Tyler's Japanese Canon

This thread will contain spoilers so please beware.

My Japanese thread.

FILMS REVIEWED:

- Woman In The Dunes (Teshigahara, 1964)
- Sonatine (Kitano, 1993) -
- Death By Hanging (Oshima, 1968)
- Grave Of The Fireflies (Takahata, 1988)
- Sansho The Bailiff (Mizoguchi, 1954)
- Harakiri (Kobayashi, 1962)
- Giants and Toys (Masumura, 1958)
- Moving (Somai, 1993) -
- Maboroshi (Koreeda, 1995)
- Minamata: the Victims and their World (Tsuchimoto, 1972)
- Funeral Parade of Roses (Matsumoto, 1969) -

Woman In The Dunes (Teshigahara, 1964)

Not too sure on how "neglected" these seven films you list are, but I'll still be reading this thread with interest.

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Cool thread. I always welcome discussions of Woman in the Dunes. I hope it's not too cheeky of me to offer some of my own comments.

I strongly recommend reading the book. I think the movie lends itself more to your allegorical reading than the book, because it doesn't have as many fleshed out details of the internal dialogs Niki Junpei has with himself. It just feels very psychologically real in a way that I don't think the movie quite captures. For example I love how the book shows his volatile emotions affecting his thoughts while he's attempting to escape, and how he's always rationalizing every little thing that happens while he's in the pit.

I also think it's basically a thriller (up until the end) in that it's not the existential absurdity of the world that's slowly driving him nuts but the real fact that he's physically imprisoned in a sand dune with only a crazy woman for company. And by the sadism of the villagers. The only escape is occasional sex and creating some sort of fantasy of a private life and independence. That part (and the oddness of the physical landscape) is something that I think the movie does brilliantly and why it's also one of my favorites. It's a very artfully photographed and constructed thriller, but I guess that happens when you're trying to seriously join the avant garde and rebel against the aesthetically conservative cultural institution you're destined to inherit from your father.

It does question how meaningful his life is in that somehow he seems to find satisfaction at the end, but do you think it's possible that he may have been driven insane by that point, and that's why his angst disappeared? I'm not sure myself, I need to see it again.

I believe that another reason why he did not escape was due to the fact that he was unsure of the topography of the desert. Don't forget he was humiliated by the villagers when he found himself mired in the quicksand and had to beg them to rescue him. That shook his confidence in attempting a second escape, for he might perish in the desert especially when the villagers are busy attending to the woman.

I still dont understand the scene where the villagers put on those tribal masks and start dancing on top of the dunes. What significance does it have in the film?

In fact, I am hoping for more people to offer their thoughts of this film.

It's interesting that I don't really have any real sympathy for the man. He has thoughts about his nagging wife and how wonderful his life would be without her. He rankles at all the useless bureaucratic obligations placed on him. He came off slightly superior to the villager he met in the early scene. He falls asleep in a boat filled with sand and misses his bus. This seems to suggest to me that he was already drifting long before before he showed up here.

The sand moves like water, but feels like time. There's also a micro-macro thing going on. The film opens with grain of sand magnified a thousand times. The shifting dunes look, at times like fingerprints.

The pit is a wonderful soft cell, amorphous and strangely fragile. It's completely livable unless you neglect your duties and struggle against the cage, weakening the walls which could collapse and bury one alive. The pit could also suggest an open grave.

The house is wonderfully rickety, sand flits down everywhere and accumulates. The house keeps them relatively safe, but not secure.

The woman is in time. She's happy where she is. She's not driven to roam the earth and become famous, everything she needs and wants is there. Whereas the man is out of time. Obsessed with deeds.

The woman makes the observation that the sand is attracted by moisture. With the numerous extreme close-ups of skin; we realize how porous and secreting skin is, and how the sand is immediately drawn to the both of them.
Not so sure. It's mentioned that the village is slowly dying. There's no future for the young people so they leave for the big cities. So maybe this is a way to keep their village alive. If God is really there. I think he's in the snare scenes. The man lays a tiny fish above the trap as bait. And a fish is a God symbol. When he checks his trap, it's filled with drinkable water. He can explain it away with his intellect but this still creates the little miracle of creating an endless water supply in this pit of dirt; which makes his life a little easier.

I took that a little more symbolically. His escape only lasts for only a couple of hours before he walks directly into the "metaphorical" quicksand. Perhaps all that freedom has always overwhelmed him? This contrasts to the pit, where everything was a little more manageable, where the sands of time are measured out with a shovel.

I took that to be some sort of fertility ceremony. They ask the man to make love to the woman in front of everyone. On one hand, this seems kind of lurid---but on the other, the villagers are all dressed up and wearing masks, as if with was some sort of sacred ritual. Which it was, kinda. The woman later became pregnant and had to be lifted out of the pit because of a difficult pregnancy. And she never returned. Perhaps dying in childbirth? The film ends with a child reflected in his endless supply of water. He looks to be about 3 or 4. Was that his son? Therefore, the man is no longer troubled about the search of for an identity, he has one ... Father.

Again, "Woman in the Dunes" is an allegory about existence so all interpretations will be accepted.

I like the sound of this thread and look forward to reading it. I enjoy Japanese cinema but outside of Kurosawa I've seen very few 'classic' Japanese films, so this should help introduce and recommend some for me.

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My mind has been blown after watching Harakiri... anyway I will now review Sonatine, which I have watched as well.

Sonatine (Kitano, 1993)




Sonatine is an anti-gangster movie. One thing I like about these 'anti-' movies is that they break free from the pre-existing boundaries, so called rules, which dictate how and what the movie should be like. These limitations stifle the 'genre' films, inhibiting these films from exploring new realms of uncharted territory. Before this movie was made, the director Takeshi “Beat” Kitano was already well known in Japan, not for violent gangster films but as a comedian. As a result, this movie took Japanese audiences by surprise... and it performed poorly in Japan. However, Kitano's gangster persona was well-received in the West. Why? It was something Western audiences were unprepared for. Like I mention before, the 'gangster' movie genre was thought to be about violent, cruel men. Who wants to see childish gangsters? Who wants to see the more jovial, fun-loving side of the life of Yakuza members? But dont worry, this movie does deliver on the violence... and you would be caught unaware as well.


For most part of the film we follow Kitano's character, Murakawa as he and 4 other gang members retreat to a sea-side house after being ambushed by the rival Anan clan. As they wait for things to blow over, Murakawa and the others engage in light-hearted games. They cant escape from their past though, and in the end, as well already know, tragedy would befall them.


What I like about this film is that Kitano does not force us to like his character. (In an earlier scene we see Murakawa beating up another member without flinching at all.) Instead, through those innocent games (okay some arent really innocent. The Russian Roulette scene for example) we get to sympathise with our characters. We get to know them, we laugh with them. Throughout the scenes at the beach there is this pervading sense of dread which we know, would inevitably come. Therefore we the audience, like Murakawa and his gang, try to cherish these fun times as much as we can. We do not know what is going on on the 'outside world' – what about the negotiation between the 2 rival gangs we know nothing about that. Murakawa himself, despite having a tough Yakuza persona, is clearly shown to be afraid of death (as seen from his dream). In this tranquility, we see that our anti-heroes behave just like ordinary men, not like some blood thirsty Scarface superhero who does not fear death.


But the violence does not disappoint. Scenes of violence are very abrupt and sudden (a devise which Kitano would employ in his later more successful film Hana-Bi). Such heightens the brutality of those violent scenes. There is one scene in particular which is extremely well done; Kitano's character realises that two of the guys in the elevator are the ones he plan to kill. And then following a shoot-out, the camera cuts to the dead bodies. I love this scene a lot.


There is nothing much to analyse here like the previous film Woman In The Dunes. This is one of the best films I've seen from modern Japanese cinema. Don't miss this one out (and Hana-Bi).

Rating: -

I put Woman in the Dunes on my Netflix queue but won't get it for a few more days. I am looking forward to seeing it after your review.

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Death By Hanging (Nagisa Oshima, 1968)



Death By Hanging is considered to be one of the finest films of the Japanese New Wave. It's style has been described as Kafkaesque and Brechtian (although I dont understand what this means; someone please enlighten me). The storyline is simple: a Korean man convicted of raping and killing 2 japanese women is sentenced to death. However, the noose failed to kill him. The officers then debate over the fate of this young man, arguing amongst themselves whether it was right to hang him again. For the first one hour, they re-enact the murder and life of the convicted man to hilarious detail, albeit it comes off as rather excessive and I found myself feeling a little uninterested. Nevermind that this film suddenly takes a turn into some surreal bonkers after the first hour, or that it does not make any sense... It's socio-political commentary on racial prejudice and the notion of killing is quite sappy and never really lived up to my expectations. Overall, if you either have lots of time to spare or you enjoy metaphysical dialogue then this film is for you. For the others, I say stay clear of this or you'd be disappointed just like I was.

Grave Of The Fireflies (Takahata, 1988)


Grave Of The Fireflies reduces me to a bawling baby everytime I watch it. It is the highest ranking anime on my top favourite movie list. What sets Grave of the Fireflies apart from most of the Japanese anime is that it has that human heart; and it would reach out and rip your heart to shreds. Its simplicity is what makes it work. Unlike the beautifully crafted anime such as Akira, Ghost In The Shell and Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies chose to abandon dazzling visuals in favour of tugging at your heart-strings.

The anime follows the story of the young boy and his sister (Seita and Setsukuo) as they overcome the loss of their mother and father as they try to survive during the last weeks of the war. Blamed and dismissed by one of their relatives for being a burden (as the aunt believes that they were not contributing to the war efford and deserve lesser food than her family), Seita and Setsukuo flee to the countryside and live in an abandoned bomb shelter.



Metaphor of the Firefly
Setsukuo and Seita live near a garden of fireflies. Note the similarites of the firefly and the incendaries which are dropped onto Tokyo. In one scene, Setsukuo marvelled at the distant bombs, comparing them to fireflies,although it would be far-fetched to link benovolent-looking flies to the death-bringing bombs.
Surrounded by darkness (the world around Setsukuo and Seita is indifferent or even hostile towards them) , yet they struggle to stay optimistic and survive. Everyone around them seems to be preoccupied with their own needs; taking little notice of the plight of the 2 children. Indeed, Setsukuo and Seita are like fireflies.


Use of animation: One of the strengths of animation is that it is able to portray characters without resorting to over-sentimentalisation. We dont empathise with Setsukuo and Seita because they are special, but because they represent one of the many unfortunate families caught in the whirlwind of war. This is something which live actors fail to convey; as it is easier for us to put ourselves into the shoes of the universal characters.




“The Grave”
When Setsukuo dies and is cremated on top of a hillside, we see the fireflies surrounding her, and it struck me as to how spiritual this scene was. That final scene is absolutely beautiful and poignant at the same time-we see the spirits of Setsukuo and Seita finally united as they look down onto the modern Tokyo cityscape. This grave, in fact, represents all those lost souls who died during the war.

Well, this film makes me cry a lot too, but I'm not sure if I'm crying for the characters, their culture's losses or my own loss. You talk about universality and I get that a lot from many films. This one tended to make me break down concerning a brother and sister. I really think that's what makes it so powerful and not necessarily the "all-inclusive" statement. I mean, I realize that any war affects lots of families in lots of ways, but this film is specific, so that's what makes it deeper to me, whether I look up to Harry Truman or not.

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Sansho The Bailiff (1954)




Some of you may recall that when I first joined this site, I listed Sansho The Bailiff as my second favourite film of all time. It's been more than 1 year since I've last watched this masterpiece and so, I thought to myself, 'Has it lost any of its appeal or edge over time?' Granted that my movie taste has changed so much over the past year that I became, initially, hesitant to watch this film, afraid that I might ruin its spell and charm. Let me put it in all honesty that Sansho The Bailiff remains at that slot, above all the pantheons and echelons of the hundreds of other films, second only to Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, and that it shall remain as it is - a timeless, universal film for the ages.


Of all the things that this film succeeds at, it's the cinematography which stands out the most from all other films shot in that period in time. Each shot is so precise and well positioned that it's almost like you're viewing authentic Japanese paintings. Mizoguchi's direction is so prominent, as with his other films, but in Sansho, the Japanese director has found the correct formula. None of his common themes such as feminism and the female character struggling in a cruel world have been compromised in this tale of tragedy, and combined with the brilliant camerawork, marks the director's most accomplished work.




In this film Mizoguchi tackles slavery set in 11th Century Japan, a time as Mizoguchi says, when “Man has not yet awakened as human beings”. It follows two children Zushio and Anju as they were taken away from their mother when their father, a local governor was deposed and sent into exile because he was compassionate to the slaves. The children were sold as slaves to a rich man named Sansho. Now this Sansho is one of the most brutal and tyrannical piece of **** I've ever seen on film, and he would resort to cruel measures such as branding by fire to deter slaves from escaping.


Sansho the Bailiff is a cruel film. The children struggle to survive for years in Sansho's compound, finding hope and strength through their father's words that “without mercy, man is like a beast” and to show compassion to others. His words are strangely ironical, because they do not reflect the real world of slavery. We wonder to ourselves if those words are merely high ordeals that are impossible to be realised in Mizoguchi's world plagued by sufferings. Even the barren and crooked trees which pervade the frame in a very expressionistic manner, as one reviewer observes.


The final sequence is summarised aptly by critics – Mother and son finally become united while the camera pulls back, dwarfing them in comparison to the serene landscape. It is as if nature is indifferent to the ephemeral triumphs of the unification of mother and son, while a nearby fisherman continues his daily routine of drying seaweed, totally oblivious of the triumphant unification.
A+

The first time I saw "Grave of the Fireflies", I was completely devastated. However, on the rewatch, I strangely keyed upon, what must have been the child's POV for this film. The boy has already died (on the short list of dead film protagonists: it's him and Joe Gillis at the top), and it's his benevolent, unafraid spirit telling the story in flashback. Both children appear several times during the film as spirits to reassure the children, they are in a happier, better place (hey, they ride tramways all day long).

A child would immediately spot how fantastic this is; How could you live without your mom and dad? That's impossible. Whereas someone older would immediately find fault with his Seitu's choices, without questioning the absurdity of a (12? 13?) year old boy to keeping his 4 year old sister alive all by himself during wartime.

The animation here achieves the almost Brechtian technique of distanciation. If this was live action, some of the scenes would be the unbearable: The fire bombing of the city; Seita watches his dead mother's maggot infested body being carried away to a mass grave; Setsuko eating dirt.
　

The anime follows the story of the young boy and his sister as they overcome the loss of their mother and father as they try to survive during the last weeks of the war.

The length of their ordeal is around 6 months. The film begins on march 17th. Seitu dies September 8th. However in one of the last shots of the film, the city of Kobe is rebuilt, suggesting Seita and Setsuko are eternal spirits from the war.

Some great shots: Seita's head hangs down as he whispers Setsuko's name before dying. This is an echo of her death scene. The way the water splatters on the swing outside their hovel, as if the wooden seat was crying that Setusko would never play there again.

The tram sequence at the beginning of the film may indeed signify that the boy was taking us back from the present to the past and narrating the final months of the war.

I never questioned Seita's choices. Firstly, as you pointed out, he was just a kid. He only wanted the best for his little sister and it seemed that the only place that he can keep her safe is away from the city, away from all the adults who he cannot understand. Remember that even his relatives didnt even show emphathy towards their plight. It was not only until his sister's skin condition worsened before he actually brought her to see the doctor. The doctor claims that is was only due to the lack of food. Though I'm not sure if that's true.

Did the boy did the right thing in keeping the news of his parents death from his sister?

Interesting. I think people would dismiss it as an exploitation flick if it was live action and depicted the atrocities genuine.

I said previously that I was looking forward to this thread and it's certainly living up to expectation so far. While I have heard of most of the films featured so far it's nice to see what exactly they're about and also hear someone's thoughts on them. Some very good reviews so far.

I have a sneaking suspicion I will completely disagree with you about Death By Hanging

You've seen Death By H'nging? I must say it gets a little preachy and tedious during the later half of the film. There was very little to "chew on' and ponder about. I love films like Last Year At Marienbad because there's so much to think about despite their abstract nature, but this film fails to get me 'thinking'.

I haven't seen it but I love that director and Brechtian stuff. We seem to share a lot of taste though...oh I forgot to send you more bands haha