutely gorgeous.
Michael Kerpan
> thought it was a nice comedy, if perhaps a little conventional.
This is probably best screened as part of a mini-season with films like
Ozu's "I Was Born But" and "Tokyo Chorus". It is noticeably
stylistically more immature than any of his own (surviving) work -- or
the Ozu comparison films. Very slap-stick in its first part -- and
lots of visual stunts -- like split screens, dissolves, fades ... It is
highly melodramtic (in the last section;[ nonetheless, it exhibits a
harder-edged view of family life (and the relation of men and women)
than wat one typically finds in Ozu.
Dan Sallitt
> Within a Woman" either.
At the time of the 1985 retro, Audie Bock wrote that she would have
preferred that STRANGER had been included instead of HIT AND RUN.
> The new Japanese DVD of this is absolutely gorgeous.
language)? I know that you're fluent enough, or hardy enough, to plunge
in without subtitles, but I don't feel I'd get enough from the films that
way. - Dan
Michael Kerpan
> seemed to me heavy-handed, and the script bad.
I think your evaluation of the script is basically correct. And to
this flaw, I would add that the script pushes Hideko Takamine beyond
her comfort level when it comes to histrionics (something I've not seen
in any other film). And yet -- this strikes me as a fascinating film
visually. A lot of freedom for the camera -- some shots look virtually
hand held, And the compositon of shots is often quite impressive.
Very worth watching -- even if the story can withstand little scrutiny.
Michael Kerpan
Michael Kerpan
> a very melodramatic film, but in a good way, with a strong structure.
> Definitely my favorite of the missing films.
Tsuma to shite onna to shite / As a Wife, As a Woman (1961)
Probably my favorite color Naruse film -- of those I've seen. Here,
Naruse seems to have said "to hell with natural looking color -- I'm
going to use my standard black and white style lighting. This was
probably a good choice artistically -- but not one he seems to have
made for subsequent color films (maybe it caused complaints?)
Acting wise, this is just superb -- the cat fight between Chikage
Awashima and Hideko Takamnine is especially gripping. Very unfortunate
that this wonderful film got left out.
Michael Kerpan
> wouldn't call major.
I would say that this is significant in that documents Takamine in one
of her first available "adult" performances -- and because it has the
most "jaw dropping" conclusions to any "comedy" I've ever seen. This
seems amazingly "subversive" for a film made under war-time censorship
conditions (albeit not quite so much so as Shimizu's "Mr. Thank You".
Not "major", but something I wish more people could have gotten a
chance to see.
geoc...@aol.com
MoMA's "Early Autumn" series retitled ODE TO A SALESMAN. This is the
38 minute digest version & plays with shorter works or fragments of Ozu
(FIGHTING FRIENDS, JAPANESE STYLE & A STRAIGHTFORWARD BOY) and Saito
Torajiro (A BUDDHIST MASS FOR GOEMON ISHIKAWA).
Dates at MoMA are: Sunday, November 27, 3:00; Wednesday, November 30,
6:30.
Michael Kerpan
are the handful of films released in Spain on DVD (Spanish subs only).
I have heard that several English subbed DVDs will appear next year.
Details not discloseable at this time, alas.
Some of the films are easier to follow unsubbed than others. If I ever
have time, I will try to do more detailed synopses -- that might help
people get throught the films passably. But doing this properly takes
a lot more time than I have now.
Deciding to tackle Japanese films without even the net provided by a
synopsis was a bit scary at first. But, it gets easier over time. ;~}
Without a doubt, "Stranger" is more a keeper than "Hit and Run".
Michael Kerpan
> early movies he writes about)
Much of the time the answer would appear to be "no" -- because the
error level for these remarks (and those of Audie Bock in even the
revised edition of HER book) is surprisingly high.
Michael Kerpan
I think the existing version of "Flunky" is probably pretty complete --
not a digested one. Typically Shochiku had new directors start with
short films -- and gradually work their way up to full length features.
The Ozu's are definitely incomplete. I don't know anything about the
Saito film.
Dan Sallitt
> MoMA's "Early Autumn" series retitled ODE TO A SALESMAN. This is the
> 38 minute digest version
FLUNKY WORK HARD that we saw is listed as 28 minutes long. The screening
in Toronto yesterday is listed as 38 minutes long. So maybe we're seeing
all that there is to see. - Dan
Michael Kerpan
source print been found?
Jeff Capp
minute version is a digest version. However, the published catalog for
the series makes no such distinction while the two Ozu titles and the
Saito title are all listed as Baby-Pathe versions. So perhaps ODE TO A
SALESMAN is the complete version of a short feature.
Michael Kerpan
Kafuku I and II / Learn from Experience, Parts I and II / literally Ups
and Downs (1937)
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0029073/usercomments-1
Natsukashi no kao / A Face from the Past / literally A Fondly
Remembered Face (1941)
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0033939/usercomments-1
Ore mo omae mo / Both You and I / more colloquially correct You and Me,
Pal (1946)
Michael Kerpan
A minor work, probably -- starring Kamatari Fujiwara and two of the
"three sisters with maiden hearts" -- among others. The main focus is
one the 5 member band of a small circus as it falls apart while touring
rural Japan. The high points are the sound (and score) and
cinematography featuring a lot of vertiginous pannin (appropriate - as
high wire trapeze artists are also an important element in the film). A
fascinating side-light on 30s Japan.
Michael Kerpan
Another sprawling extended family story. Toho must have loved these in
the early 60s -- as they brought in Ozu to do one to (End of Summer).
Perhaps they liked showing off their large roster of excellent stars?
In part, rather like a first draft of "Yearning". Hideko Takamine is
the widow of the oldest son of an extended family -- and runs the
family's grocery. The upcoming threat of super-marketization is
mentioned in passing -- but not followed through here. Much of the
machinations here involve a marriage proposal for one of the younger
daughters. The cast is marvelous -- with Chishu Ryu and Haruko
Sugimura as the senior generation -- and with Yoko Tsulasa, Reiko Dan,
Keiko Awaji, Keiju Kobayashi, Daisuke Kato and Tatsuya Mihashi as just
_some_ of the children and in-laws and family connections. The plot
starts as wry and sarcastic, but veers into seeming unnecesary high
melodrama and pathos right before the end. Even here, a strange
sarcastic tone creeps in -- as some of the crew behaves very casually
at what ought to be a wrenching funeral.
Not on the same level as the extended family dramas that _are_ included
in the retrospective -- but entertaining for fans of the many stars.