The Idiot (1951 film)

Based on the novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Hakuchi (The Idiot) is the story of a man who returns from Okinawa following a stint at an asylum where he contends with another man for the affections of a beautiful woman. Directed and edited by Akira Kurosawa and screenplay by Kurosawa and Eijiro Hisaita, the film is an exploration into a man entering modern society following a period of war as he struggles with his new surroundings. Starring Toshiro Mifune, Setsuko Hara, Masayuki Mori, Yoshiko Kuga, Eijiro Yanagi, Chieko Higashiyama, and Takashi Shimura. Hakuchi is a compelling yet flawed film from Akira Kurosawa.

The film revolves a mentally-ill young man with a condition that allows him to say imbecilic things where he falls for a beautiful woman only contend with other men for her affections. It’s a film that plays into a man who exudes a sense of innocence as he is entranced by this woman but also gets the attention of another young woman who is intrigued by him. Even as he would rouse up the emotions of some who are aghast over the things he says as well as his actions though he doesn’t mean to do anything wrong. Yet, part of his strange actions is due to his own illness where he would go into an epileptic fit in case things get intense for him. It would play into a man who finds himself in the middle of something as he is in love with two women but is dealing with the presence of other men.

The film’s screenplay would play into the life of Kinji Kameda (Masayuki Mori) who has just been released from a mental hospital following his service in the war as he copes with his illness and what to do with his life where he would meet another former soldier in Denkichi Akama (Toshiro Mifune) who is also a man of great wealth. Yet, they come across the picture of a beautiful woman named Taeko Nasu (Setsuko Hara) as Akama knows her and wants to marry her. Yet, she is having an affair with another man whom is attached to Ayako (Yoshiko Kuga) whom Kameda is fascinated with. Thus, things become complicated as there is a lot that happens but things get messy and all of these things of who Kameda should be with would make the story meander at times. Yet, there is a reason as it’s really a truncated version where there’s more that is out there in the story but the result would only be a teaser of who some of these people are.

Akira Kurosawa’s direction is very intriguing for the way he captures a simple drama told in the span of an entire season where it’s all about attachments and what people want where this young imbecile is caught in the middle of this drama. Much of it is told in a very intimate manner with a lot of close-ups, medium shots, and some wide-shots for large crowd scenes that includes a birthday party for Taeko where Kameda would tell her a story as it becomes very dramatic. Even as Kurosawa would create these scenes and moments that do play into a sense of longing or anguish that is looming with Kameda either being used as an excuse or the one who precipitated these actions. While there are scenes that are quite long and has elements of suspense and tension in the drama. It’s a film where there is a lot more to be said but there’s elements that keep it from being far more interesting.

Serving as the film’s editor, Kurosawa would create some stylish cuts including some transition wipes but there are elements where the transition wipes become jarring and there’s moments in the film where it meanders in its pacing. With the aid of editor T. Saito, the film which had an original running time of 265 minutes was re-cut by Shochiku studios into a 166-minute running time against Kurosawa’s wishes. As a result, the truncated version not only features a lot of flaws in the story but also raises question into some of the back stories of the characters in the film. Overall, Kurosawa creates a solid yet flawed drama about an idiot who touches the hearts of the people he meets in his life.

Cinematographer Toshio Ubukata does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography as it plays into the snowy look of suburban Tokyo and other places where the lighting is key to scenes set in Akama‘s home. Art director So Matsuyama, with set decorators Genzo Komiya, Shohei Sekine, and Ushitaro Shimada, does fantastic work with the look of the homes that Kameda would live in including the inn run by the family he‘s staying at and the shabby home of Akama. The sound work of Yoshisaburo Imo does nice work with the sound to play to some of the parties and places the characters go to. The film’s music by Fumio Hayasaka is superb for its orchestral-based pieces that play into the drama and some of the light-hearted moments including a couple of classical pieces that are used in the film.

The film’s amazing cast include some notable small roles from Noriko Sengoku as Ayako’s cynical sister Takako, Eijiro Yanagi as the friend of Ayako’s father, Chieko Higashiyama as Ayako’s mother, Minoru Chiaki as Taeko’s lover Kayama who is revealed to be a coward, and Takashi Shimura in a superb performance as Ayako’s father Ono who takes Ameda into his home as he reveals the fortune that Ameda has. Yoshiko Kuga is excellent as Ayako as a young woman who represents the sense of innocence but also realism as someone who has experienced a lot yet has a hard time opening to the goodness that Kameda offers. Setsuko Hara is fantastic as Takeo as this beautiful but troubled woman who is amazed by Kameda’s own kindness and flaws as she becomes tormented and possessive about Kameda as she would quarrel with Ayako over him.

Toshiro Mifune is brilliant as Akama as this man served the war and has acquired some money as he finds himself competing against Kameda over Takeo’s affections yet deals with the anguish over hurting someone who is actually a good person. Finally, there’s Masayuki Mori in a phenomenal performance as Kinji Kameda as this mentally-ill man with a strange ailment who exudes a sense of innocence and strange wisdom as he tries to get people to see things in a different light though he would unknowingly cause trouble as it’s a very mesmerizing performance from Mori.

Hakuchi is a stellar yet flawed film from Akira Kurosawa. Despite amazing performances from Masayuki Mori, Toshiro Mifune, Setsuko Hara, and Yoshiko Kuga, it is a film that has a lot of ideas and themes that play into the goodness of humanity in a troubled post-war setting. Due to the fact that its original 265-minute cut will never see the light of day and the truncated version of this film is the only one that is available. It’s a film that reveals what could’ve been if Kurosawa had complete control as it’s only a glimpse of what he would do to Dostoevsky’s famed novel. In the end, Hakuchi is a terrific but underwhelming film from Akira Kurosawa.

Akira Kurosawa Films: (Sanshiro Sugata) - (The Most Beautiful) - (Sanshiro Sugata Pt. 2) - (The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail) - No Regrets for Our Youth - (Those Who Make Tomorrow) - (One Wonderful Sunday) - Drunken Angel - (The Quiet Duel) - Stray Dog - Scandal - Rashomon - Ikiru - The Seven Samurai - (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)

© thevoid99 2015

Early Summer

Directed by Yasujiro Ozu and written by Ozu and Kogo Noda, Early Summer is the story about a woman who gets a visit from her uncle who thinks she should get married as her family tries to find a good prospect for her while she deals with issues in her own life. The film is an exploration into the changing ways in postwar Japan as well as the rise of women taking their own roles with their lives. Starring Setsuko Hara, Chishu Ryu, Chikage Awashima, and Kuniko Miyake. Early Summer is a glorious yet touching film from Yasujiro Ozu.

The film is about the life of a family living in suburban Tokyo where they all support each other when they get a visit from a relative. There, the man suggests that it’s time for his 28-year old niece Noriko (Setsuko Hara) to find herself a good husband as the family tries to find men who is worthy of her yet Noriko isn’t so sure about getting married. Even as she is a modern woman with friends who had gotten married but aren’t happy about it while times are also changing in Japan prompting the family to face reality of what is happening. It’s all set in a postwar Japan where the country is coming into its own again economically though the social traditions is still in tact. Yet, there’s this emerging sense of modernism that is prevalent where the ideas of tradition might fall by the wayside as Noriko is someone who represents this conflict as she wants to make her own decisions but doesn’t want to upset her parents and older brother Koichi (Chishu Ryu).

The film’s screenplay by Yasujiro Ozu and Kogo Noda take its time in the dynamic of this family where Noriko and her brother Koichi live in a home with their parents Shukichi and Shige (Ichiro Sugai and Chieko Higashiyama, respectively), Koichi’s wife Fumiko, and their sons Minoru (Zen Murase) and Isamu (Isao Shirosawa) as Noriko is a secretary and Koichi is a prominent physician. The visit from their uncle (Kokuten Kodo) who keeps asking about why Noriko isn’t married raises a lot of questions as Noriko is often asked by her boss Satake (Shuji Sano) about meeting a friend of his whom Koichi would see if he’s good enough for his sister. Yet, Noriko is confused as her friend Aya (Chikage Awashima) who is unmarried as she is also unsure if she wants to play into tradition. Then there’s Noriko and Koichi’s childhood friend Kenkichi Yabe (Hiroshi Nihonyanagi) who is a widower with a child as he lives with his mother (Haruko Sugimura) as he also helps out though he’s got moments in his life that is changing where it would also complicate things.

The script also revels in this world that is changing where Noriko’s parents are aware that having Noriko getting married would also cause a splinter in the family as they would live with Shukichi’s brother while Koichi and Fumiko would stay at the house with their kids. It would lead to this third act about the decision that Noriko would eventually make yet it becomes clear that it’s not going to be an easy one. Yet, her eventual decision doesn’t just play into this conflict about traditionalism and modernism but also about what Noriko wants in her life. Of course, the family’s reaction isn’t just mixed but also a bit shocking as they have no idea what to think but it’s also clear that there’s some things that traditionalism can’t deal with as times are changing.

Ozu’s direction is definitely wondrous in the way he captures the life of an ordinary family in Tokyo. Notably as it plays to that very evocative yet simplistic approach to the way he presents a scene. Much of it is shot in a single, static shot where the camera doesn’t move as it’s positioned in a wide or a medium shot to display what is going on in the scene. It all plays into this world that this family live in as there’s an intimacy that is prevalent throughout in some of light-hearted moments but also in some dramatic moments such as scene where Minoru and Isamo are upset that their father brought home a loaf of bread instead of the train tracks they wanted. Even in the way Ozu positions the camera for a dinner scene with Noriko, Aya, and their married friends is unique to showcase not just a sense of division that is emerging but the sense of the fact that times are changing.

Much of the way Ozu presents this conflict is told very subtly where he doesn’t do a lot of movements with the camera with the exception of a few dolly shots in a scene where Noriko’s parents are watching a play with Shukichi’s brother as well as a shot where Noriko and Fumiko are walking on the beach. Still, Ozu maintains something that is quite simple and poignant where he knows where to put the camera in a scene and to play out a certain reaction shot. Much of it has him not wanting to use a lot of close-ups by focusing more on a conversation scene as he knows where to put the actors into a frame. Especially for the film’s eventual scene where Noriko makes her decision as Ozu’s framing and the way he puts the actors into the frame becomes crucial for the film’s dramatic climax. Overall, Ozu crafts a very exhilarating yet engrossing film about a family dealing with changing times as well as dealing with a young woman’s future.

Cinematographer Yuharu Atsuta does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography with the low-key look of the scenes at the beach and some of the daytime interior and exterior settings to the scenes set at night with lighting by Itsuo Takashita to help set the mood. Editor Yoshiyasu Hamamura does nice work with the editing where it‘s mostly straightforward to play out the drama and some of its humor while using fade-outs to help structure the film. Art director Tatsuo Hamada and set decorator Shotaro Hashimoto do amazing work with the set pieces such as the home the family lives in that is quite spacious but also quaint in its look.

Costume designer Taizo Saito does terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly straightforward with the exception of the robes that Noriko‘s parents wear. Sound recorder Yoshisaburo Seno does superb work with the sound to capture the intimacy of what goes on in the house as well as some of the scenes set in Tokyo and in the train stations. The film’s music by Senji Ito is just exquisite for its serene yet somber orchestral score to play into some of the drama without embellishing it as it is one of the film’s major highlights.

The film’s brilliant cast includes some notable small yet effective performances from Haruko Sugimura as Kenkichi’s mother who ponders about her son’s life as he is still a widower, Shuji Sano as Noriko’s boss Satake who suggests to Noriko about meeting a friend of his as a potential prospect, Kokuten Kodo as Shukichi’s brother who brings up the subject of marriage, and Chikage Awashima as Noriko’s friend Aya who ponders about the idea of marriage as she isn’t sure after learning from friends on the downside of it. Zen Maruse and Isao Shirosawa are terrific as Koichi and Fumiko’s young sons Minoru and Isamu, respectively, as they’re two boys obsessed with trains as they test the patience of their elders. Hiroshi Nihonyanagi is excellent as Koichi and Noriko’s childhood friend Kenkichi as a fellow doctor who helps the family with some problems while dealing with his own circumstances in his career.

Ichiro Sugai and Chieko Higashiyama are amazing as Noriko and Koichi’s parents in Shukichi and Shige, respectively, as they carry a sense of warmth and wisdom as two parents who want what’s best for Noriko while dealing with the fact that times are changing as it would play into Noriko’s eventual decision. Kuniko Miyake is wonderful as Koichi’s wife Fumiko as the observer of sorts in the family as she also voices her opinion on a few things while wondering the effect of Noriko’s eventual decision. Chishu Ryu is fantastic as Noriko’s older brother Koichi as a doctor who tries to see if the prospect that Satake suggests is any good while dealing with his own family as well as up holding a sense of tradition in that family. Finally, there’s Setsuko Hara in an incredible performance as Noriko as a 28-year old woman dealing with the ideas of old and new ideas as she is eager to make her own decision but wants to respect the wishes of her family as it’s a truly mesmerizing performance for the actress.

Early Summer is a majestic film from Yasujiro Ozu. Thanks to its cast and touching portrait of a family going through changing times while finding a prospective husband for their daughter. It’s a film that is truly engaging for the way it explores tradition clashing with modernism as well as the life of a family that is truly universal for an audience to relate to. In the end, Early Summer is a remarkable 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 - (The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice) - Tokyo Story - Early Spring - Tokyo Twilight - (Equinox Flower) - Good Morning - Floating Weeds - Late Autumn - The End of Summer - An Autumn Afternoon

© thevoid99 2013

Tokyo Story

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 3/24/09 w/ Additional Edits.

Directed by Yasujiro Ozu with a script co-written with longtime collaborator Kogo Noda, Tokyo monogatari (Tokyo Story) tells the story of an elderly couple traveling to Tokyo to visit their grown children. Upon their arrival, they see that their children have become too absorbed in their own lives as they ponder their existence around the children they had raised. The film is a personal tale of a couple dealing with their own existence as well as what their children have become and the treatment they receive. Starring Chishu Ryu, Chieko Higashiyama, Kyoko Kagawa, Setsuko Hara, Haruko Sugimara, and So Yamamura. Tokyo monogatari is a thoughtful yet universal tale from Yasujiro Ozu.

Shukichi (Chishu Ryu) and Tomi Hirayama (Chieko Higashiyama) are set to go on a trip to Tokyo to visit their elder children. Living with them in their seaside town of Onomichi is their youngest daughter Kyoko (Kyoko Kagawa), who works as a schoolteacher. Arriving to Tokyo to meet their eldest son Koichi (So Yamamura), who is a pediatrician, and their hair salon manager Shige (Haruko Sugimara). Shukichi and Tomi live at Koichi's place for a while with his wife Fumiko (Kuniko Miyake) and two sons. The eldest child Minoru isn't really happy, even when they were supposed to go on a tour of the city that got cancelled because Koichi had to help a sick child. Even Shige has a hard time trying to fit in her time with her parents as they call in their widowed sister-in-law Noriko (Setsuko Hara) for help. Noriko takes them on a tour of the city with much delight while telling them stories about her late husband.

With the living situation troubled, Shige and Koichi suggests they stay at a modern-day spa to relax. Unfortunately, the spa was too loud for the elderly couple to stay as they decided to return to Shige's. With Shukichi wanting to visit a couple of old friends where he expresses his disappointment over his elder children, Tomi stays at Noriko's where she suggest that Norkio should remarry. Shukichi and Tomi decide to return home with Noriko giving Tomi some spending money as gratitude while hoping to visit them at their seaside home. With Shige and Koichi set to return to their normal, busy lives, they receive some news about Tomi that forces them to go to Onomichi with Noriko joining them. With the youngest song Keizo (Shiro Osaka) coming as he met his parents briefly on their way back. The children is forced to ponder the days of the trip with Kyoko wondering about the idea of getting old as Noriko has own perspective about growing up.

The film's story is a simple story about an elderly couple visiting their older children in Tokyo and dealing with the lives of their children along with the changes that's going on. Yet, that's what the film is about in some respects but it's really more about two journeys the parents take to Japan and the children's journey to visit their parents during a catastrophic event. What it's really about is how a family is disconnected by changes and other things and how the children are trying to have the time to spend the day with their parents but are forced to deal with their own lives. For the parents, the visit for their kids haven't been as enjoyable as they wanted to be as the elderly kids feel a bit disappointed while their parents aren't happy about it either with the exception of the daughter-in-law Noriko who was the only person to give her whole day's worth for her in-laws.

For the parents, it's clear that changing times and maybe expectations for their children are some of the reasons why the trip wasn't enjoyable along with the grandchildren who aren't as engaging or disciplined as they wished they could be. Still, they have managed to accept that it's their lives and wish they could have more time as they decided to go home. When news came about their mother's illness, the children along with Noriko go to the seaside home despite their mother's wishes not to visit them. Yet, it's clear that what happens prove to be troubling with the youngest son feeling guilty for not getting the telegram right away due to business travel. What happens afterwards near the end has the youngest daughter Kyoko upset over the selfishness of the two elder kids. It's Noriko's comments about life and changes that prove to be more profound and universally truthful.

The screenplay is not very plot-driven as it the story does start out slow early on when the parents arrive to Tokyo. Yet, the subtle touches Yasujiro Ozu and co-screenwriter Kogo Noda like Tomi's comments to Noriko about getting married again so she wouldn't have to be lonely. A lesser film would've delved into sentimentality but the story and character refuses to in order to have the story told. Even little touches that the writers create that would prove to be foreshadowing at first don't seem like a big deal until later on. Yet, the interaction between parents and children and grandparents and grandchildren feel very realistic in its storytelling. Even in the film's third act where Shige makes comments that might seem heartless but it's only because she wished that she wouldn't have to go through this current state of event in her life while wanting something that Kyoko feels is very selfish.

The storytelling and development of characters and their situation is genius to how the story is told. It's the approach of what Yasujiro Ozu does as a director by bringing in an intimacy and minimalist staging to telling the film. With his striking compositions he creates in his direction along with the camera not making any kind of movements. There's something that is engaging yet also, a bit imposing in what Ozu is doing with the direction. A lot of the film's interior scenes are shot on the floor to emphasize its intimacy as well as exploring the conversations that goes on. Ozu's camera is invested in what is going on while the compositions he creates including some far exterior shots of the cities to know where the characters are. Even though it takes a while for the film to move in its slow-pacing, Ozu's direction definitely pays off towards the end as he creates a film that is universal and relevant more than fifty years since its release.

Cinematographer Yuuhara Atsuta does an excellent job with the film's black-and-white photography to help Ozu in the film's unique, striking visual compositions. Atsuta's work including the shadings of light in some of the rooms as well as the use of sunlight for the daytime exterior scenes in emphasizing the film's mood. The overall cinematography is one of the film's technical highlights along with the editing by Yoshiyasu Hamamura. The editing is mostly straightforward since there's no camera movements as it has a nice, rhythmic cutting along with transitions with not much use of fade outs. Instead, the cutting is just a simple cut to display the film's sense of simplicity. The production design by Tatsuo Hamada and Itsuo Takahashi is very good for its contrast of traditional Japanese housing in the parents' home with the more modern-day look of the homes that everyone else lives in.

Costume designer Taizo Saito does a nice job with the film's costumes with its robes and suits that Shukichi wears along with the robes in the film's third act. The music by Kojun Saito is truly extraordinary with its sense of melancholia and playfulness to emphasize on the film's varied emotions with lots of sweeping and somber arrangements. Saito's score is truly mesmerizing as it's another of the film's notable technical achievements.

The cast is excellent with its small appearances from Sachiko Mitani as the neighbor of Shukichi and Tomi along with Nobuo Nakamura as Shige's husband. Hisao Toake is good as Shukichi's longtime friend Hattori along with Eijiro Tono as another friend who expresses disappointment over how his son turned out. Zen Murase and Mitsuhiro Mori are excellent as the sons of Koichi with Mori having a more memorable role as the selfish older son. Kuniko Miyake is good as Koichi's wife Fumiko who is trying to remain order in her house for her in-laws while Shiro Osaka is very good as Keizo, the youngest son of the family who expresses guilt over not getting a telegram in time about his parents.

Kyoko Kagawa is great as Kyoko, the youngest daughter who lives with her parents while being very angry over what happens about their trip and at her siblings. Haruko Sugimara is excellent as the eldest daughter Shige who might seem cruel in how she says things about her family though in truth, really does care about them despite her very busy life. So Yamamura is also excellent as Koichi, the eldest son who has no idea what to do with his parents due to his own work as he makes the suggestion of putting them in a spa. The film's best supporting performance easily goes to Setsuko Hara as Noriko, the daughter-in-law who does all of her efforts to spend her time with her in-laws. Hara's performance is truly phenomenal and not drenched with sentimentality as a woman trying to move on with her life though deciding not to get married while is convinced that she is selfish even though Shukichi and Tomi believe that she isn't.

Chieko Higashiyama is great as Tomi, the lively mother who smiles a lot as she tries to understand her kids and connect with her grandchildren. Higashiyama's performance is full of life and wisdom as she has a great scene with Hara that requires little emotion the interaction they have is full of magic. Chishu Ryu is brilliant as Shukichi, the father who is hoping to see all of the great things he hears about his elder kids while dealing with the changing times. Ryu, a regular of Ozu's films, is truly amazing in his understated performance while he has great scenes with Higashiyama as the chemistry the two have is amazing. The near-last scene with Ryu and Hara is also amazing for its understated tone and its emotional impact with Ryu being so subtle and not doing much with Hara giving into a heartbreaking performance that is devastating to watch.

Tokyo monogatari is a mesmerizing yet heartbreaking film from Yasujiro Ozu with a universal message about family and changing times. Audiences new to Ozu will find this film as a great introduction to his unique, visual style and compositions while film students will definitely find something in his minimalist technique in terms of directing and staging. With a superb cast led by Chishu Ryu, Chieko Higashiyama, and Setsuko Hara, it's a film that has themes that are still relevant to this day as it crosses many barriers. In the end, for a film that is touching about the idea of family, growing up, and expectations. Tokyo monogatari is the film to see from one of cinema's great masters is 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) - Early Spring - Tokyo Twilight - (Equinox Flower) - Good Morning - Floating Weeds - Late Autumn - The End of Summer - An Autumn Afternoon

© thevoid99 2011