2017 Cannes Marathon: The Crucified Lovers

(Played in Competition for the Palme d’Or at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival)

Based on the musical play by Chikamatsu Monzaemon, The Crucified Lovers is the story of a wealthy man who accuses his wife and an employee of having an affair as the two run away together. Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi and screenplay by Matsutaro Kawaguchi and Yoshikata Yoda, the film is an exploration of jealousy and neglect set in 17th Century Kyoto. Starring Kazuo Hasegawa, Kyoko Kagawa, Yoko Minamida, and Eitaro Shindo. The Crucified Lovers is a compelling and gripping film from Kenji Mizoguchi.

The film revolves around a wealthy but selfish scroll maker who would accuse his wife and his top employee of having an affair when the reality is that the wife needed money to pay her brother’s debts which the husband refuses to do as she turns to his top apprentice for help. It’s a film that is about a man who drives away his wife and his top man into chaos all because he doesn’t want to spend the money he makes and have it wasted on things he thinks are mindless. The film’s screenplay is quite simple as it explores a man’s greed and his unwillingness to help people as he would treat his wife cruelly as well as those who work for him as he would often try to engage into an affair with a young maid who has feelings for the top apprentice. The first half is about the trouble the wife in Osan (Kyoko Kagawa) would unfortunately create while the second half is about her and the apprentice Mohei (Kazuo Hasegawa) running away as they deal with what to do next as they’re being pursued by people working for Osan’s husband Ishun (Eitaro Shindo) who wants to deal with them himself rather than report them to the authorities.

Kenji Mizoguchi’s direction is definitely engaging for the way he captures life in 17th Century feudal-Japan where it’s run by warlords and such as there’s people willing to profit from these conflicts. Much of the film is shot in countryside locations in Japan as it plays into a world that is thriving yet there are rules that are quite cruel. Mizoguchi’s usage of the wide shots would capture this sense of oppression where there is a scene of a couple that is being shamed publicly and later crucified because they committed adultery which adds a sense of dramatic weight into the film. Yet, Mizoguchi would favor more intimate shots such as close-ups and medium shots to play into the drama which include these scenes at these lavish yet traditional Japanese homes as well in the forest where he would create a sense of theatricality into the acting as well as raise the stakes into what Osan and Mohei would endure. Especially in the third act as it play into not just the selfishness of Ishun finally catching up with him but the effects it would play into Osan and Mohei’s lives. Overall, Mizoguchi creates a riveting and haunting film about a wealthy man’s selfishness as he drives his wife and top apprentice into an affair.

Cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography for its usage of lights for many of the interior/exterior scenes set at night while going for something more natural in the daytime scenes. Editor Kanji Sugawara does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward to play into the build of the dramatic intensity as well as in some of the moments of dramatic suspense. Production designer Hisakazu Tsuji, with set decorator Yaichi Ebise and art director Hiroshi Mizutani, does fantastic work with the look of the home of Ishun as well as his shop where he runs his scroll making business as well as some of the interior gardens. Costume designer Natsu Ito does wonderful work with the costumes from the design of the robes and clothes that the men and women wore in those times. The sound work of Iwao Otani is terrific for its natural approach to the sound as it help create some tension in the drama. The film’s music by Fumio Hayasaka and Tamezo Mochizuki is amazing for its unsettling yet enchanting score as its usage of percussions and string instruments help add weight to the drama as it is a major highlight of the film.

The film’s superb cast feature a few notable small roles from Haruo Tanaka as Osan’s brother, Yoko Minamida as the maid Otama who is in love with Mohei, and Eitaro Ozawa as the scroll maker manager Sukeemon as a man who would try to defuse the situation only to cause more trouble. Eitaro Shindo is excellent as Ishun as a wealthy owner of a scroll making business who is a man that is very selfish as he neglects his wife and is indifferent about the feeling of his workers as he would plot a way to deal with his wife and Mohei. Kazuo Hasegawa is brilliant as Mohei as a scroll-making apprentice who is good at his job until he is asked to help Osan into giving her money where everything goes wrong as he deals with his growing disdain towards Ishun and his feelings for Osan. Finally, there’s Kyoko Kagawa in an amazing performance as Osan as Ishun’s wife who is trying to help her family as she puts herself and Mohei into a terrible situation as she becomes angry over her husband’s insensitivity as she would try and make a life of her own only to realize how difficult it is.

The Crucified Lovers is a marvelous film from Kenji Mizoguchi. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, a captivating script, and an eerie music score. It’s a film that explores Japanese society where everything is unruly during its feudal times as well as a woman dealing with the selfishness of her husband and the help of another man. In the end, The Crucified Lovers is a remarkable film from Kenji Mizoguchi.

Kenji Mizoguchi Films: (Tokyo March) - (The Water Magician) - (Aizo Toge) - (The Downfall of Ozen) - Osaka Elegy - (Sisters of the Gion) - (The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums) - The 47 Ronin (1941 film) - (Utamaro and his Five Women) - (The Love of the Actress Sumako) - (Portrait of Madame Yuki) - (Miss Oyu) - (The Lady of Musashino) - The Life of Oharu - Ugetsu - (A Geisha) - Sansho the Bailiff - (The Woman in the Rumor) - (Princess Yang Kwei-Fei) - (Tales of Taira Clan) - (Street of Shame)

© thevoid99 2017

Sansho the Bailiff

Based on a short story by Mori Ogai, Sansho the Bailiff is the story about a governor’s family being torn apart after his exile where the wife is sold into prostitution while her children are sold into slavery under the cruelty of a bailiff. Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi and screenplay by Fuji Yahiro and Yoshikata Yoda, the film is an exploration of how a woman and her children endure hardships in the wake of a tumultuous period in Japan’s history. Starring Kinuyo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, Kyoko Kagawa, and Eitaro Shindo. Sansho the Bailiff is a harrowing yet powerful drama from Kenji Mizoguchi.

Set during the Heian period in Japan where lawlessness was running rampant among thieves and bandits while slavery was also happening. The film revolves around two kids, whose father was a kind governor, had to endure the cruelty of slavery under a steward known as Sansho the Bailiff (Eitaro Shindo). With their mother sold to prostitution and their father exiled for not giving in to feudal lords, the children become young adults as the son Zushio (Yoshiaki Hanayagi) tries to repress himself through work while Anju (Kyoko Kagawa) is clinging to her father’s words for mercy. Yet, it would take something that would finally prompt the children to escape where sacrifices are made but also the chance to set things right in a world ravaged by lawlessness.

The screenplay by Fuji Yahiro and Yoshikata Yoda explores a world where children who live in a refined background have to deal with not just harsh realities but a world where things can be bleak. The story begins with how their father is exiled as it moves back-and-forth where the young Zushio (Naoki Fujima) and Anju (Keiko Enami) are walking with their mother Tamaki (Kinuyo Tanaka) and their servant Ubatake (Chieko Naniwa) to find shelter. Notably as the flashbacks reveal the words Zushio’s father instills his son words of mercy and kindness so that humans can find hope in a bleak world. Yet, the words of the governor would be put to the test when the family is tricked by a priestess (Kikue Mori) who has the mother taken to an island to become a courtesan while the children are eventually sold to the very brutal Sansho the Bailiff.

Both the young Zushio and Anju realize a world where they have to be beaten if they don’t do their work as only some slaves and Sansho’s son Taro (Akitake Kono) become sympathetic as the latter later leaves his father’s home after giving the two kids words of what they have to endure before the time is right to escape. Still, the words of their father and Taro’s advice would be suppressed by Zushio after ten years of slavery as he loses hope while becoming accepting of Sansho’s rule where he becomes just as cruel towards the slaves. Anju meanwhile, is still clinging to that idea of kindness where it would be a song sung by a slave that would raise Anju’s awareness that her mother is still alive as it would also restore Zushio’s own faith. The third act would be about Zushio’s journey to appeal to a chief advisor about slavery where Zushio would reclaim some prestige but he realizes that it wouldn’t be enough to repair the damage over what happened to his family.

Kenji Mizoguchi’s direction is very engaging for the way he explores a family being splintered by a world where lawlessness is rampant. Mizoguchi’s direction is filled with gorgeous imagery of some of the Japanese locations but also mix it with an air of bleakness for what is happening in that world where people are pushed into slavery. Mizoguchi infuses a lot of wide shots as well as some medium shots and close-ups to capture a world where things are bleak while there is an element of hope somewhere. There is also some melodrama that is played out in the direction for the way the characters deal with their situation where some slaves attempt to escape only to be branded by hot steel as punishment. It’s a world where it’s run by this steward who has connections to the government and is a man with a lot of power.

The direction also has Mizoguchi making statements about this horrific period as he uses the Zushio character to fulfill the role that his father once played for the people in his land. Yet, he would have to endure things where even though he can make a difference for those who are helpless. It isn’t enough since the world is still bound by some lawlessness as well as the fact that there are those who won’t be able to enjoy the happiness of freedom. Even as Zushio is craving for something that is far more valuable than some title as he is still motivated to find his mother. There is nothing heavy-handed that Mizoguchi is saying as he presents it in a simple yet somber manner to reveal something where humanity was losing its way and how those managed to regain some hope. Overall, Mizoguchi creates very heartbreaking yet exhilarating film about humanity and its plea for mercy.

Cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa does amazing work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to capture some of the beauty of the Japanese locations including its mountains and beaches along with some chilling interiors in night thanks to some of the lighting by Kenichi Okamoto to play up that mix of hope and despair. Editor Mitsuzo Miyata does excellent work with the editing from the rhythmic cutting in some of the film‘s flashback scenes early in the film to some methodical yet effective cuts for some of the film‘s dramatic moments. Art directors Kisaku Ito and Kozaburo Nakajima, with set decorator Yuichiro Yamamoto, do brilliant work with the set pieces from the house of Sansho the Bailiff to the palaces of the chief advisor and the old house that Zushio and Anju lived as children.

The costumes by Yoshio Ueno and Yoshimi Shima are wonderful for the sense of prestige that the kids had early on in their robes only to then look in tatters as they become slaves. The makeup by Masanori Kobayashi is nice for the way some of the courtesans look in scenes where Tamaki has to look the part to play the role of a prostitute. The sound by Iwao Otani is terrific for the sense of chaos that is displayed in some of scenes where Sansho‘s men try to attack foes as well as a simple sense of intimacy in scenes involving nature. The film’s music by Fumio Hayasaka is just fantastic for its somber yet entrancing score filled with lush orchestral arrangements mixed in with traditional Japanese percussions and string instruments to create a sense of melancholia that is played out for the film.

The film’s cast is marvelous as it features some memorable small roles from Chieko Naniwa as the family servant Ubatake, Kikue Mori as an opportunistic priestess, Akira Shimizu as a slave trader who sells Zushio and Anju to Sansho, Bontaro Miake as Sansho’s lead general Kichiji, Ken Mitsuda as the chief advisor Zushio tries to appeal to, and Masao Shimizu as Anju and Zushio’s father who is a man of great idealism only to be exiled by a world of lawlessness. In the roles of the young Zushio and Anju, Naoki Fujima and Keiko Enami are excellent in their respective roles as siblings dealing with the harsh circumstances they’re put upon. Atikake Kono is superb as Taro, Sansho’s son who is horrified by his father’s cruelty and discovery of who the kids really are as he gives them advice on how to deal with the fate that is put upon them.

Eitaro Shindo is great as the very powerful and terrifying titular role as a man who is always kind to men of power while being very horrific to his slaves where he would make them endure some of the worst punishment known to mankind. Kinuyo Tanaka is wonderful as Zushio and Anju’s mother Tamaki who tries to ensure their father’s words in them as kids only to deal with her own cruelty as a prostitute as she sings a chilling song that would eventually reach them. Finally, there’s the duo of Kyoko Kagawa and Yoshiaki Hanayagi in their respective roles as Anju and Zushio. Kagawa displays a sense of grace to her performance as a young woman clinging to hope as it’s a very intoxicating performance to watch. Hanayagi is remarkable as the older Zushio who has nearly given up hope only when he realizes the opportunity to escape as he tries to come to terms with what he’s lost as well as the desire to make a difference in a terrifying world.

Sansho the Bailiff is an incredible film from Kenji Mizoguchi that explores the horrors of humanity and the desires for a few to instill hope in a world ravaged by evil. Featuring the mesmerizing performances of Eitaro Shindo, Atikake Kono, Kinuyo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, and Kyoko Kagawa. It’s a film that is quite harrowing and at times can be full of despair but it is balanced with the idea that hope will always come as it’s a film that unveils the power of humanity and how it can endure such cruelty. In the end, Sansho the Bailiff is a phenomenal film from Kenji Mizoguchi.

Kenji Mizoguchi Films: (Tokyo March) - (The Water Magician) - (Aizo Toge) - (The Downfall of Osen) - Osaka Elegy - (Sisters of the Gion) - (The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums) - The 47 Ronin - (Utamaro and his Five Women) - (The Love of the Actress Sumako) - (Portrait of Madame Yuki) - (Miss Oyu) - (The Lady of Musashino) - The Life of Oharu - Ugetsu - (A Geisha) - (The Woman in the Rumor) - The Crucified Lovers - (Princess Yang Kwei-Fei) - (Tales of Taira Clan) - (Street of Shame)

© thevoid99 2013

Blind Spot 2013: Red Beard

Based on a collection of short stories by Shugoro Yamamoto as well as Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Insulted and the Injured, Akahige (Red Beard) is the story about a tumultuous relationship between a doctor and his young trainee in the 19th Century. Directed by Akira Kurosawa and screenplay by Kurosawa, Masato Ide, Ryuzo Kikushima, and Hideo Oguni, the film explores the complexity of a man trying to teach a younger man about what it means to be a doctor. Starring Toshiro Mifune, Yuzo Kayama, Kyoko Kagawa, and Takashi Shimura. Akahige is an incredibly rich film from Akira Kurosawa.

In being a doctor, one has to think about the person in need of help instead of thinking for itself. In this film, it is about a young medical student from the city who finds himself working under the tutelage of a clinic director in a small yet poor town. For this young man who arrives as an idealist who had been trained in the best schools, being in a clinic in a poor part of town seems beneath him. Yet, he goes into great lengths into what it takes to be not just a doctor but a man people can count on. Notably in the encounters with death and such that would force this young man to realize what is right while he would make decisions that would be beneficial in the path he takes whether it would be the right one or not.

The film’s screenplay does have a traditional structure of sorts in the way it plays to the evolution of Dr. Noboru Yasumoto (Yuzo Kayama) and his understanding of what it really means to be a doctor. The first act involves his first meeting with the head of this clinic in Dr. Kyojo Niide aka Red Beard (Akira Kurosawa) who is this very compassionate individual who puts his patients first instead of himself as he’s also a bit of an eccentric with who has rules about how he runs the clinic. Dr. Yasumoto’s journey under Red Beard’s tutelage would play for much of the film’s first and second act where Dr. Yasumoto finds himself taking part in a surgery and watch two old men on their deathbeds. While Dr. Yasumoto does struggle with his environment as well as the fact that he’s working in a clinic that is going through budget cuts while many of the patients are very poor.

One key moment in the film’s second act is when Dr. Yasumoto walks into town with Red Beard where examines various people with Dr. Yasumoto’s help where they come across a brothel that included a sick and troubled 12-year old girl named Otoyo (Terumi Niki) who becomes Dr. Yasumoto’s first patient. Through Red Beard’s guidance, Dr. Yasumoto finds himself dealing with this troubled young girl as he has to go into methods that forces him to stray away from what he’s been taught from schools and go directly into the person. It would become a key moment in Dr. Yasumoto’s character development as well as this young girl who starts to become part of this clinic while befriending a young thief. While Dr. Yasumoto is groomed to become an assistant for a more renowned doctor in the city, he finds himself pondering about the decision he’s to make. While the outcome is somewhat predictable, it really more establishes into the kind of person Dr. Yasumoto has become through Red Beard.

Akira Kurosawa’s direction is absolutely engaging in the way he presents life in late 19th Century Japan as it is in a state of transition where things are changing as it involves themes ranging from existentialism, old ideas versus new, and humanism. While Kurosawa puts a lot of these themes into the forefront of his film, he does it with an air of subtlety as he knows that the audience is in for something that will have them go into discussions. Some of it is done with a lot of tenderness not just in the framing where Kurosawa uses the widescreen format to such effect. It’s also shown in small, simple moments such as moments where characters are interacting outside where the doctors and nurses all come together as if they are a family. A bit dysfunctional at times but a family that treats those who are sick with great care. The patients themselves may be those who are poor and neglected but Red Beard always find ways to tend to their needs.

A lot of Kurosawa’s approach to framing is very unique in the way he puts actors in a group shot whether it involves three or four people or a large group. A lot of it is done with some medium shots and close-ups in order to maintain an air of intimacy. There is also an interesting sequence in which a dying patient named Sahachi (Tsutomu Yamazaki) recalls about his past involving the love of his life and how he presumed to have lost her. It is an entrancing sequence that would play to Dr. Yasumoto’s development while there is also a scene that proves that as caring as Red Beard is. He’s also someone who is willing to fight for what is right such as beating up a gang of bandits with his bare hands just to help out this young girl. There are also some stylistic moments in not just Kurosawa’s use of tracking shots but also in his editing as he uses some dissolves, transition wipes, jump-cuts, and fade-outs to help flesh out the story and play out some of its drama. Overall, Kurosawa creates a truly heartfelt and powerful drama about life and helping those in need.

Cinematographers Asakazu Nakai and Takao Saito do brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to capture some of the beauty of the exterior scenes in the winter to more dreary scenes in Sahachi‘s story that includes some entrancing lighting by Hiromitsu Mori that adds an atmosphere to some of the film‘s interiors and nighttime exterior scenes. Art director Yoshiro Muraki does excellent work with the set pieces from the look of the clinic and some of its exteriors as well as the more polished look of Dr. Yasumoto‘s family home. The sound by Shin Watari is fantastic for some of the chilling moments of the film including a scene where Otoyo and the nurses call a boy‘s name through a well. The film’s music by Masaru Sato is just intoxicating for its serene yet somber orchestral score to play up the drama that is happening along with a few moments that are upbeat as it’s really a mesmerizing score.

The film’s cast is just amazing as it features appearances from Takashi Shimura as a medical administrator, Kyoko Kagawa as a troubled woman who is quarantined by Red Beard, Miyuki Kuwano as the head nurse of the clinic, Yoshio Tsuchiya and Tatsuyoshi Ehara as a couple of doctors in the clinic, Reiko Dan as a nurse who is taking care of the quarantined woman, Kamatari Fujiwara as the ailing Rokusuke, Akemi Negishi as Sahachi’s wife Okuni, and Tsutomu Yamazaki as the ailing yet generous local Sahachi. Terumi Niki is wonderful as the troubled 12-year old girl Otoyo as she discovers a world where there is such thing as good in the world.

Yuzo Kayama is marvelous as Dr. Noburo Yasumoto as a young man who arrives as an arrogant man who felt disrespected by going into a clinic only to realize the demands is needed to be a doctor. Finally, there’s Toshiro Mifune in a phenomenal performance in the title role as a man who is filled with great sensitivity and patience to those he helps while guiding Dr. Yasumoto by showing him what takes to be there for those in need as it’s one of Mifune’s finest performances of his career.

Akahige is an outstanding film from Akira Kurosawa that features a tremendous performance from Toshiro Mifune. The film is definitely one of Kurosawa’s exquisite works as well as one of his most enduring dramas that explores a man guiding a younger man into displaying the attributes to be a doctor. It’s a film that showcases the goodness of what humanity can bring despite the cruel circumstances these characters go into as it unveils a side of Kurosawa that isn’t seen much in his films. In the end, Akahige is a touching yet exhilarating 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 (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 - The Bad Sleep Well - Yojimbo - Sanjuro - High and Low - Dodesukaden - Dersu Uzala - Kagemusha - Ran - Dreams (1990 film) - (Rhapsody in August) - (Madadayo)

© thevoid99 2013

High and Low

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/12/08 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Based on Ed McBain's King's Ransom, Tengoku to jigoku (High & Low) is the story of an executive whose attempted coup against greedy executives is thwarted by the kidnapping of his chauffeur's son as two detectives go on the search for the boy. Directed by Akira Kurosawa and screenplay by Kurosawa along with Eijiro Hisaita, Ryuzo Kikushima, and Hideo Oguni, the film is an exploration of morality and sacrifice. Starring Kurosawa regulars Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Takashi Shimura, Kyoko Kagawa, Isao Kimura, and Tsutomu Yamazaki. Tengoku to jigoku is a marvelous, character-study driven film from Akira Kurosawa and company.

After battling executives at the National Shoe Company over the quality of shoe products, King Gondon (Toshiro Mifune) and his aide Kawanishi (Tatsuya Mihashi) ponder about staging a coup against his superior whome he worked with for 30 years. With his wife Reiko (Kyoko Kagawa) looking on, Gondo reveals the shares he's bought from the business in hopes to take over the company and rid all of the corruption in the business. Just as things were going well, Gondo receives a phone call that his son Jun (Toshio Egi) has been kidnapped as the kidnapper wants $30 million. Yet, Jun suddenly appears where Gondo realizes that the kidnapper has taken Jun's friend Shinichi (Masahiko Shimazu) who is the son of Gondo's chauffer Mr. Aoki (Yutaka Sada).

Already dealing with financial issues over his attempted takeover, Gondo turns to the police for help as Chief Detective Tokura (Tatsuya Nakadai) leads the investigation along with 'Bos'n' Taguchi (Kenjiro Ishiyama) and two young detectives in Arai (Isao Kimura) and Nakao (Takeshi Kato). After another call about the kidnapper who continues to press matters for Aoki, Kawanashi reveals his own move to protect himself forcing Gondo to make his own decision about his lifestyle. While Tokura applauds Gondo's plans despite what Gondo will lose, Tokura turns to help from his superior (Takashi Shimura) about any leads following Shinichi's return. After Aoki has revealed to doing his own investigation, he and Taguchi learn something horrifying about the kidnapper (Tustomu Yamazaki) and his accomplices. With Gondo becoming a public hero despite a huge financial loss, Tokura and his team make a breakthrough based on a drawing Shinichi has made. With the identity of the kidnapper revealed, Tokura would go on the search for the man as it would lead to a showdown between Gondo and the kidnapper.

The film is really about morality and what a man should do when everything he's worked has to be sacrificed at great risk. That's what the first act of the movie is about while the second act is about the investigation, the aftermath of the sacrifice, and trying to capture the kidnapper leading to a meeting between criminal and victim at the end of the film. There's definitely motivation from Takeuchi into why he put Gondo in such a big dilemma. What he didn't know is how much Gondo is willing to reclaim his life, even if he has to start over. At the same time, how much public sympathy Gondo would get as he faces his own exile from the company he worked with for so long.

The script Kurosawa and his co-writers create is part-character study for the first act and part-noir for its second act. Kurosawa's direction though is entrancing from start to finish. The first act is done mostly in the home of Gondo in the living room as if it's theater. With the actors in a position to figure out the drama through Kurosawa's composition, it's clear that the first act plays like a theatrical play. The second act becomes different yet works to figure out the motive of the kidnapper. Kurosawa becomes interested in how the kidnapped victim tries to recollect things while staging scenes where one character is in view while a smaller character is trying to watch what's going on.

The direction of Kurosawa is sublime as it's all shot in black-and-white with one notable special effect shot that plays to a huge dramatic moment of the film. The level of suspense and momentum Kurosawa creates is truly unique as he sets up scenes of the investigation for Tokura and his men to figure out what Takeuchi is going to do. The film in some ways does play like a cat-and-mouse type of game in both acts since Takeuchi is a strategist in the kidnapping thing. Yet, when he becomes the target, he tries to remain non-existent only until a recollection from his victim causes a major break in the investigation. Overall, it's a stylish film from Kurosawa that blends both film noir and character-driven drama.

Cinematographers Asakazu Nakai and Takao Saito do great work in the black-and-white photography with wonderful grey colors for the film's interior shots of Gondo's living room while the night-time exterior shots of Tokyo in the film's second act has this great, noir-like look. The notable shot of the pink smoke coming out of a factory is a great visual effects shot as the look of the film is exquisite. The editing by Kurosawa himself is wonderful in building its momentum and dramatic tension with his trademark, side-swipe style of transitional cuts and rhythm to give the film a smooth yet engrossing feel in its pacing.

Production designer Yoshiro Muraki does amazing work in the look of Gondo's living room in all of its traditional and contemporary mix of walls, floors, and appliances which is in great contrast to the shabby home of the kidnapper. Costume designer Miyuki Suzuki does fantastic work with the costumes, notably for Mrs. Gondo with her styles of clothes ranging from traditional to contemporary dresses. Sound effects editor Ichiro Minawa, mixer Hisashi Shimonaga, and sound recordist Fumio Yanoguchi do great work with the film's sound, notably the phone recordings and what appears in those tapes. Longtime collaborator and music composer Masaru Sato creates unique, traditional Japanese drum-style music for the film's opening credits along with light, bass-driven orchestral music for the dramatic tension along with use of Franz Schubert's Die Forelle for more dramatic moments.

The film's cast is unique with small but memorable roles from Jun Tazaki, Nobuo Nakamura, and Yunosuke Ito as the corrupt executives, Minoru Chiaki as a reporter, Toshio Egi as Jun, and Masahiko Shimazu as Shinichi. Other notable small roles like Kurosawa veteran Takashi Shimura as the chief investigator, and Isao Kimura and Takeshi Kato in their respective roles as the young detectives Arai and Nakao. Yutaka Sada is excellent as Mr. Aoki, the chauffeur who goes to panic when his son is captured while carrying the guilt as he feels responsible for Gondo's loss of power. Tatsuya Mihashi is also excellent as Kawanishi, Gondo's aide who betrays him only for his own gain and protection as a man who is a catalyst for the decisions Gondo makes. Kenjiro Ishiyama is superb as Tokura's aide Taguchi, a man who is filled with a lot of moral while questioning about the motives of the kidnapper and the world of Gondo.

Kyoko Kagawa is great as Gondo's wife, a woman who watches everything while wanting to know what's going on as she is aware that the decision her husband makes will change her life. Kagawa's performance is wonderfully subtle and understated as she's the person that grounds Gondo while remaining the traditionalist, Japanese housewife. Tsutomu Yamazaki is excellent as Takeuchi, the kidnapper with a real motive as he tries to destroy the life of Gondo.

Tatsuya Nakadai is brilliant in a great supporting role as Tokura, the detective leading the investigation as he tries to figure out how to bring justice. Nakadai's performance is very understated and done with such class, it's basically the best performance of the film. Finally, there's Toshiro Mifune in a great role as King Gondo. Mifune's performance is filled with a lot of tension, conflict, and despair as a man whose life is about to change by a decision aware of its consequences. Mifune brings a lot of drama and sadness to the role as a man who becomes victimized and coping with possible loss.

Tengoku to jigoku is an engrossing yet provocative film from Akira Kurosawa and one of his essentials thanks to Kurosawa's direction and its ensemble cast led by Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai. Fans of Kurosawa will no doubt see this film as essential while seeing it as a great translation to the work of Ed McBain. In the end, for a film that mixes character study and film noir, Tengoku to jigoku is the film to 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 - The Seven Samurai - (I Live in Fear) - Throne of Blood - (The Lower Depths (1957 film)) - The Hidden Fortress - The Bad Sleep Well - Yojimbo - Sanjuro - Red Beard - Dodesukaden - Dersu Uzala - Kagemusha - Ran - Dreams (1990 film) - (Rhapsody in August) - (Madadayo)

© thevoid99 2012

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

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