Tokyo Twilight

Directed by Yasujiro Ozu and written by Ozu and Kogo Noda, Tokyo Twilight is the story of two sisters who reunite with their mother after she had abandoned them when they were children as they both deal with their own lives. The film is a look into the life of a family as they cope with this sudden reunion as well as changes in their lives. Starring Setsuko Hara, Ineko Arima, Chishu Ryu, Isuzu Yamada, Kamatari Fujiwara, Nobuo Nakamura, and Haruko Sugimura. Tokyo Twilight is an evocative and touching film from Yasujiro Ozu.

The film follows the life of a banker in Tokyo who has two adult daughters as the eldest had just moved in with him with her two-year-old daughter due to her unhappy marriage where she and her younger sister learn that their mother has returned to Tokyo having been presumed dead for years. It’s a family drama that explores a family life that goes into chaos though there are several things the two women in the family are both dealing with as the eldest sister in Takako (Setsuko Hara) is taking care of things at her father’s home while her father Shukichi (Chishu Ryu) continues to work at the bank as he is dealing with the death of a colleague. The script by Yasujiro Ozu and Kogo Noda also explores the private pain that Takako’s younger sister Akiko (Ineko Arima) is dealing with as she is pregnant as her college boyfriend Kenji (Masami Taura) wants nothing to do with her.

During a search to find Kenji, she goes to a mahjong parlor that is run by a woman name Kisako (Isuzu Yamada) where she claims to know Akiko as she doesn’t tell her that she’s her mother. When Shukichi and Takako invite Shukichi’s sister Shigeko (Haruko Sugimura) that she saw Kisako as Takako learned about what Akiko had been doing though she is unaware of Akiko’s pregnancy. The screenplay would show this meeting between Takako and Kisako as it is filled with tension with the former displaying some resentment over what Kisako had done. Yet, it would set the stage for the emotional journey that Akiko would endure not just her own pregnancy but also revelations about the woman at the mahjong parlor she met.

Ozu’s direction is understated as well as being simple in terms of the compositions he creates and the need to delve into anything stylistic. Shot on location in Tokyo, Ozu would devoid himself of camera movements for the film including no tracking shots or anything of movement. Instead, he just aims a simple static shot to play into the image that he presents where he would use some wide shots for some of the locations in and around Tokyo. Yet, much of what Ozu shoots is with medium shots for much of the film as there’s very little close-ups in order to capture the intimacy and interaction between the characters. Much of is to not dwell too much into the melodrama as it would increase by the film’s third act as it relates to the Takako, Akiko, and Kisako. Ozu would maintain his simple approach to visuals as well as know where to create some offbeat shifts in the story that would seem abrupt but also play into the drama. Especially into what would happen as Ozu is aware of the bleakness that is prevalent in the story but is also aware that life has to continue. Overall, Ozu crafts an intoxicating yet tender film about two women dealing with the re-emergence of their estranged mother.

Cinematographer Yuhara Atsuda does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography to capture the beauty of some of the daytime exteriors in Tokyo as well as use some lighting for the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Yoshiyasu Hamamura does excellent work with the editing as it is very straightforward with very little elements of style for something more direct. Art director Tatsuo Hamada does fantastic work with the look of the home of Shukichi as well as the mahjong parlor that Kisako runs. The sound work of Yoshisaburo Senoo is terrific for being very simple and natural without the need to embellish as it very understated and to-the-point. The film’s music by Takanobu Saito is amazing for its orchestral-based score that feature some somber string arrangements to play into the drama while the music also feature some traditional Japanese music and contemporary music played on location.

The film’s phenomenal cast include some notable small roles from Seiji Miyaguchi as a police officer, Kamatari Fujiwara as a noodle shop owner who lets Akiko drink at his restaurant during the third act, Kinzo Shin as Takako’s estranged husband who visits Shukichi early in the film, Nobuo Nakamura as Kisako’s new husband Sakae Soma, Masami Taura as Akiko’s cruel college boyfriend Kenji, and Haruko Sugimura in a wonderful performance as Shukichi’s sister Shigeko who would tell her brother and niece in her encounter with Kisako. Isuzu Yamada is fantastic as Kisako as Shukichi’s estranged ex-wife Kisako as a woman who has re-emerged in Tokyo with a new life as she recognizes Akiko though doesn’t tell her who she really is as it’s an understated performance that shows a woman trying to start over.

Chishu Ryu is excellent as Shukichi as a banker who is dealing with the death of his family as well as Akiko’s late arrivals at his home wondering what is happening with his family. Ineko Arima is brilliant as Akiko as a young woman trying to deal with an unwanted pregnancy and a troubled relationship with her boyfriend as well as the revelation about the woman she met at a mahjong parlor. Finally, there’s Setsuko Hara in a radiant performance as Takako as a woman who is separated from her husband as she’s trying to run her father’s house and take care of her two-year old daughter while learning about the re-appearance of her mother as she tries to make sure Akiko doesn’t get herself into any trouble as well as getting her mother to not see Akiko ever again.

Tokyo Twilight is an incredible film from Yasujiro Ozu. Featuring a great cast, a compelling story, evocative visuals, and a somber music score, the film is definitely one of Ozu’s finest films in its exploration of family and middle-class life. Especially as it play into two women dealing with the unexpected return of their estranged mother whom they had believed had died. In the end, Tokyo Twilight is a sensational film from Yasujiro Ozu.

Yasujiro Ozu Films: (Sword of Penitence) – (Days of Youth) – Tokyo Chorus - I Was Born, But... - (Dragnet Girl) – Passing Fancy – (A Mother Should Be Loved) – A Story of Floating Weeds - (An Inn in Tokyo) – (The Only Son) – (What Did the Lady Forget?) – (Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family) – (There Was a Father) – Record of a Tenement Gentleman - (A Hen in the Wind) – Late Spring - Early Summer - (The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice) – Tokyo Story - Early Spring - (Equinox Flower) – Good Morning - Floating Weeds - Late Autumn - The End of Summer – An Autumn Afternoon

© thevoid99 2017

2015 Blind Spot Series: The Human Condition Trilogy

Based on the novel series by Junpei Gomikawa, The Human Condition is a film trilogy that explores the life of a young man with socialist and pacifist views of the world who endures oppression and terror during the era of World War II Japan. Directed by Masaki Kobayashi and screenplay by Kobayahi and Zenzo Matsuyama, the film is set into three parts that plays into the journey of a young man who goes from labor camp supervisor to serving as part of the Imperial army in World War II and becoming a POW for the Soviet Union as he questions the journey of his life. Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Iseko Ariama, Chikage Awashima, Keiji Sada, Taketoshi Naito, Minoru Chiaki, Yusuke Kawazu, Tamao Nakamura, Chishu Ryu, and Hideko Takamine. The Human Condition is an astonishing and tremendous study of humanity in the era of war from Masaki Kobayashi.

The film is a three-part story told in the span of nearly three years from 1943 Japan to early 1946 as a man named Kaji (Tatsuya Nakadai) would endure a series of events and moments that would shape his view of humanity as he tries to hold on to his views of socialism and pacifism thinking that there’s some good in the world of war. Since it is a three-part movie with a total running time of 574-minutes (nine-hours and forty-seven minutes without intermission), it is a film that plays into Kaji’s view on the world from trying to change things and then be pushed to the edge over how the world works. In the first film, he starts out serving as labor camp supervisor in Japanese-occupied Manchuria in China where he is challenged by corrupt men who want to punish and rule over the Chinese. Due to his actions in trying to maintain some peace and civility, he would be punished into becoming a soldier in the second film where he endures brutality in his training and later tension with soldiers as he tries to train older recruits.

The third film would have Kaji trying to survive once his platoon has been overwhelmed where he is eventually captured by Soviet forces as he contends with everything he endures and encounters. The screenplays by Masaki Kobayashi and Zenzo Matsuyama explore not just Kaji’s evolution as a man trying to find some kind of hope and humanity during a horrific period of war. In the first film, Kaji starts out as a man of great intelligence as he is exempted from military service where he would take a job in Manchuria as a labor camp supervisor where he brings his new bride Michiko (Michiyo Aratama) as she tries to understand the work that Kaji is trying to do in his work where he has to deal with corrupt officials despite the support of a camp officer in Okishima (So Yamamura) and a young Chinese officer in Chen (Akira Ishihama). While he tries to appease prisoners including a few troublesome Chinese prisoners like Kao (Shinji Nanbara) as well as offering prostitutes to ease their troubles.

Things don’t go right because of the way the Japanese wants to control things and to ensure the increase production in ore as trouble would ensue where Kaji’s actions into helping the Chinese and ensure that they’re treated humanly would lead to his path in the second film. By being forced to serve in the military as punishment where there are those watching over him, Kaji would survive training though he longs to be with his wife. Yet, some of the tactics of veteran soldiers and such would create trouble and tragedy where Kaji tries to make things right as his actions would get the attention of his old friend Kageyama (Keiji Sada) who would have Kaji train older recruits during the final moments of war. Yet, his attempts to make things easier and deal with things behind the scenes only trouble him as Soviet forces would arrive. The third film would be about Kaji’s attempt to survive with the few allies he has left as he would encounter a group of lost refugees, soldiers without leaders, and eventual capture by the Soviets. All of which leads to him trying to comprehend the idea of war and what it means to live.

It’s not just the development of Kaji that is important but also in the environment and people he encounter in his journey from being this idealist pacifist with socialist views on the world to a soldier who saw a world that is very troubled and dark in the days of war. In some ways, it is an anti-war film that is being told but one that plays into a man trying to hold into the idea that there is good in the world of war as he ponders if the enemy are just as humane as he is. While there are those who are baffled by his idealism and determination, they would admire him for sticking to his beliefs as he would be tested. Even in moments where Kaji would be forced to see people who are good be harmed either by their own selfishness or by some event as it add to Kaji questioning his own ideals as his capture by the Soviet would only create more confusion from within.

Kobayashi’s direction is nothing short of grand in terms of its visuals as well as the length to tell the story with such ambition. For the first film entitled No Greater Love and its subsequent films, Kobayashi does maintain compositions and images that do play into Kaji’s struggle with the world that often include slanted camera angles as if Kaji is either walking up or down a hill or a mountain. Shot on location in northern Japan (due to strained Chinese-Japanese relations at the time), Kobayashi’s usage of mountains and barren landscapes play into the world of the labor camps where the Chinese are imprisoned along with these intricate usage of tracking shots that would become a prominent factor for much of trilogy. Notably for scenes in the second film Road to Eternity where Kobayashi would use these intricate tracking shots to play into the sense of tension that emerges in the training camps and at the barracks where soldiers sleep as it makes things uneasy.

The direction also Kobayashi maintain a sense of intimacy through his usage of close-ups and medium shots for scenes at the camp and brothels in No Greater Love and at the camps in Road to Eternity. Much of it would play into not just Kaji’s sense of longing but also his struggle to hold on to his beliefs and the semblance of humanity around him. The close-ups wouldn’t just play into Kaji’s own state of mind but also in the characters who would become attached to him as the final days of the war is emerging. In the second half of Road to Eternity where Kaji and his platoon would have to battle it out with the Soviets. It does become a very different film where Kaji is in the middle of a battlefield knowing that he might die but manages to survive but its aftermath would play into a growing sense of disillusionment. It then leads to the third and final film of the trilogy in A Soldier’s Prayer where Kaji and a few soldiers he had befriend are fighting to survive where they would encounter refugees and others on their way back to Manchuria. The third film does become much broader in terms of its visuals and in its suspense as well as the sense of drama where Kaji is trying to maintain some dignity despite the fact that he knows that Japan has been defeated.

Kaji’s encounter with different types of refugees would play into his own resolve where Kobayashi’s direction is quite vast in its compositions that include some very wide shots of the farmland where Chinese militia farmers are taking watch. By the time the film moves into the Soviet camps, it does become more grim where Kaji would endure labor work as punishment but also a sense of disillusionment in the way he sees the Soviet as who they really are from their view of socialism. It’s in these moments where Kobayashi would definitely heighten the tension and drama for an ending where Kaji and everything he had encountered would force him to make a decision for what is right in the world. Overall, Kobayashi creates what is truly an astronomical and gripping trilogy of films about a humanist dealing with war and inhumanity during one of the most horrific periods in world history.

Cinematographer Yoshio Miyajima does brilliant work with the black-and-white cinematography for all three films where he infuses a lot of unique images and lighting schemes with Takaskhi Kato providing some harsh lights for a rainy scene in the first film while Akira Aomatsu does some of the lights for scenes at night and in the interiors for the second and third film as well as some naturalistic images for the latter for scenes set in the woods as the photography is among one of the film‘s highlights. Editor Keiichi Uraoka does amazing work with the editing in not just creating rhythmic cuts for some of the dramatic and active moments in the film but also some dissolves and stylish cuts to play into the drama including the usage of flashbacks and freeze-frames for the third film.

Production designer Kazue Hirakata, with set designers Yoji Maru (for the first film) and Takamasi Kobayashi (for the second and third films) and set decorators Kyoji Sasaki (for the first film) and Seiji Ishikawa (for the second and third films), does fantastic work with the set design from the look of the Manchurian villages where Kaji and Michiko would live to the labor camps, training camps, and other places that Kaji would encounter throughout his journey. Sound recorder Hideo Nishizaki does excellent work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the labor camps and ore mines in the first film as well as the scenes set in the training camps, battlefields, and at the Soviet prison to play into the world that Kaji is at. The film’s music by Chuji Kinoshita is great as it features an array of compositions from somber string arrangements to play into the drama to bombastic orchestral numbers that add to the tone of war as well as cadence drum arrangements to play into that world of the military.

The casting for all three films are incredible as it is a large yet well-crafted ensemble in the many roles that were assembled for the film. From No Greater Love, there’s notable small roles from Nobuo Nakamura as labor camp manager, Akitake Kono as a camp captain, Eitaro Ozawa as a brutish camp official in Okazaki, Masao Mishima as the camp manager Kuroki, Seiji Mizoguchi as the prisoner Wang Heng Li, Shinji Nanbara as the prisoner Kao, Koji Mitsui as the abusive camp officer Furya, Ineko Arima as the prostitute Yang Chun Lan who falls for Kao, Akira Ishihama as the Chinese officer Chen, So Yamamura as the sympathetic officer Okimshima, and Chikage Awashima as the brothel madam Jin Tung Fu whom Chen would fall for.

From Road to Eternity, there’s small roles from Kokini Katsura and Jun Tatara as a couple of first-class privates, Michio Minami as the abusive private first-class Yoshida, Fumio Watanabe and Shoji Yasui as a couple of officers at the camp, and Susumu Fujita as an older recruit Kaji is training. From A Soldier’s Prayer, there’s noteworthy small roles from Tamao Nakamura as a refugee Kaji and his fellow soldiers encounter, Ed Keene and Ronald Self as a couple of Soviet officers, Koji Kiyoumura and Keijiro Morozumi as a couple of soldiers, Kyoko Kishida as a prostitute refugee that Koji meets, Reiko Hitomi as a young woman who joins the soldiers on a journey, Hideko Takamine as a woman in a refugee camp, and Chishu Ryu as an old man in the refugee camp.

From the second film, Kei Sato is terrific as the veteran recruit Shinjo who would make a drastic attempt to escape the military while Kunie Tanaka is superb as the poor-sighted and cowardly Obara who would endure horrific abuse in the hands of supervisors. Keiji Sada is excellent as Kaji’s old friend Kageyama who appears in the first and second film where he becomes a lieutenant in the latter who would appoint Kaji to train a group of older officers. Taketoshi Naito and Yusuke Kawazu are brilliant in their respective roles as the soldiers Tange and Terada who both admire Kaji for his determination with the former being the cynic and the latter being a young man. Nobuo Kaneko is fantastic as the corrupt officer Kirihara who would also be captured by the Soviets where he is able to sway things in their favor much to Kaji’s disgust.

Michiyo Aratama is amazing as Kaji’s wife Michiyo who copes with her husband’s activities and his absences as she would visit him during his training as a soldier while becoming an object of determination in the third film where she would appear as an apparition of other women to remind him what he needs to return to. Finally, there’s Tatsuya Nakadai in a performance for the ages as Kaji as an idealistic young man who would endure some of the most horrific events in history. It’s a performance where Nakadai maintains a sense of humility and drive into his performance where he starts off as determined to make a difference in a world that is very cruel only to be pushed and pushed to face the harsher side of reality. Even as he contends with some of the actions he had caused and his attempts to do good during the time of war as it is a very haunting yet exhilarating performance from Nakadai.

The 2009 four-disc Region 1 DVD set from the Criterion Collection presents the films in their 2:35:1 theatrical aspect ratio on an enhanced 16x9 widescreen format with 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono sound as both sound and image are remastered for this release. Three discs contain the three different films in the trilogy as well as a fourth disc of special features. The first is a fourteen-minute excerpt of a rare 1993 interview with Masaki Kobayashi by filmmaker Masahiro Shinoda made for the Japanese Director’s Guild. Kobayashi talks about his collaboration with cinematographer Yoshio Miyajima and their methods as well as aspects on the production along with the first film’s initial reception, despite winning an award at the Venice Film Festival, where it wasn’t well-received.

The 18-minute interview Tatsuya Nakadai has the actor talking about the film and his performance where he was just a newcomer who had worked with Kobayashi prior to making the trilogy. Nakadai also talks about the production as it was a tough one that spanned over three years as only he and Kobayashi were the only ones that didn’t get sick throughout the production. Nakadai also talks about how some of his performance was based on Kobayashi’s own experience as a POW which he added into the film as well as talking about seeing the film over the years which he is proud of as he also thinks it’s one of the finest anti-war films ever made.

The 25-minute appreciation video about the film and Kobayashi by filmmaker Masahiro Shinoda has the filmmaker discussing a lot of the film’s themes and how it would relate to the films Kobayashi would make throughout his career. Shinoda also talks about Kobayashi’s life as a POW which would reflect on some of the scenes shown on the film where Kobayashi wanted a realistic depiction of what it was like. Shinoda also talks about the novelist of the stories who, like Kobayashi, was also part of the military that refused to serve as an officer where the two both shared their own experiences of war which would play into the film. Shinoda also talks about the romantic elements in the film that he felt was overlooked as he revealed much of the influence of late 1930s French cinema that had an impact on Kobayashi as a filmmaker.

The DVD set includes the trailers for all three films which displays its sense of ambition and importance to the Japanese cinema. The DVD set also includes an essay by film historian Philip Kemp entitled The Prisoner where Kemp talks about Kobayashi’s film career but also the state of Japan during the time the film was made. One of which where Japan was struggling with the actions it caused as well as be in denial about what they did where the film’s release did spark some controversy despite the international acclaim it would receive. Kemp also talks about the film and its narrative along with some of its irony as it concerns Kaji’s socialist views which would add to Kaji’s own downfall and disillusionment. It’s a very compelling essay that serves as a fine accompaniment to a towering trilogy.

The Human Condition trilogy is truly an outstanding achievement from Masaki Kobayashi that features a spectacular performance from Tatsuya Nakadai. While each film do stand out on their own, it is far more powerful and exhilarating as one entire piece thanks to a great ensemble cast and amazing technical work. It is also an intriguing study about humanity at a point in time where human kindness and decency are swayed away by something as senseless as war. In the end, The Human Condition trilogy is a magnificent trilogy of films by Masaki Kobayashi.

Masaki Kobayashi Films: (Black River) - Harakiri - Kwaidan - Samurai Rebellion - (Hymn to a Tired Man) - (The Fossil) - (Tokyo Trial)

© thevoid99 2015

The Ballad of Narayama (1958 film)

Based on the book Men of Tohoku by Shichiro Fukazawa, The Ballad of Narayama is the story of a woman who is near death as she asks her son to take her to a mountain where she can die so he can start his new life. Written for the screen and directed by Keisuke Kinoshita, the film is a chilling tale set in ancient Japan as it explores the concept of ubasute where an elderly person is sent to a mountain to live out its final days. Starring Kinuyo Tanaka, Teiji Takahashi, Yuko Mochizuki, Danko Ichikawa, Keiko Ogasawara, and Seiji Miyaguchi. The Ballad of Narayama is a rich yet heartbreaking film from Keisuke Kinoshita.

Set in ancient Japan in a remote village, the film explores the final days of an old woman whose widowed son is about to be marry to a widow as she is eager to go to the mountain of Narayama to spend her final days. It is told in kabuki-style approach to storytelling where some of its narrative is sung in the tradition of kabuki theater as it plays into the sense of melancholia that looms throughout the film. The film’s screenplay has a very unconventional narrative where the first half concerns about Orin (Kinuyo Tanaka) preparing her middle-aged son Tatsuhei (Teiji Takahashi) to marry a respectable widow in Tamayan (Yuko Mochizuki) while dealing with her own mortality. The second half is about Orin wanting to prepare her journey to the mystical mountain of Narayama as she and Tatsuhei are given instructions about what to do in their journey.

During the course of the film, there’s moments where Orin is being treated like a pariah by people in her village as she is the next to die while her family such as her eldest grandson would make songs about her. Yet, Orin would get the support and care of Tamayan who is new in the family as Orin would be the one to take her in first. Orin is a woman that represents all that is good with the family as she is an exceptional cook as well as someone who is wise as she would also help an old neighbor in Matayan (Seiji Miyaguchi) who is being mistreated by his son (Yunosuke Ito) who wants to take him to Narayama to die. There’s an element of cruelty over the way elderly has to go to this mountain to die but there’s also a sense of honor as it’s something Tatsuhei would have trouble dealing with as he loves his mother very much.

Keisuke Kinoshita’s direction is truly mesmerizing in the way he presents the film where it is shot entirely on a soundstage where it would act like a live kabuki-theater performance. It is set in a world where there’s a lot of visual backdrops where some of them would drop into another for scenes set at night or the lighting would suddenly change to create a mood. Kinoshita’s direction also includes these intricate dolly shots where the camera would pan from one section of the village to another to follow the characters while also using some medium shots to play into an intimacy in the drama. There’s also some tense moments such as a meeting where Orin and Tatsuhei would meet with those who went to Narayama as it is one of the film’s chilling moments. It would then climax into this journey of Orin on Tatsuhei’s back to trek into Narayama as it’s a journey full of mysticism and faith as well as what to expect when a person’s time is up. Overall, Kinoshita crafts a very intoxicating and somber film about death and the ideas of life itself.

Cinematographer Hiroyuki Kusuda does brilliant work with the film‘s rich and evocative cinematography with its array of colors and mood changes in the lighting as well as in the way some of the scenes are presented in its interior and exterior settings. Editor Yoshi Sugihara does nice work with the editing as it‘s very straightforward in terms of transitions and rhythmic cuts for the dramatic elements of the film. Production designers Kisaku Ito and Chiyoo Umeda do amazing work with the design of the entire village as well as the homes and mountain areas that includes the Narayama mountain.

Sound recorders Hideo Nishizaki and Hisao Ono do terrific work with the sound from the way some of the moments in the locations are presented as well as the sound of the weather for certain parts of the film. The film’s music by Rokuzaemon Kineya and Matsunosuke Nozawa is absolutely incredible as it is played in two very different styles with the former playing these dissonant and unsettling string instruments that add to the sense of dread with Nozawa doing the more vocal-based music where they become more intense once the two styles come together as it‘s a major highlight of the film.

The film’s excellent cast include some notable small roles from Eijiro Tono as the messenger who tells Orin about Tama, Ken Mitsuda as a local villager in Teru, Keiko Ogasawara as Kesakichi’s fiancée` Matsu, Danko Ichikawa as Tatsuhei’s eldest son Kesakichi, Yunosuke Ito as Mata’s very selfish and abusive son, and Seiji Miyaguchi in a terrific role as the old and mistreated Mata who is always starving as Orin would feed him. Yuko Mochizuki is brilliant as Tama as this widow who marries Tatsuhei as she ponders about being in a new family where she is immediately embraced by Orin while being the most understanding and caring person in the film.

Teiji Takahashi is fantastic as Tatsuhei as a middle-aged man dealing with the new marriage he’s in as well as what he has to do when it is time for his mother to die as it’s a role that is quite intense but also full of sensitivity. Finally, there’s Kinuyo Tanaka in a phenomenal performance as Orin as this old woman dealing with mortality as well as the role she is about to play as she is someone who would accept the idea of death as it’s one full of grace and wisdom which is more surprising since Tanaka was in her late 40s as she was playing a woman at the age of 70.

The 2013 Region 1 DVD/Region A Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a new 2K digital master from a 2011 restoration in its 2:35:1 theatrical aspect ratio with remastered and restored sound in Dolby Digital Mono. The DVD/Blu-Ray set doesn’t feature any extras other than a teaser and trailer for the film but it does feature a booklet that features an essay by British film critic Philip Kemp about the film entitled Abandonment. Kemp essentially talks about Kinoshita’s place in Japanese cinema as well as the film itself which was quite daring for being experimental and traditional as it was considered one of the key films in Japanese cinema’s golden age after World War II. Kemp also discusses some of the film’s political and social allegories in the way old people are treated in the wake of World War II where nationalism took over and many of its moralities got lost until the war ended. It’s a very fascinating piece about one of Japan’s key films.

The Ballad of Narayama is a remarkable film from Keisuke Kinoshita that features an outstanding performance from Kinuyo Tanaka. The film is definitely one of the most beautiful and harrowing films about death and tradition as it would some very exotic cinematography and a mesmerizing film score. In the end, The Ballad of Narayama is a tremendously dazzling film from Keisuke Kinoshita.

Related: The Ballad of Narayama (1983 film)

Keisuke Kinoshita Films: Army - (Carmen Comes Home) - (Twenty-Four Eyes) - (Years of Sorrow and Joy) - Immortal Love

© thevoid99 2014

The Bad Sleep Well

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/20/08 w/ Additional Edits.

Based on William Shakespeare's play version of Hamlet, The Bad Sleep Well is the story of a young executive who seeks revenge for the death of his father to expose corruption in the place that he works at. Directed by Akira Kurosaw and screenplay by Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Eijiro Hisaita, Ryzuo Kikushima, and Hideo Oguni, the film is set in a modern period to explore the world of post-war Japan's rise in the world of business. Starring Kurosawa regulars Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, Seiji Miyaguchi, Susumu Fujita, Masayuki Mori, and Kyoko Kagawa.The Bad Sleep Well is a provocative, harrowing, and engaging film from Akira Kurosawa.

A wedding celebration between Koichi Nishi (Toshiro Mifune) and Keiko (Kyoko Kagawa), the daughter of Public Corporation Vice President Iwabuchi (Masayuki Mori), is already underway. Yet, the company that also includes Administrative Officer Moriyama (Takashi Shimura) and Shirai (Ko Nishimura) as they're all celebrating this wonderful celebration. Yet, a detective (Susumu Fujita) appears as they arrest two corporate associates named Miura (Gen Shimizu) and Wada (Kamatari Fujiwara) for the possible link to the murder of a man named Fukura. When both men refuse to confess, prosecutors Nonaka (Chishu Ryu) and Okakura (Seiji Miyaguchi) decide to use embezzlement charges on the two as Miura commits suicide while Wada tries to do the same until he is saved by Nishi.

When word got out over Wada's suicide, Iwabuchi holds a press conference over the suicide while trying to hide some public scandal that's been going on for months. Yet, Wada is hiding at Nishi's old auto shop as he now works as a personal secretary for Iwabuchi. With help from Itakura (Takeshi Kato), Nishi makes a plan to help uncover the scandal as well as his father's death. At home, Nishi doesn't do much as he often has conversations with his playboy brother-in-law Tatsuo (Tatsuya Mihashi) while often tending to his handicapped wife whom he's starting to fall for. Targeting Shirai with help from Wada, the two men succeed in creating a sense of paranoia as he's starting to get into trouble with Moriyama and Iwabuchi over unaccounted money and other things. Realizing that Shirai has become a liability with claims that he saw the ghost of Wada, they decide to take care of the problem. Instead, Nishi thwarts that attempt to confront Shirai as he reveals to be the illegitimate son of Fukura.

With Shirai gone insane, Moriyama decides to investigate the motivation to these strange events in relation to Fukura's murder that also included the wedding cake of the building with a rose stuck out on a room in the seventh floor. Yet, Nishi realizes that his thirst for vengeance is complicated by his feelings for Keiko as Itakura and Wada try and help him. When Moriyama visits Fukura's widow (Natsuko Kahara), he makes a shocking discovery that reveals the motives for these strange events. When Nishi is exposed, he escapes and later kidnaps Moriyama in order to make him confess. Yet as they wait, Iwabuchi figures out what to do while Wada makes an unexpected move for Nishi that would finally make him question on what he would do. When a breakthrough emerges from Moriyama, there's hope for Nishi and his associates while Iwabuchi makes his own move that would prove to be catastrophic.

Taking a lot of cues from Hamlet, the film is about vengeance on a thematic level but it's also about loss. The film is about a man wanting to take vengeance on the man who took away the father he barely got to know just after a meeting with him that proved to be powerful. The next day, his father was gone through suicide as he vowed vengeance with the money he was given. Five years later, Nishi's plan to destroy the lives of the men who destroyed his father is getting closer but there's an irony to Nishi's plan along with the help of Itakura. When he gains Wada, he unexpectedly gets a conscience as he struggles to contend with his thirst for revenge and his sudden feelings for Keiko. When Iwabuchi suddenly is hit with all of these events and everything that's going on, he makes a move of his own that would not only be tragic but reveals some huge losses with twists reveal that makes the ending more tragic.

While the script Kurosawa and his writers create definitely draws a lot of influence from Hamlet, the direction is truly mesmerizing. While the film starts off a bit slowly with its wedding sequence, once it reaches into its tone of suspense. It starts to pick up as Kurosawa let things unravel piece by piece with its suspense and aura of mystery. Notably the scene where Shirai is spooked in his neighborhood in what he believes is the ghost of Wada. Yet, Kurosawa creates the film as if it's a modern-day tale with the intimacy and staging of a play with its interior settings. Along with his stylish yet smooth editing style with frame wipes and cuts to add a rhythm to its suspense. Kurosawa creates an intriguing film that is filled with a lot of theatricality and commentary about vengeance and identity.

Cinematographer Yuzuru Aizawa does great work with the film's black-and-white photography with its intimate shots in the film's interior settings while the bunker scenes are well lit with little lights as it has an exquisite yet haunting feel. Aizawa's best work is in the film's famous exterior street scene at night with its shade of night lights and darkness to convey the film's eerie tone and suspense. Production designer Yoshiro Muraki also does great work in the traditional/modern housing look of the Iwabuchi home as well as modern offices, Itakura's apartment, and the decayed look of the bunker where Moriyama is taken prisoner. Costume designer Shoji Kurihara does excellent work in the look of the suits the male actors wear while giving Kyoko Kagawa a great look with traditional Japanese garb, most notably her wedding dress.

Sound recordist Fumio Yanoguchi and effects editor Ichiro Minawa do brilliant work with the film's sound to convey the suspenseful atmosphere of several sequences while creating a sense of intimacy in the film's interior sequences. Composer Masaru Sato does fantastic work with the film's score for a more orchestral approach with flutes and strings to convey the film's sense of suspense and drama along with a few light-hearted pieces. While Sato also incorporates traditional Japanese music in the wedding scene along with a few other scenes, it's his orchestral flair that shines throughout the entire film.

The casting is truly phenomenal with small appearances from Kin Sugai and Toshiko Higuchi in their respective roles of Wada's wife and daughter, Natsuko Kahara as Fukura's widow, Gen Shimizu as Miura, Susumu Fujita as a detective at the wedding, and in the role of the prosecutors, Chishu Ryu and Seiji Miyaguchi as two men who suspect the events are in relation to the murders of Fukura. Tatsuya Mihashi is excellent as Iwabuchi's playboy son Tatsuo who is concerned about his sister's happiness while wondering where Nishi had been going as he also questions about the kind of person his father is. Takeshi Kato is really good as Itakura, Nishi's assistant who provides a lot ideas and counsel to Nishi while being the more cynical of the two men who help as his motives reveal to be something much bigger in relation to who he is. Ko Nishimura is great as Shirai, a corporate officer who becomes a target as his paranoia and troubles lead him into madness.

Kyoko Kagawa is great in the role as Keiko, the wife of Nishi with a bad leg as she wonders about her husband's sporadic appearances while learning the truth that causes conflict in her loyalty to her father and her husband. Takashi Shimura is also great as Moriyama, Iwabuchi's partner who takes matters into his own hands for the investigation where he makes a discovery and is later captured where he would reveal what happened to Fukura. The film's best supporting performance easily goes to Kamatari Fujiwara as Wada, a cowardice officer who later becomes the film's conscience as he tries to get Nishi to see reason about vengeance as he proves to be a powerful voice while angry over how he got himself into this position without seeing his own family.

Masayuki Mori is brilliant as Iwabuchi, the film's antagonist who plans and figures out how to make his moves about the scandal that would destroy him. Yet when he learns about Nishi, he would do things that would prove to be very horrible no matter who he hurts as he's a man that is about power. Even he has to fool the people who are closest to him as Mori is definitely amazing. Toshiro Mifune is superb as Nishi, the film's protagonist who seeks revenge for the death of the father he barely knew. Mifune's performance is wonderfully restrained in comparison to his more famous work as samurai characters where he gets to put on a suit, look normal, and even be a bit of a romantic. It's a very complex and subtle performance from the actor proving that there's more to the legendary actor than playing a badass.

The Bad Sleep Well is a brilliant film from Akira Kurosawa. Thanks to a great cast led by Toshiro Mifune, Masayuki Mori, and Kamatari Fujiwara, it's a film that features great acting and a theatricality that is fascinating to watch. Notably for the way Kurosawa takes his time to explore a man's thirst for revenge and the eventual outcome that it would unveil. In the end, The Bad Sleep Well is a compelling drama from the legendary Akira Kurosawa.

Akira Kurosawa Films: (Sanshiro Sugata) - (The Most Beautiful) - (Sanshiro Sugata Part II) - (The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail) - No Regrets on Our Youth - (One Wonderful Sunday) - Drunken Angel - (The Quiet Duel) - Stray Dog - Scandal (1950 film) - Rashomon - The Idiot (1951 film) - Ikiru - The Seven Samurai - (I Live in Fear) - Throne of Blood - (The Lower Depths (1957 film)) - The Hidden Fortress - Yojimbo - Sanjuro - High and Low - Red Beard - Dodesukaden - Dersu Uzala - Kagemusha - Ran - Dreams (1990 film) - (Rhapsody in August) - (Madadayo)

© thevoid99 2012

The Seven Samurai

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/18/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa with a script he co-wrote with Hideo Oguni & Shinobu Hasmimoto. The Seven Samurai tells the story of poor 16th Century farmers whose village is often attacked and ransacked by bandits. To combat the bandits for the upcoming harvest, one of the farmers finds help in seven samurai swordsmen. While the plot is simple, Kurosawa's tale is very complex in unveiling how seven man, who are flawed but are willing to help out the helpless despite their lack of mastery in the art of samurai. With an all-star cast that includes Kurosawa regulars Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune along with Daisuke Kato, Yoshio Inaba, Minoru Chiaki, Isao Kimura, and Seiji Miyaguchi as the title characters. The Seven Samurai is an enduring and epic film from Akira Kurosawa.

With a civil war brewing as a group of village farmers are living in fear due to bandits who threaten their lives and steal their food. A young farmer named Rikichi (Yoshio Tsuchiya) wants to fight back but many fear about dying as they turn to the oldest villager in Gisaku (Kuninori Takado) who agree that they should fight back with some help from samurai warriors. Rikichi and a few farmers go to the city to find samurai warriors where at first, they're unsuccessful until they see a man named Kambei Shimada (Takashi Shimura) saving a child from a thief by posing as a priest. Also watching is a hot-headed samurai named Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune) and a younger samurai named Katsushiro Okamoto (Isao Kimura) who yearns to be Kambei's disciple. Kambei takes in Katsushiro as the villagers ask for Kambei's help who takes the job for three square meals a day as he and Katsushiro recruit various samurai warriors including Kambei's old friend Shichiroji (Daisuke Kato) while Gorobei Katayama (Yoshio Inaba) wants to help out. Gorobei brings in a woodcutter named Heihachi Hayashida (Minoru Chiaki) to the team as a stone-faced yet skilled swordsman named Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi) also joins while Kikuchiyo wants to be part of the gang despite his crazed personality and claims to come from a long line of samurai families.

When Kikuchiyo follows them as Kambei reluctantly lets him be part of the team as they arrive to the village where a farmer named Manzo (Kamatari Fujiwara) decides to turn his daughter Shino (Keiko Tsushima) into a boy to hide from the samurai. Upon their arrival, Kikuchiyo bangs the alarm wood to get the villagers' attention where Kambei meets Gisaku to discuss the defensive plans with Gorobei and Katsushiro helping out while the rest of the samurai warriors train the villagers. After learning about a samurai who had fled the village to leave the villagers in fear, Kikuchiyo reveals to the team about being a farmer's son as the samurai learn about their plight. Katsushiro meanwhile, has caught the attention of Shino as he learns about her identity while the samurai warriors learn about about some flaws in the defense as Kambei makes some decision as he decides to ease the tension by having the villagers and farmers working together for the next harvest. Things start to go well as the farmers become more confident in defending themselves as a wall is built along with new water gaps. After finding three horses outside of the village, Katsushiro and the samurai attack the three bandits while learning where they're hiding.

A plan to attack their home base with Rikichi leads to a great discovery where the attack was a success but at great cost. With the bandits coming, Kambei and the samurai warriors get ready for battle with the villages helping out as the three-day battle leads to dire consequences forcing the samurai warriors to ponder what got gained and lost.

For a film as epic and grand as this film, Kurosawa definitely raised the bar high on what he wanted to achieve. While the film is about farmers hiring samurai warriors to protect their village from bandits. The plot maybe simple but the story and complexity of it is far more ambitious. Really, it's a study of both the farmers and samurai warriors where they each have some kind of tension whether its class ruling or their perception of each other that at first, becomes stereotypical. Once the story develops, Kurosawa and his writers find depth in both the farmers and samurai warriors. They're flawed yet human for the audience to relate to their struggles and such. The samurai warriors each have a different personality trait that distinguishes them from another. You have a leader, a planner, a morale booster, a skilled warrior, a teacher, a hot-headed comic relief, and a young apprentice.

The complexity of Kurosawa's script shows that despite their skills and personalities, the samurai warriors are there for a reason. They're not fighting for some reward, some gold, or anything that they could really gain from. Instead, they fight for doing the right thing, even if it's tough on them. Then there's the farmers, they start out as people who fear for their lives but know they couldn't do something. Once they develop, they become more confident yet have individual problems to deal with. Manzo is fearing that his daughter would fall for a samurai while Rikichi is avoiding any issue that dealt with his wife. There's these rich characters in the film and through the script, it slowly develops the characters and the momentum of what's to come. Yet, its deliberate pacing pays off right in the third act for the battle scenes.

Kurosawa's direction is superb in every way. From the theatricality he stages for some of the film's interior sequences to the more epic, Western-like scale for the battle scenes. The interiors at the place where the farmers stayed in the city to find samurai that shows both their sad nature and the comical taunts of its residents. A lot of the acting, though stylized, has a theatrical sense as if they're doing something like Shakespear where they observe both the drama and tension that goes on. Kurosawa's use of compositions are very hypnotic to the way he presents scenes, notably a funeral scene that is then followed by Kikuchiyo to raise the banner. That scene presents a shift in emotions from something sad to something inspirational despite the tragedy while it was a way for the hot-headed Kikuchiyo to display his own emotions privately.

Then comes this big battle scene where Kurosawa is at the height of his presentation. With help from his longtime cinematographer Asakazu Nakai, the tension and look of the battle scenes are wonderfully presented while the coverage of the attacks are bigger than anything captured on screen. With Kurosawa, serving as editor, the cuts aren't quick but captures the intensity and manic tone of the battle. The best sequence of those battles is the final day with rain drenched and everything is black, white, and gray as the drama and chaos that ensued is wonderfully presented. With Kurosawa also using his side-wipe trademark cuts to shift scene to scene, the result is extremely solid in every way.

For the film's ending, Kurosawa and his writers definitely bring ambiguity to the film. Instead of who won the battle, it becomes about the gain and loss. Therefore, a few survivors is forced to ponder what was gained and lost. So in many respects, someone did won but someone else also lost and it therefore presents this moral ambiguity in the end. Overall, credit goes to Kurosawa for not just his presentation but also challenging his audience into bringing more depth into a film that just could've been another typical samurai picture.

Cinematographer Asakazu Nakai does some amazing work that just doesn't capture some of Japan's beauty in the forest and village but also the contrasting world of the city that's very industrialized and modern. Nakai's interior work is brilliant for its shadow-like tone to bring the tension and intimacy surround the samurai warriors and villagers while a lot of the exteriors in the day time is very spacious and peaceful with a dreamy look for the sequences involving Katsushiro and Shino. The black-and-white photography of Nakai is exquisite while adding style to the action that included slow motion camera shots to convey the drama of the action. The battle sequence feature some of Nakai's finest work including the final day in the rain as the bleak tone captures the fervent chaos and troubling aftermath of the battle. The result is just some of the best cinematography captured on film.

Production designer So Matsuyama does great work in creating 16th century Japanese housing and villages that are in line with traditional Japan that also includes some great costumes of samurai uniforms and robes by costume designers Kohei Ezaki and Mieko Yamaguchi. Sound recordist Fumio Yanoguchi and effects editor Ichiro Minawa do excellent work in creating the atmosphere and intensity of the film’s battle sequence. Music composer Fumio Hayasaka creates an amazing film score that mixes a wide variety of tones to accompany the film's mix of emotions and themes. From traditional, orchestral, dream-like score to accompany the romance of Katsushiro and Shino to the intense, Japanese-percussion music for some of the film's tense moments and battle sequence. Overall, the score is truly one of the best.

The film's cast is definitely unique that includes several small performances from Shinpei Takagi and Shin Otomo as the leading bandits who appear briefly in the opening but they return near the end as they reveal more about their motivation. In the role of the villagers, Kuninori Takado is great as the village's patriarch while Bokuzen Hidari is great as Yohei, one of the film's comic reliefs who has a lot of fear while having funny scenes with Toshiro Mifune. Kamatari Fujiwara is excellent as the fearful Manzo whose belief that his daughter being in love with a samurai will spell dishonor for him and his daughter. Yukiko Shimazaki appears briefly as Rikichi's wife while Keiko Tsushima is good as Shino, Manzo's daughter who falls for Katsushiro while in conflict over her role and honor to her father. Yoshio Tsuchiya is great as the young farmer Rikichi who hides a painful secret about his wife while hoping to fight back against the bandits.

In the roles of the seven samurai warriors, the performances Daisuke Kato as Shichiroji, Minoru Chiaki as Heihachi, and Yoshio Inaba as Gorobei are very memorable with each actor having individual moments. Kato as Kambei's old associate who, despite his paunch feature, is a skilled warrior and teacher while Chiaki is the film's good-hearted soul who brings hope in dark moments, and Inaba as an experienced organizer at battle-planning. Seiji Miyaguchi gives a powerful, stoic performance as the emotionless, skilled Kyuzo, a warrior who amazes his fellow warriors, notably Katsushiro who is impressed by his bravery. Isao Kimura is great as the young samurai Katsushiro who is trying to learn the ways of being a samurai while falling for Shino, as he tries to figure out the role of being a samurai.

The film's two best performances come from Kurosawa regulars Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune. Shimura is extremely brilliant as the brave, wise Kambei, a warrior who knows what to do while is the voice of reason for everyone including the village. Shimura, who previously played the dying Watanabe in Ikiru, displays a sense of humor and command that is really unforgettable while his performance is also inspirational in how he views things and the ways of the world. Toshiro Mifune is brilliant as the hot-headed, comical Kikuchiyo who is hoping for some excitement and proving himself to be a samurai. Mifune's performance is mostly used for humor yet he manages to show his range in scenes involving death and the hardships of the farmer as Mifune's performance is truly memorable in every frame he's in.

While it's no doubt that The Seven Samurai isn't just one of the greatest films ever made or one of the best movies made by Akira Kurosawa. The Seven Samurai is a must-see for anyone who loves movies. While it is a long film, it is also a worthwhile for how people get ready for battle with a team to help lead the way where it would have characters audiences can root for. With fantastic performances from Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune, it's a film that is no doubt inspiring and fun to watch. In the end, for a movie that has excitement, humor, drama, and great battle scenes, The Seven Samurai is the film to go see.

Akira Kurosawa Films: (Sanshiro Sugata) - (The Most Beautiful) - (Sanshiro Sugata Part II) - (The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail) - No Regrets on Our Youth - (One Wonderful Sunday) - Drunken Angel - (The Quiet Duel) - Stray Dog - Scandal (1950 film) - Rashomon - The Idiot (1951 film) - Ikiru - (I Live in Fear) - Throne of Blood - (The Lower Depths (1957 film)) - The Hidden Fortress - The Bad Sleep Well - Yojimbo - Sanjuro - High and Low - Red Beard - Dodesukaden - Dersu Uzala - Kagemusha - Ran - Dreams (1990 film) - (Rhapsody in August) - (Madadayo)

Related: The Magnificent Seven - A Bug's Life

© thevoid99 2012