1944 film
written & directed by Akira Kurosawa
In a story somewhat similar to contemporary situations in the U.S., propagandist banners hang from the rafters as the wives and daughters of Japan pick up the slack in the factories when the men go out to fight in WWII. With it comes the additional burdens of leaving their families behind to live in state dorms, of being required to simultaneously form a marching band to play moral-boosting anthems on the streets, and of dealing with a constant "always increase production" mentality that looks upon sickness and injury as dishonorable acts committed against family, company, and nation.
Through it all, two women take charge. Noriko Mizushima (Takako Irie), widowed early in the war, keeps the women restful and fed as their dorm mother. Tsuru Watanabe (Yoko Yaguchi) is their leader on the factory floor, motivating, organizing, and acting as liaison to the company heads.
I've seen others call this a propaganda film, but I don't agree. Though it's never overtly critical, the nationalistic military state is indeed portrayed as a terrible burden that slowly wears on these characters, right up until the very end. No, I think Kurosawa is more interested in the women who continued to sacrifice in the face of such a system, best exemplified by the phenomenal performance of Yaguchi, whom the director would marry a year later.
It's a small, quiet film but, if you're willing to listen, it has a lot to say. Sadly, it's much harder to find than it should be, and most available versions have mangled subtitles that can be a bit tricky to decipher. Criterion needs to get off its pompous ass and put out a solid version that Kurosawa fans, both old and new, can study and appreciate for generations to come.
(purchase)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
July 31, 2008
July 30, 2008
Sanshiro Sugata
1943 film
written & directed by Akira Kurosawa
based on the novel by Tsuneo Tomita
(my review of the following film, 1945's SANSHIRO SUGATA 2)
Legendary director Kurosawa made his debut with this little known martial arts film about a young man who sets out to master a new form of fighting, Judo, and finds himself involved in an old rivalry between schools.
While it shows much of the humanity and technical skill of his later films, SANSHIRO SUGATA is still pretty rough around the edges. Mainly, it can't tell what story it's trying to tell. Is it about a pupil desperate to prove himself to his master? Is it about a young man torn between his vow to a school and his love for a woman? Is it about the rivalry between two schools, enacted by a pair of fighters who pine for the same love?
It's all of these things, which isn't bad in and of itself, but the pieces just don't fit together as a cohesive whole. And then there's a romance that's vital to the 3rd act, yet randomly pops up out of the blue. Or an underdeveloped villain who's motives are never clarified and lacks any threat since we barely see him in battle. Or the lead (played by Susumu Fujita) who toes the line between innocence and youthful stubbornness in a way that, instead of exemplifying the everyman, makes him come off as little more than a skilled lunkhead.
Now, all these gripes aren't to say the film is bad. It's beautifully shot and captures the atmosphere of 19th century Japan, where western-style fashions are just starting to appear alongside traditional dress. And there's wonderful little poetic moments like Sanshuro finding solace in a flower, a time-lapse transition following the adventures of an abandoned sandal, and a man singing to the heavens in a field as wind whips through the waist-high grass.
It's a flawed film, but not terrible, and any Kurosawa buff should track it down. For everyone else, eh.
(purchase)
(purchase)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
written & directed by Akira Kurosawa
based on the novel by Tsuneo Tomita
(my review of the following film, 1945's SANSHIRO SUGATA 2)
Legendary director Kurosawa made his debut with this little known martial arts film about a young man who sets out to master a new form of fighting, Judo, and finds himself involved in an old rivalry between schools.
While it shows much of the humanity and technical skill of his later films, SANSHIRO SUGATA is still pretty rough around the edges. Mainly, it can't tell what story it's trying to tell. Is it about a pupil desperate to prove himself to his master? Is it about a young man torn between his vow to a school and his love for a woman? Is it about the rivalry between two schools, enacted by a pair of fighters who pine for the same love?
It's all of these things, which isn't bad in and of itself, but the pieces just don't fit together as a cohesive whole. And then there's a romance that's vital to the 3rd act, yet randomly pops up out of the blue. Or an underdeveloped villain who's motives are never clarified and lacks any threat since we barely see him in battle. Or the lead (played by Susumu Fujita) who toes the line between innocence and youthful stubbornness in a way that, instead of exemplifying the everyman, makes him come off as little more than a skilled lunkhead.
Now, all these gripes aren't to say the film is bad. It's beautifully shot and captures the atmosphere of 19th century Japan, where western-style fashions are just starting to appear alongside traditional dress. And there's wonderful little poetic moments like Sanshuro finding solace in a flower, a time-lapse transition following the adventures of an abandoned sandal, and a man singing to the heavens in a field as wind whips through the waist-high grass.
It's a flawed film, but not terrible, and any Kurosawa buff should track it down. For everyone else, eh.
(purchase)
(purchase)
(wikipedia)
(internet movie database)
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