Vermillion and One Nights

Nuclear Noir

2011-12-11T19:00:00.000+09:00

Kiss Me Deadly

The ending of Kiss Me Deadly (1955) has been a center of debate among its fans and critics, while the authentic ending is now in place and the alternate one is offered as an extra. As Gabrielle opens the Pandora’s Box, she is exposed to the bright light of the Hell, detonating the ultimate Doomsday device. In physics, that bright (blue) light is actually called Cherenkov radiation, and anyone who sees it too closely will die a horrible death. Intense light, including Cherenkov radiation, is created by critical state of nuclear materials, emitting enormous amount of nuclear radiation, such as alpha, beta and gamma radiations.

Then, in the case of ”Kiss Me Deadly”, how much radiation are we talking about?

Two More Fragments

2011-11-23T23:00:00.000+09:00

Denjiro Okochi as Tange Sazen

The previous post discussed the art of Jidaigeki in 1920s. Here are two more rare film clips of Denjiro Okochi.

Going Berserk

2011-11-15T23:00:00.000+09:00

1920’s was the era of Jidaigeki in Japanese cinema. In spite of its popularity (or rather, because of it), only handful of the masterpieces of the era survived. Matsunosuke Onoe was the first Japanese cinema star and the most popular among kids during 1910’s and 20’s, but it was the late 20’s that saw the pinnacle of Jidaigeki. So I heard. In 1925, Daisuke Ito created “Chuji Tabi Nikki (忠治旅日記)” Trilogy with Denjiro Ohkochi, one of the most influential Jidaigeki in the Japanese cinema history. "Shin-ban Ooka Seidan (新版大岡政談, 1928, Dir. Daisuke Ito)", "Zanzin Zanba Ken (斬人斬馬剣, 1929, Dir. Daisuke Ito)", "Ronin Gai Trilogy (浪人街三部作, 1928-29, Dir. Masahiro Makino)" were considered the masterpieces of the day by whom ever saw them. Very few of these materials are available to us, many of which are in incomplete form.

Bluebird Photoplays

2011-11-09T23:00:00.000+09:00

A Society Sensation (1918)

Early Japanese cinema were, of course, under the influence of D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and other early Hollywood cinema. Serial photoplays from Unites States and France, in addition to fast-paced westerns and Max Linder comedies were also textbook materials. Intolerance sent shockwave through young cinema lovers, while Zigomar was so sensational that it had to be banned in fear of copycat crimes. The films of Mourice Tourner, Thomas Ince and other Hollywood notables, plus early Italian epic films, and German Expressionisms were all flooding the Japanese cinema theaters. These films were universally acclaimed as influential and popular, so no surprise here.

What are they eating ?

2011-11-04T23:00:00.000+09:00

Tokyo Story

In one scene in "Tokyo Story", Fumiko, Koichi's wife, speaks of "Kid's Lunch Plate". What is it?

Frames Per Second

2011-10-26T22:39:00.000+09:00

Asakusa District 6, the town of movie theaters (1910)

What is the right speed for silent film projection? 16fps. That’s the standard. Right? Or, somewhere between 12 and 24 fps, some says. There are on-going debates about the speed even for Hollywood studio films in twenties, let alone some early films of 1910s and 1900s. When it comes to early Japanese cinema, the question sounds like a bad joke.

Buzz of A Honeybee and the Island of the Holy

2011-10-10T14:30:00.000+09:00

Holy Island (2010)

Iwai-shima, a small island of 7.67 square kilometers in its area and 12 kilometers in its perimeter, is a part of Kaminoseki/Kumage county of Yamaguchi prefecture. It is located in the west end of the Seto Island Sea (the sea you see in Ozu's "Tokyo Story"), just several kilometers off the coast of the main land. The population is only little more than 500, roughly 70% of which are over seventy years old. These aging islanders are making living by line fishing and small-scale farming on steep slopes of the island. The place is often hit by typhoons, which sometimes damage a large part of the small village. Though the name Iwai-shima means "the island of celebration", the life is not easy for them.

An Apron as a Weapon

2011-09-19T23:00:00.000+09:00

Setsuko Hara in Shido-Monogatari (指導物語, 1940) Dir. Hisatora Kumagai

Many people believe that an oppressive, totalitarian government is designed by a group of devils wearing human skins. The nation is hypnotized by cunning propaganda, led to believe the blood-tainted doctrine, and subliminally conditioned to sacrifice their life for those devils. Today, we would notice these devils when we see them. A modern democratic society will not tolerate such a diabolical political process. So we believe.

A Photograph, 1936

2011-09-02T20:00:00.000+09:00

In 1936, Japan Film Directors Society was formed. This was a group photograph of the occasion.
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The Empire of Fantasies

2011-08-26T21:00:00.000+09:00

Geishunka (迎春花,1943) Dir. Yasushi Sasaki

In 1923, the massive earthquake hit the Kanto area. Unprecedented in modern history of Japan, with more than 100,000 causalities, the large part of metropolitan area was burnt to ground. One of the horrifying events in this catastrophe was ethnic cleansing of Koreans by Japanese survivors. Vicious rumors were spread through the frightened people in the devastated area; Koreans were poisoning drinking water, torching houses and preparing for communist revolution. Vigilantes searched for suspected "Koreans" (whoever they considered Koreans) and lynched them to death. In reality, the vicious rumors were spread by Tokyo Police Department. It may sound incredible, but Matsutaro Shoriki, the head of the Anti-terrorism unit in TPD at the time, devised the scheme for ethnic cleansing. Shoriki went on to become the owner of Yomiuri News, the largest news agency in Japan, an Class-A war criminal, and a Congressman. Many pointed out that he used this opportunity to suppress Left-wing-Labor union activities. However, there is no practical clear reason for cleansing Koreans in this context.

Masumura, Ichikawa and Ozu

2011-08-20T07:00:00.000+09:00

The Most Valuable Wife (Saiko Shukun Fujin, 1959, dir. Yasuzo Masumura)

Speed of Growth

In the age of global economy, a self-proclaimed expert announces "your bond is no longer as secure as it used to be" and then whole world goes berserk. A large part of transactions of securities, stocks, bonds, foreign currencies and other monetary entities is processed by computer algorithms without human intervention, in less than a microsecond over the continents. A myriad of security firms, banks, and other companies you never knew how to pronounce their names, destroy your retirement plan in two seconds. Most of us are jittery because off-shoring project in process in the floor below will mean next wave of layoffs in this floor. Yes, this is the ultimate form of the Captialism as we know it.

Nobuko Rides on a Cloud

2011-08-07T22:00:00.000+09:00

Nobuko Rides on a Cloud (ノンちゃん雲に乗る)

1955, Shin-Toho
Prod. Hisatora Kumagai, Hiroji Nakata
Dir. Fumindo Kurata
Writer Fumindo Kurata, Setsuko Murayama
Haruko Wanibuchi, Setsuko Hara, Susumu Fujita

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Postwar Kurosawa: Seven Samurai

2011-07-31T15:00:00.000+09:00

Seven Samurai (七人の侍)

1954, Toho
Prod. Soujiro Motoki
Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Writer Shinobu Hashimoto, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Ogunii, Cinematography Asakazu Nakai, Music Fumio Hayasaka
Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune

Postwar Kurosawa: Ikiru

2011-07-18T11:30:00.001+09:00

Ikiru (生きる)

1952, Toho
Prod. Soujiro Motoki
Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Writer Osamu Hashimoto, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Kokuni, Cinematography Asakazu Nakai, Music Fumio Hayasaka
Takashi Shimura, Nobuo Kaneko, Miki Odagiri

Postwar Kurosawa: The Idiot

2011-07-03T00:00:00.003+09:00

The Idiot (白痴)

1951, Shochiku
Prod. Takashi Koide
Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Writer Eijiro Hisasaka, Akira Kurosawa, Cinematography Toshio Ikukata, Music Fumio Hayasaka
Masayuki Mori, Toshiro Mifune, Setsuko Hara, Takashi Shimura

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Postwar Kurosawa: Rashomon

2011-06-25T19:00:00.001+09:00

Rashomon (羅生門)

1950, Daiei
Prod. Jingo Minoura
Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Writer Shinobu Hashimoto, Akira Kurosawa, Cinematography Kazuo Miyagawa, Music Fumio Hayasaka
Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyoi, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura

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Postwar Kurosawa: Scandal

2011-06-12T13:00:00.001+09:00

Scandal (醜聞)

1950, Shochiku
Prod. Takashi Koide
Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Writer Ryuzo Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa, Cinematography Toshio Ikukata, Music Fumio Hayasaka
Toshiro Mifune, Yoshiko Yamagushi, Takashi Shimura

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Postwar Kurosawa: The Stray Dog

2011-05-29T17:00:00.006+09:00

The Stray Dog (野良犬)

1949, Toho
Prod. Soujiro Motoki
Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Writer Ryuzo Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa, Cinematography Asakazu Nakai, Music Fumio Hayasaka
Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Isao Kimura

Postwar Kurosawa: The Quiet Duel

2011-05-21T11:00:00.032+09:00

The Quiet Duel (静かなる決闘)

1949, Daiei
Prod. Soujiro Motoki, Hisao Ichikawa
Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Writer Senkichi Taniguchi, Akira Kurosawa, Cinematography Souichi Aizaka, Music Akira Ifukube
Toshiro Mifune,
Takashi Shimura, Kenjiro Uemura, Miki Sanjo, Noriko Sengoku

In March 1948, Kurosawa, Soujiro Motoki, Kajiro Yamamoto and Senkichi Taniguchi formed “Eiga Geijutu Kyoukai (Cinema Art Society)”. Toho was at the last stage of Labor Union Conflict at the time and not a good place to direct a film. Kurosawa was deeply disappointed with the Union movement and left Toho for Daiei to direct his next film. “The Quiet Duel” is based on popular stage play, “Abortion Doctor”, by Kazuo Kikuta. The stage production (Minoru Chiaki as a lead) was a success, partly due to its provocative title. Kurosawa saw this production and was excited about its potential as a film material. Working title for the film was “Punishment without Crime”.

Postwar Kurosawa: Drunken Angel

2011-05-14T23:00:00.001+09:00

Drunken Angel (酔いどれ天使)

1948, Toho
Prod. Soujiro Motoki
Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Writer Keinosuke Uekusa, Akira Kurosawa, Cinematography Takeo Ito, Music Ryouichi Hattori, Fumihiko Hayasaka
Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune, Reizaburo Yamamoto, Michiyo Kogure, Noriko Sengoku

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Postwar Kurosawa: One Wonderful Sunday

2011-05-07T23:00:00.015+09:00

One Wonderful Sunday (素晴らしき日曜日)

1947, Toho
Prod. Soujiro Motoki
Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Writer Keinosuke Uekusa, Cinematography Asakazu Nakai, Music Tadashi Hattori
Isao Numazaki, Chieko Nakakita
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Postwar Kurosawa: No Regrets for Our Youth

2011-05-04T07:00:00.003+09:00

Setsuko Hara in No Regrets for Our Youth

No Regrets for Our Youth (わが青春に悔なし)

1946, Toho
Prod. Tetsuji Matsuzaki
Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Writer Eijiro Hisaita, Cinematography Asakazu Nakai, Music Tadashi Hattori
Susumu Fujita, Setsuko Hara, Denjiro Okochi,

In 1946, the year "No Regrets for Our Youth" was released, two significant events took place in connection with the incident depicted in the film, "Kyoto University Case (Takigawa Incident)".

Postwar Kurosawa

2011-05-02T11:30:00.007+09:00

Out there, in print, or on internet or whatever, there are numerous reviews, writings, essays and books on Kurosawa's films. Many of them are by professional writers and critics and are well-researched, very thought-provoking. So what else to be added? If I were to write about his masterpieces, will readers get something new or interesting?

The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On

2011-04-24T16:00:00.001+09:00

The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (1987)
Dir. Kazuo Hara

If you have never seen this film, I strongly advise you not to read this post. Also, I strongly recommend to see this film. Without acquiring any information regarding its content. Not because it will diminish the shocking effect of this film (it won't, believe me, I have seen this film more than a couple of times but it still shocks me), but because it is an experience. You will experience how the ugliness of the truth unfold.

The Issue of Degradation, Part 2

2011-04-12T21:00:00.000+09:00

Maybe some of you have migrated your collections to hard disks (HDD). You may have had a collection of DVDs and CDs but copied them on HDD, got rid of all the physical collections and are quite happy about it. An 1TB hard disk costs less than DVD box set these days and can hold hundreds of movies. Directories and folder management is much easier and faster than going through a clatter of disks. I do have some movies on HDD and find them quite useful and easy. But when it comes to trusting HDD, it's a different story.

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The Issue of Degradation, Part 1

2011-04-07T23:30:00.004+09:00

Old films have scratches, moldings, tears, color fade and many other forms of deterioration. They have happened, are happening and will happen. Nitrate films are combustible and prone to catch fire easily, while acetates are prone to hydrolysis, causing 'vinegar syndrome'. Colors will fade. Sprockets may disintegrate. In many cases, no original negative has survived and only material available to us is a poorly handled dupes. Copying analogue data (images on films) always degrades the quality of the original, such as sharpness, brightness, grayscale/color balances and audio clarity. People often have said preserving the film prints and negatives is not a clever idea.

Film, digital.

2011-04-03T15:00:00.020+09:00

When the next summer blockbusters come to the nearest cinema complex, all of them would be packed with dazzling arrays of digitally generated images. In fact, it will be extremely difficult to find a film without any digital post processing these days. If you sit through ridiculously long end credits for some of the recent Hollywood entertainment films, you will find large percentage of the personnel are involved in post production digital image processing. The total control of production process by digital technologies has made the business of movie industry more adapt to DVD and BluRays, flooding the markets with cheap disks in less than three months of theatrical release. It seems like descendants of Georges Melies are dominating the business in Cinema Complexes, Netflix and Amazon.

Downtown

2011-03-22T23:30:00.005+09:00

Toho, 1957
Directed by Yasuki Chiba
Cinematography by Rokuro Nishigaki
Based on the novel by Fumiko Hayashi
Music by Akira Ifukube
Isuzu Yamada, Toshiro Mifune, Keiko Awaji

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A message to Japanese readers

2011-03-22T23:09:00.000+09:00

今回の東北・東日本大地震で被災された方々、お見舞い申し上げます。このような未曾有の事態を乗り切るには、私たちの知恵とまごごろが必要です。これから苦しいことも多いですが、一緒に乗り切っていきましょう。

Analysis of "There Was A Father", Epilogue

2011-03-09T21:00:00.002+09:00

The original script for Ozu's "The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice" was written and submitted to Censorship Board in 1939. The script was rejected, and Shochiku had to shelve it with no prospect for the production. The story concerns the man of humble origin but hard-working and his spoiled wife from rich family. The husband is too serious and boring for her taste, so the wife goes on spending spree and expensive trips. But the husband receives the draft notice, which upsets her. She realizes that her husband is quite a remarkable person, being calm when facing such a life-turning event. They quietly enjoys the last meal of "Ochazuke (Green Tea over Rice)" the night before his joining army. The reason for the rejection was often said that "Ochazuke" is too depressing meal for a Japanese man going to the war. But it was more likely that the description of wife's decadent behavior is unacceptable even if she realizes her wrongs in the end.

Analysis of "There Was A Father", Equalization

2011-03-09T13:00:00.002+09:00

These days, most of us use modern digital technologies, ranging from cell phones, digital camera, GPS to Internet apps like Facebook or Twitter. Digital technologies has revolutionized how we interact with information, how we communicate and how we manipulate and store the data. Anyone who has a digital camera (and many of you probably own more than one) must have tinkered with image processing tools. Some of you did enhancement or text insert with one of those bundled software. Or may have used Photoshop or GIMP to give it more professional look. In any case, the processing techniques once limited to professional circles are now available to us with a few clicks.

Analysis of "There Was A Father", Bright/dark sequences

2011-03-05T23:00:00.000+09:00

Bright sequences in "There Was A Father" are;

The field trip in Hakone, Scene 0397, B=0.4403

The father and the son visiting the castle ruin, Scene 0982, B=0.4372

The father and the son fishing in the river, Scene 1401, B=0.4731

The building of the father's office, Scene 2009, B=0.4114

Schoolboys sitting on the bridge, Scene 2436, B=0.4445

The father's last words, Scene 4764, B=0.3914

Analysis of "There Was A Father", Grayscales

2011-02-27T23:00:00.007+09:00

You are the commander in the war zone. Across the valley, the large troop of enemy awaits. You are waiting for the reinforcements, but there is no word from HQ. Then, a wounded messenger arrives with a COPY of the message from HQ. He says the original was destroyed by the fire, but insists that he copied MOST of it. The message reads you should start the frontal attack next morning. Don't worry, the reinforcement will come and air strikes will assist you. But, the massage has lost many words in the course of duplication, smeared with blood, and some of the sentences are incoherent.

Analysis of "There Was A Father", 01:18:00 - End

2011-02-24T23:00:00.005+09:00

There Was A Father, Scene 4971

When someone turns away, with his/her back to you, without a word, you might find it difficult to reconnect with that person. Even if it is not a hostile gesture, just an awkward lapse in conversation or meeting, you have to search for effective, proper words to recapture the person's attention. Then, it is all the more difficult if the person is shutting down all the external interaction, retreating into the personal void.

Analysis of "There Was A Father", 01:12:00 - 01:17:59

2011-02-16T23:00:00.000+09:00

There Was A Father, Scene 4614

The climax of the film is staged at the father's house. The separation of the father and the son, the loss of their own house and the long arc of their sojourn finally land on the domestic scene however temporary. Through most of their lives, privacy has been a luxury. Here, they have the space of their own where they can discuss their private matters in more joyous note. But, alas, it's only for a brief moment.

Analysis of "There Was A Father", 01:06:00 - 01:11:59

2011-02-11T23:00:00.005+09:00

There Was A Father, Scene 4077

Masahiro Shinoda once worked under Ozu as an assistant director (Tokyo Boshoku). During the shooting, there was a sitting cushion placed on the tatami floor in the set, which was never used by any of the characters in the scene. He asked Ozu what was the meaning of that cushion. Ozu invited Shinoda to the view finder of the camera. "What do you see?", he asked. There were lines and lines of tatami edge (hen) covering the lower half of the frame. Ozu did not like the tatami edges invading his composition and the cushion was placed to conceal them.

Analysis of "There Was A Father", 01:00:00 - 01:05:59

2011-02-04T23:00:00.001+09:00

There Was A Father, Scene 3561

"Another problem (in cinema direction) is that people stand up and sit down. In western-style rooms, this is not as difficult, since the posture of the person is fairly consistent throughout the movement. But it is problematic in Japanese-style rooms. First of all, when the person stands up (from sitting position on tatami), the center of gravity (of the body) translates in a complex fashion. Then, the vertical size is doubled. But the screen would not be elongated in the vertical axis accordingly."

Analysis of "There Was A Father", 00:54:00 - 00:59:59

2011-01-30T23:00:00.002+09:00

There Was A Father, Scene 3451, The only son and the brother of Toda family

In prewar/wartime Japan, and postwar Japan to some extent, the clothes, especially women's, convey various implications as to the social/cultural roles, status and psychology of the character. This implication is clearly evident in Ozu's films. In Ozu's prewar, wartime films, majority of female characters wear kimonos, while male characters are dominantly in western clothes. However, after the war, the (young) female characters are completely converted to the western dress, as can be evidenced by "Late Spring". Noting that "Late Spring" and "There Was A Father" or "Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family" are only less than ten years apart, it is all the more surprising.

Analysis of "There Was A Father", 00:48:00 - 00:53:59

2011-01-24T23:00:00.005+09:00

There Was A Father, Scene 3115

The father and the son visit the small hot-spring resort to spend a weekend.

Analysis of "There Was A Father", 00:42:00 - 00:47:59

2011-01-20T23:00:00.001+09:00

There Was A Father, Scene 2669

Shohei Imamura, a very prominent Japanese film director (Pigs and Battleships, The Ballad of Narayama, The Eel), was once Ozu's assistant. He immensely hated Ozu's style of film direction and asked to be relieved from the position. To him, Ozu had always picked the worst take out of tens of retakes. Ozu's endless retake was infamous in the studio, as he kept saying no until actors and actresses were so exhausted that their uniqueness were stripped off. Imamura found nothing to be learned from Ozu's direction.

Analysis of "There Was A Father", 00:36:00 - 00:41:59

2011-01-16T14:00:00.001+09:00

There Was A Father, Scene 2420

A visit to Hirata's home is another example of two-room staging coupled with a small room in the back. This scene echoes the earlier scene at Horikawa's home when they discussed about Horikawa's decision to resign his position. While the earlier scene opened with a troubled expression on Hirata's face, here we have the more jovial smile on his face. Hirata is also a widower, but lives with his daughter (Nami) and young son (Seiichi). The contrast with Horikawa's father-son relationship is revealing. They are living together, they have a home of their own, and they have their own privacy. Especially the privacy is important, as can be evidenced by the tone, delivery and vocabulary of Nami's speech in privacy (in a small room in the back) and in public (in front of Horikawa). The only instance we see this kind of intimacy as a family in Horikawa's is their exchange in the first scene of the film, at their own home.

Analysis of "There Was A Father", 00:30:00 - 00:35:59

2011-01-09T23:00:00.011+09:00

There Was A Father, Scene 1911

The space of two neighboring rooms with fusuma in between is the most effectively utilized in this section. Here, the son listened to his father's decision without any utterance of protest, but his despair and disappointment is apparent visually. The next room has been a void up until this point, then the son moves to the room and sits on tatami quietly, his back toward his father. The distance here is only a few meters in reality, but we feel it more distant than it actually is.

Analysis of "There Was A Father", 00:24:00 - 00:29:59

2011-01-05T23:00:00.004+09:00

There Was A Father, Scene 1606

Sometimes, we find some illogical coincidence among trivial matters in our daily life. If you see the old lady from the next block with her dog in the morning, it's a bad omen for the day, for example. But if you see a black cat living the next door before you start the car, you will be okey for the day. Maybe the collage kid in the coffee shop signals the bad weather in the afternoon, or something else. No logical connection. It's just a stupid coincidence you happened to notice. If you take a statistics for such matters, it's probably not even close to find correlation. You just imagine manufactured serendipity as a bit real.

Analysis of "There Was A Father", 00:18:00 - 00:23:59

2011-01-01T23:00:00.004+09:00

There Was A Father, Scene 1089

Sessho (殺生) Taking of the Life

One of the Five Precepts in Bhuddism is not to take life. This "taking of life" is called "sessho" in Japanese. During the conversation with the priest, Horikawa says "It is worrisome that he likes sessho," referring to his son going out to catch dragonflies. Not troubled so much, just the remark. The priest replies, "Oh, kids are like that". Later, at night, the father and the son are talking about the plan of fishing the next day. The priest, while working on the mill, says "Don't mind me. I already gave them last rites. But these fishes (Haya, Japanese Dace) are quite wily..."

Analysis of "There Was A Father", 00:12:00 - 00:17:59

2010-12-28T23:00:00.010+09:00

There Was A Father, Scene 797

After the conversation about his resigning teachership with Hirata, Horikawa moves to his hometown with his son. This six minutes concerns the beginning of their life-long sojourn.

Analysis of "There Was A Father", 00:06:00 - 00:11:59

2010-12-24T23:00:00.025+09:00

Throughout this six minutes, large part of dark areas are provided by human figures (students and teachers) since they wear dark uniforms or suits, while the brighter areas are from background.

Analysis of "There Was A Father", 00:00:00 - 00:05:59

2010-12-21T23:00:00.020+09:00

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Only six minutes of the film.

But this first six minutes are already filled with wealth of ideas and images.

First, the condition of the print. It is quite apparent that the grayscale of the images are "narrowed". In another words, the dynamic range has been lost. Black has faded, while white lost its luster. I believe that the surviving material is positive 16mm reduction print. I don't know if the loss of image quality occurred when this reduction/duplication process was performed, or it has degraded over the course of time.

The modern image processing technologies can manipulate images quite easily. In fact, there are some people who are working with old films, giving the image grayscale stretch, adjusting it until they can get "decent details", and calling it "digital restoration". While I am not totally against this approach, I am not ready to accept it as definitive. Digitizing analogue materials, especially deteriorated materials, is quite an intricate matter.

In any case, rather than appropriating details by manipulating the grayscale, I would study the images as they are, as carefully as possible.

A bit of historical background. It will help us to understand some of the aspects in this film.

Analysis of "There Was A Father", prologue

2010-12-17T23:00:00.015+09:00

It was more than 20 years ago. Back then, the chances to encounter Ozu's works were relatively limited. The VHS catalogs or theatrical screenings usually consisted of works from 50's and 60's, the later masterpieces. So when I found "There Was A Father" was scheduled on late-night TV, I was quite excited. It was probably around '86 or '87.

It made quite an impression on me. The print was in a miserable condition, but through scratches, specs, damages, flickering and shaky frames, the ethereal world lost to us emerged. Since then, I was quite captivated by the film.

It was not that I liked the story. In fact, I found its reactionary moral preaching rather heavy-handed and was not at all convinced by the father-son relationship portrayed. Direction was superb, as you might expect from Ozu, but there was something more than that. I was not able to grip what fascinated me. From time to time, I contemplated about it, my fascination about this film.

If I attempt to describe what I saw, I would say it was this strange darkness dissolved in the air beyond the lens. What I was not able to grasp was if it was really a dark film in terms of its images, or its theme filtered my perception of the images.

I was not able to place this "darkness" in the broader scope of cinematic art. It was one of those strange experiences you cannot explain very well. I had seen many noirs, especially John Alton's works, and love them deeply. I love German Expressionist films and their works in Hollywood. But I felt this film had a different kind of darkness. It's not dark guys doing dark deeds in dark alleys. It's not dark twisted figures contemplating dark thoughts in dark twisted sets. I felt inexplicable tragedy in its theme. This film was supposed to portrait the "family value" as the war-time Japanese government saw fit, while Ozu must had worked thoroughly to make it as universal as possible. But somehow, the mysterious dark fog was hovering over, I thought. Some images of the films were reiterated in my memory and deformed into black haze.

The Exhausted Soldier

2010-11-24T23:00:00.000+09:00

The Fighting Soldier (1939), A Chinese watching his house burnt down

Propaganda films are, in principle, very clear about what message it should convey. One of the most notable example, TRIUMPH OF THE WILL is very efficient in transmitting its message. Images are designed to portray Nazi regime to be the liberator of German race, the symbol of national rebirth. Absurd, sure, but in 1934 Germany, an average citizen never knew the horrors to come. TRIUMPH is a very unique material. It is a rather dull document of the Nazi party political rally, propaganda to every frame.

In Japan during WWII, any media, newspaper, literature, art, theater, film was heavily censored and monitored. The wartime government exploited news reports, news reels and other documentaries to express its agenda, to emphasize its moral ground, and to exaggerate its achievements. Several government functions and military ministries produced many so-called "culture films". These documentaries were coupled with entertainment films so that general audience, who visited the theater for another Ken Uehara movie, would get government messages. In 1937, Ministry of Army decided to document the China war zone and under this political support, the director Fumio Kamei and cinematographer Kiyoshi Miki followed the troops to the Battle of Wuhan. The result was THE FIGHTING SOLDIER (TATAKAU HEITAI). This is one of the strangest propaganda films in the history of cinema. The Army wanted to make a good war propaganda, instead they got this 'anti-war' film. The film was banned and its negative was destroyed.

Run, Yasubei, Run

2010-11-10T21:00:00.008+09:00

Here is another Masahiro Makino film clip. The clip is the last climax of CHIKEMURI TAKADANOBABA (1937). This was one of the two blockbusters of 1937 New Year Season, and amazingly, both of them were directed by Makino.

Incomplete Mediocrity

2010-10-30T21:00:00.002+09:00

Aizen Katsura (1938)

The year was 1938.

For film lovers, it is the year of BRINGING UP BABY, ALEXANDER NEVSKY and THE LADY VANISHES. At the same time, it was anticipating the great year of 1939. In Japan, however, it was the year with few notable works. Sadao Yamanaka was drafted to military the previous year and died in China in September of 1938. Yasujiro Ozu was also drafted. Mikio Naruse and Kenji Mizoguchi were struggling with minor works.

But Japanese movie-going public at the time saw the most phenomenal film of the prewar era this year. In terms of popularity, no prewar Japanese film would beat this film. Directed by Hiromasa Nomura, starred Kinuyo Tanaka and Ken Uehara, it was the box-office record at the time, and the sequels were hurriedly prepared. The film was AIZEN KATSURA.

Ryo Ikebe (1918 - 2010)

2010-10-17T02:00:00.019+09:00

Ryo Ikebe, a popular Japanese actor from forties through seventies, passed away last week. He was 92.

Internationally, he is probably best known for the lead character in Ozu's EARLY SPRING (1956). In Japan, he was considered to be a very versatile actor, from melodrama (AOI SANMYAKU (1949)) to Yakuza movies (SHOWA ZANKYO DEN (1965)). Also, he acted as a conscience in Japanese film actor circles. However, in later years, he gradually shifted his activities from acting to writing. He published dozens of books, mostly essays and his experience during the war.

Then And Now, Again

2010-10-16T01:00:00.001+09:00

In Ozu's "There Was A Father", the pivotal moment early in the film was the school trip to Hakone. Below is the Ashinoko, the Lake in Hakone area. Hakone has been one of the most popular resorts in Japan, being close to Tokyo metropolis. This is 1942, almost 70 years ago.

Ashinoko and Mt. Fuji, "There Was A Father (1942)"

This is Ashinoko now.

Kochiyama Soshun

2010-10-06T21:00:00.030+09:00

Kochiyama Soshun, Setsuko Hara

When I finished watching it, I didn't want to see it again. It gradually descended into depressing finale, killing off every lovable character one by one. The survivor is the reckless kid who started all. No, it's not fun.

Then, after a day or two, it started to crawl back on me. That scene. The duel between Kochiyama and Kaneko. They were determined to have it. Kochiyama, a local gambler and a bookie, and Kaneko, a Yojimbo for the local gang leader, were destined to have it. But when they are on the verge of bursting into action, for the reason nobody knows, Onami (Setsuko Hara, only 15 years old) shows up. The (anti)climax of this duel is the best of all cinematic duels.

What are they eating ?

2010-09-30T22:00:00.005+09:00

In "Tokyo no korasu (1931)", the little daughter gets sick from eating "Mizumanju". This is Mizumanju/Kuzumanju.

Then and Now, and In Between (Part 4)

2010-09-25T10:00:00.004+09:00

This is the conclusion of 4-part series.

How to Delete the Past

Textbook used in a Japanese elementary school after WWII

The war devastation made people realize that Japan had not been as modernized as they had thought. It became embarrassingly clear that Japan had had no chance of winning the war. Compared to their sorry state of material shortage, food shortage and poor industrialization, United States had everything they wanted and more (at least they thought so). Japan had a lot to catch up. Accelerate industrialization and modernization. Forget about anything old.

In July 1945, most of Japanese seriously believed they should fight against incoming Americans with bamboo spears, even it meant suicide of the whole nation. After August 1945, it was apparent to anyone's eye that tremendous degree of psychological, social and economical metamorphosis was required. Then, Japan became a nation of "amnesiacs". They have to delete the past. The change was possible only through total annihilation of the past. In schools, large parts of texts in textbooks were painted black. Not only it was to show that anything had been taught was wrong, but had to be erased. Reference to sacrifice, emperor,or any other code of ethics of war-time era were no longer mentioned in classrooms.

Such a drastic change would require new plannings, visions and dreams. However, in many cases, such as Tokyo urban planning as we have seen in the previous part, the sense of immediate survival just killed dreams and visions, inevitably leading to a chaos. Chaotic city landscape was only the representation of this chaotic collective psyche.

In "Tokyo Story", Ozu carefully selected his exterior scenes to show us artifacts from prewar era while brutal contamination of the city was in progress elsewhere. Since the city completely lost its unity in space, one had to look for unity in time. "Absence of Tokyo" was a carefully crafted view. If the city has lost its identity, was there anything to show ?

Then and Now, and In Between (Part 3)

2010-09-19T15:00:00.002+09:00

(This is part 3 of 4-parts series. Part 1, Part 2)

Tokyo aerial view, 1945 (via Wikipedia)

Bombing of Tokyo

Through 1944 to 1945, Tokyo was bombed more than 100 times. Especially, the bombing on March 10, 1945 was the most devastating. Incendiary bombs burned the whole city to the ground. Fukagawa, Ozu's birthplace has been bombed most heavily and destroyed completely.
After the war, shabby looking shacks gave immediate shelters to those who survived the bombing or came back from the war zones. These shacks became the symbols of Tokyo rebuilding.
Supreme Commander of Allied Forces, the Occupation Forces in Japan, reassigned the buildings and streets to meet their efficiency. On the other hand, they were quite indifferent toward the rebuilding of Japanese cities, especially Tokyo. Hideaki Ishikawa, the Head of Urban Planning Office of Tokyo, proposed a quite ambitious plan for Tokyo rebuilding. His proposals included several 100-m wide main streets intersecting metropolitan areas, large areas of parks and greens and rearrangement of residential areas and commercial areas. But this proposal was ignored by SCAP and Seiichiro Yasui, the Mayor of Tokyo at the time. SCAP contemptuously called it "the plan of the victor", and Yasui was determined to discard the plan. The plan demanded the immense budget and Yasui said "What Tokyo needs now is not the grandiose plan but the place for people to live". His assessment was probably right at the time, considering the fact that the whole city was covered with shacks made of scraps and debris by 1947.

Then and Now, and In Between (Part 2)

2010-09-12T16:00:00.003+09:00

Fukagawa Waste Incinerator (1929) (1)

Earthquake and Transformation

On September 1, 1923, one of the largest earthquake in modern history of Japan hit the Kanto area. The death toll was more than 100,000, and the city was devastated by collapse, landslide and most of all, fire. The whole city was destroyed.
Ozu has just started as a camera stuff in Shochiku, when the earthquake devastated the area. During the studio shutdown, he and his family had to rebuild their life again from scratch.
This devastation initiated change in the city. Even before the earthquake, there were scholars and policy makers who insisted Tokyo need the redesign, new urban planning. And they saw this total annulment of the previous progress as an opportunity. Wider streets, new bridges over Sumida river, safe and modern school buildings and rearrangement of government functions. These transformations were discussed and planned along with the research on disaster-proof architecture. They concluded that reinforced concrete structures were the most durable and safe (2).

There Was A Father, Gosfilmofond Print

2010-09-08T23:00:00.006+09:00


There Was A Father [Chichi Ariki] (1942) Directed by Yasujiro Ozu

September 1, 2010
Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Film Center
1. News Reel; Yomiuri News, No. 164 (1940)
2. News Reel; Japan News, No. 177 (1943)
3. Fighting Tuberculosis (1951)
4. There Was A Father (1942), Gosfilmofond Print, Directed by Yasujiro Ozu

Apart from 3, this screening was very disorienting. In 2, there is a footage of aircraft carrier Hornet attacked by Japanese, followed by send-off rally of young soldiers. And "There was a Father". It was like sitting in the movie theater in 1943 Japan.

Then and Now, and In Between (Part 1)

2010-09-04T06:00:00.005+09:00


Tokyo Story (1953) Directed by Yasujiro Ozu

Absence of Tokyo

Between now and then, transformation is staggering.

Yasujiro Ozu made 5 "Tokyo" films. "Tokyo Chorus", "Woman of Tokyo", "An Inn in Tokyo", "Tokyo Story" and "Tokyo Twilight". In addition to these films, his films make frequent reference to Tokyo. "I Was Born But ..." is the story of a "salary man" in the Tokyo suburb, "The Only Son" is another story of disillusion in metropolis, and "Ohayo" tells the parallel stories of men, women and children of Tokyo, to name the few.

However, his recurring reference to this ever-growing megacity provides the limited view of "Tokyo". Most of the time, only impression you get is the blur of the city. In some cases, it is flat-out refusal to show any scenery, as in the taxi trip in "The Only Son".

Jazz Operetta in Edo

2010-08-27T23:00:00.004+09:00

The year was 1939. The entry into the grim era.

But for the New Year Film Fest, Nikkatsu released "Oshidori Utagassen", one of the most delightful Japanese musicals ever. It was directed by Masahiro Makino in about 10 days. In fact the star of the film Chiezo Kataoka was ill at the time, so his screen time is minimum (shooting was only 2 hours long, it was said), and the rest of the film was filled with the most delightful examples of cinema making ....

I wrote "one of the most delightful Japanese musicals ever". It's a musical you would never have dreamed of. Jazz Operetta set in 17th century Edo. The young lord breezily walking the streets with his subordinates, singing "I am a young load ..." See it for yourself.

It may remind you of "A Connecticut Yankee in King Author's Court (1946)", but that one involves time travel. This film is a straight Jazz musical set in the feudal era, no gimmicks.

Every now and then, another Japanese film director is "discovered" by western audiences.

First it was Yasujiro Ozu, then Mikio Naruse, Hiroshi Shimizu, Sadao Yamanaka and so on. Apparently, Masahiro Makino has not been discovered by West, yet. But he was the Japanese cinema.

Then and Now, Tokyo in "I Was Born But ..."

2010-08-20T20:47:00.003+09:00

One of the pleasures of looking at the old films is to admire the scenery of the past. When you look at the Keaton shorts, you are looking at the Los Angeles in making. When you see Italian Neo-realist films, you see Rome, Milan and other Italian cities before MacDonald invasion.

While watching "I Was Born But ... (1932)" by Yasujiro Ozu, I was asking myself, "Which railway is this, these obnoxious ever-present trams ?" The film was shot at Kamata Studio, so this must be either Mekama-Line or Ikegami-Line. One of the key locations in the film, the railroad crossing, where the father and sons have little conversation every morning, was also mystery. How does it look like today ? So I did some research.

According to the cinematographer Atsuta, the railroad you see in the film was Ikegami-Line. Ikegami-Line began its service in 1922, and its main customer was the visitors to the nearby temple. But there was another railway nearby, Mekama-Line, which was to service the same customers. These two railroad companies were in fierce competition. According to Atsuta, the company operating the Ikegami-Line asked Shochiku to do some advertising by showing its new trams as much as possible in the films.

An Executive, A Chauffeuse, A Novelist and A Girl like Me

2010-08-12T23:00:00.084+09:00

Hanshojo (1938)

Directed by Keisuke Sasaki

Cinematography by Hiroyuki Nagaoka

"Hanshojo (1938)" is a typical Shochiku-style woman's film in the late thirties. The film is rarely seen today, and is not listed in imdb. Keisuke Sasaki, the director of the film, dedicated his whole career to Shochiku. He made 57 films, mostly woman's films Shochiku was noted for. The casts of the film are regulars of the Shochiku programmers. The original novel was written by Seijiro Kojima, who loved the complicated plots for his tear-jerkers. The plot of "Hanshojo" may be far-fetched, but it really doesn't matter. Women suffer. Men suffer. But in the end, women suffer more.

Soukichi (Shin Saburi), an executive of the movie trading company, was successful and very rich, but his wife was hospitalized in psychiatric ward after she torched the house. He hired Misuzu (Kuniko Miyake) as a chauffeuse and a babysitter for Soukichi's little girl. Eventually, Soukichi was impressed by Misuzu's foreign language skills and hires her as a staff. Privately, Misuzu was attracted to Shuntaro (Daijiro Natsume) a young writer her mother didn't approve of.

Calligraphy and Propaganda

2010-08-02T13:15:00.001+09:00

Chishu Ryu said "Ozu-san didn't make any heroic movie during the war".

This is true. He did not make any combat films, heroic military action films nor pseudo-historical drama to support totalitarian political agenda. But it does not mean he was making films in vacuum.

"I was born, but ... (1932)" may seem the last place for anyone to find any war propaganda, but, remember, it was filmed in 1932, the year of Shanghai Incident.

During the scene in the classroom, you can see a rather large frame of Japanese calligraphy on the wall. It says "Bakudan Sanyu-shi", or "Three Human Bombs". "Human Bombs" ? Yes, this is the most heroic tale of three Japanese soldiers during 30's. It happened on February 22, 1932 near Shanghai. Three soldiers, with the bombs strapped to their bodies, dashed into the enemy line, sacrificed themselves so that troops could charge into the enemy stronghold. They called these three brave soldiers "Bakudan Sanyushi" or "Three Human Bombs".

This story fascinated Japanese media and entertainment industry at the time, and fierce media circus ensued. Many studios produced extremely raw quickies about the incident (like "Churetsu nikudan sanyushi [release date: 3/6/1932, Tokatsu Eiga-sha]", "Nikudan Sanyushi [release date: 3/3/1932, Shinko Kinema, the print survives in MOMAT archive]", "Nikudan Sanyushi [release date: unknown, Akazawa Eiga]", "Nikudan Sanyushi [release date: 3/17/1932, Fukui Eiga]") within a few weeks. Japanese public loved them and craved for more. Newspapers ran special reports on the soldier's families and the songs about three heroes were recorded.

So this frame of Japanese Calligraphy about the patriotic soldiers is not out of the place in this particular time in history. The film was released on June 3, 1932. It was less than four months after the incident. You don't need a long time duration to cook up a war hero.

The most disturbing thing is, the story was largely a fabrication. Three soldiers died, but not so heroically. It was a tragic accident. But Japanese wartime government, with help of entertainment industries, effectively exploited the whole thing to manipulate public psyche. And as you can guess easily, the story became the forerunner of Kamikaze.

I do not think Ozu put that calligraphy frame up there as a war propaganda. But it shows the background of the film, the mood of the time. And these kids in the classroom were probably seven or eight years old at the time. They would have become 19 or 20 years old in 1944, the year Japanese military organized the Kamikaze unit. Kamikaze pilots mostly were between 17 and 24 years old. Soldiers died in Saipan, Guam, Imphal and other battles were also in that age group. Then, this calligraphy frame quietly looking down on all these adorable kids makes us realize the insidious nature of human violence.

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Another bus trip

2010-07-26T21:00:00.022+09:00

Criterion released Hiroshi Shimizu's prewar works, including "Mr. Thank You (有がとうさん)". This is very exciting, since Hiroshi Shimizu, contemporary of Yasujiro Ozu, is not well-known even in Japan and this release will inspire many people to watch his films and enjoy his humor and relaxed atmosphere. "Mr. Thank You" is probably the most accessible to modern viewers, being a road movie in the countryside of prewar Japan. There is another movie on the bus by Shimizu in 1941, called "Akatsuki no gassho (暁の合唱)". It is not a road movie like "Mr. Thank You" made five years earlier, but it tried to capture its moments.

Tomoko (Michiyo Kogure) pursues to become a female bus driver in a rural area of Akita prefecture instead of going to the college. She experiences many aspects of the job, such as a bus guide, and the life, including an accident while learning driving a car, flirtation with a man next door, confrontation with "another" woman and so on. The film was released in the wake of the war in Pacific, but there is absolutely no reference to it.

An Error of objective fact

2010-07-20T20:36:00.009+09:00

Over at Roger Ebert's blog, he contemplates about the film criticism and Rotten Tomatoes. It is very interesting reading and makes you think about how you appreciate films, as always.

Especially, I find two passages very interesting. Mr. Ebert writes: "I've taught both ("Citizen Kane" and "The Rules of the Game") shot-by-shot and had many students who confessed they didn't feel the greatness. " Even though I admire both films, I can understand many people, even those who are conscious about visual aspect of the film art, find them boring. Is it because passing of time made their "greatness" mundane ? Or is it just so distant, many people find few things in common with the stories told, characters involved ? Or is it simply because they are in B&W ?

Another quote: "When you said 'The Valachi Papers' was better than 'The Godfather,' that was an error of objective fact." Ummm, this one is hard. I don't find anything wrong with the statement, but somehow I feel uneasy. Maybe because I am a scientist by training, the very word "objective fact" clicks. How objective ? Can you describe quantitatively ? What is the metric ? and so on.

Then again, what is the metric of "greatness" in film art ?

There was a war...

2010-07-19T09:33:00.012+09:00

"There was a Father (1942)" (父ありき, Chichi Ariki)

Directed by Yasujiro Ozu

One of the recent releases from Criterion Collection is "The Only Son/There Was a Father: Two Films by Yasujiro Ozu", two of the Ozu films rarely seen by western audiences. "There was a Father" was released during the Pacific War, and whenever this film is discussed, its aspect as a war time propaganda is always a topic. There is a very good essay on the film by Tony Ryans, which discusses the ambiguity of the message in the film.

It may seem strange by today's standards, but this film was a propaganda. Office of Intelligence awarded this film as "People's Cinema", the highest award given to cinema in Japan at the time. Another film awarded the same year was "General, Staff and Soldier (1942)" (将軍と参謀と兵, Shogun to Sambo to Hei). Tsumasaburo Bando starred in this film as the General commanding the fierce battle in China (Strangely, this film is not listed in imdb).

Judging from the reviews about this DVD (here and many others), the print Criterion used is the 16mm reduction print (National Film Center print) made after the war. Audio quality of this notorious print is horrible, and it is said that there was a spec of dust stuck on the machine during the reduction process. For a long time, NFC print was the only available print of this film, but another print surfaced after collapse of Soviet Union. After the war, Soviet Army confiscated many cultural artifacts in Manchuria, and brought them back to Moscow. As a result, Gosfilmofond (I don't read Russian, but this seems to be its web site) had a large collection of Japanese pre-war and war-time films, which were rediscovered during 90s. One of the films discovered was "There was a Father". It is a 35mm print, 15 minutes shorter than the NFC print, with the better audio track. It also contains the footage not available on NFC print, since Occupation Army in Japan made the cuts. (In his book, Ryu mentions his singing scene being cut.)

There will be a screening of this Gosfilmofond print at MOMAT National Film Center (Tokyo) in August.

Let's see ....

2010-07-18T23:40:00.003+09:00

This is the first entry.

Films, mainly classic films are the topic of this blog.

And you have millions of blogs on movies already. Why do you need another ?

If some of the stories may interest you, then that will be enough for now, don't you think ?