Sandwiched between EARLY SUMMER/’51 and TOKYO STORY/’53, two Yasujiro Ozu classics that fit expectations on the Ozu oeuvre, this modest marital dramedy gets overlooked. Doubly so as behind an imposing title that promises utmost Japanese subtlety, lies a small film with a light tone. Yet the film is all Ozu, and not to be missed, especially if you’ve seen WHAT DID THE LADY FORGET?/’37. That film something of a trial run for this one fifteen years later; offering a unique opportunity to see Ozu’s response ripen from simple sit-com to emotional resonance. In both films, a poorly matched, childless couple, rapidly stiffening into incompatible middle-age stasis (wife: snobby, custom-bound, social striver; husband: comfort-loving/low-ambition compartmentalist) are jarred out of their routine when their visiting ‘modern’ niece starts speaking up for herself, skipping arranged marriage meetings, going about the city on her own (she’s a crack pinball player), coming home at all hours and finding her own dates . . . whom she also treats poorly. (The guy loves it!) Seeing how much of this is just like LADY; yet how much Ozu has grown as observant filmmaker (the whole last act becomes thrillingly emotional after a marital crisis clears the air for renewal), is like having a privileged moment alone with Ozu. What could be more valuable?
DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: This is more like a whole course on Ozu, but here are the films mentioned above. (Anyway, is there an Ozu film not worth seeing?) https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/05/early-summer-1951.html https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/06/tokyo-story-1953.html https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2026/07/what-did-lady-forget-shukujo-wa-nani-o.html
No comments:
Post a Comment