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Chen runs what appears to be a one-man escort service. He’s hired by Lung to transport an expensive jade horse. When he arrives with the sealed box at the destination, the horse is missing. He has to sell everything he owns to pay back Lung. Meanwhile two con artists are running scams on people at a casino until Meg Lam throws them out. Chen goes mad from losing his business and picks fights with nearly everyone. When the con artists hear Chen’s story they tell him he has been scammed. Realizing this Lung fellow is a wealthy crook they determine to hunt him down and steal his loot using Chen as their kung fu muscle.
This movie was a major disappointment. Casanova Wong had fast kicks, but his acting as the mad Chen was awful. The two con artists were played by Meng Yuen Man and Tony Ching Siu Tung. These two were not known for being main characters. Ching Siu Tung worked as a martial arts director far more than as an actor. Meng only performed in around 20 films, usually in small roles. Yen Shi Kwan as the Big Bad, was the more talented of the actors and a strong kung fu artist but didn’t have much to do. Eddy Ko showed up in his “mom hair” wig to fight a few times. Max Lee in a Drunken Master bad gray wig had a small part as Beggar So to train the con artists in “Leap Frog” style.
The fight choreography by Ching Siu Tung was creative enough when it wasn’t over cranked, there just wasn’t enough of it. The fists and kicks obviously missed by a mile/km. Casanova, Meng, and Ching were all acrobatic flipping and bouncing around which was entertaining. Normally, the grand finale fight runs around 20 minutes. This finale lasted barely 10. There are some kung fu flicks where the fights make up for the lack of story or acting ability. Such was not the case for The Master Strikes. I’m not a huge fan of kung fu comedies, and usually try not to ding my scores for them too much, but this one was painfully bad, boring, and lacking in enough exciting fights. Sorry, Kao Pao Shu, you know I support you girl as the only (kung fu) female director at the time TMS was made, this one just didn’t make the grade.
3 September 2025
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The army decides that Ryuko (Saga) is to be married to Pujie, the younger brother of Puyi, the last emperor of China and the current puppet ruler of Manchukuo. Pujie is a lieutenant in the Japanese army. Ryuko and Pujie make a surprisingly good fit and are happy together in their small house in Manchukuo even with Pujie's spendthrift ways. Despite the Kwangtung Army’s disrespect of them, the two refuse to let anything get them down. They have a daughter, Eisei, whom Pujie dotes on. But this is war and war is hell. When the Japanese are defeated, Puyi abdicates, and soon the extended royal family is on the run from the Chinese and the Soviets.
I had three complaints about this film. Perhaps because Saga and other people involved in the story were still alive, Tanaka showed too much deference. They didn't say what the empress' illness was until late in the film when they finally revealed she was dealing with opium withdrawal. In the prison Ryuko had an almost obsessive need to protect her when her daughter was completely dependent on her. Saga had also written in her book that she felt Puyi's cruel behavior had contributed to the opium use so she had been well aware of it. The death the film began with was whitewashed*, which was egregious as apparently it was a rather well-known scandal at the time. A few abuses committed by the Japanese military were listed which wasn’t the same thing as showing, a far more powerful technique.
In real life, there was no one to root for in this story. Puyi enjoyed torturing his servants and could be sadistic to his wives, which wasn't shown in this film. The Manchurians were literally being used as slave labor, something Puyi supported. The Kwangtung Army ruled everyone with a vicious hand. In the film, that same military was considered a monolith, much like Star Trek’s Borg. Orders weren’t given by any individual, “the army said,” was all the reason given throughout the film. "The army said" Ryuko would marry Pujie, "the army said" the Manchurians would receive no coal during the winter, etc. Ryuko and Pujie may have fallen in love, but it doesn't negate the fact the only reason they were there was because Japan occupied Manchukuo. Ryuko might be given a bit of a pass as she and her family had been encouraged to agree to the marriage by "the army."
This leads to my third complaint which is more artistic in nature. Many of the more poignant moments took place off screen. The Manchurians' suffering was mentioned and yet was all but invisible, heartbreaking final goodbyes and tearful reunions weren’t shown yet there was time for at least three long scenes of people singing. Ryuko was shown to be almost saintly in all of her interactions. It felt like there were missed opportunities for real human moments instead of ones that felt distanced by telling us what happened and sanitizing the story.
What did work? Kyo Machiko gave a strong performance as Ryuko showing how she sought to fit in with her new country and husband. After a life of being pampered, she was faced with hardship and death she'd never known. I also liked that this telling of the story was from a woman’s point of view, instead of the deposed emperor's. The cinematography was stunning and highlighted the hardships of the refugees as they traversed difficult mountainous terrain. It was nice for a change that a royal arranged marriage worked out, both Ryuko and Pujie were quite enamored with each other. Even after both having spent time in prison they longed to reunite. The OST fit the film like a musical glove. And finally, the few action scenes were well choreographed and filmed for the time. Despite not diving too deeply into the Kwangtung Army’s faults, Tanaka never really let them off the hook either.
The Wandering Princess wandered too much and Ryuko was too optimistic and unable to accept the cruelty all around her. It was interesting to see this story play out through this woman’s idealistic, if not realistic eyes, eyes that hoped to see Japanese and Chinese children playing together in Manchukuo. What she didn’t grasp about the Manchukuo she and Pujie dreamed about was that people are more willing to work toward harmonious relationships if no one brings an army and forces their way in and enslaves much of the indigenous population.
1 September 2025
Real life spoilers:
Not long after this movie came out, Pujie was released from prison and Saga Hiro was allowed to go to him in Beijing.
*Film Eisei was a composite of Pujie and Saga's two daughters. Eisei was 19 and in love with a young man that her mother did not approve of. The two were found dead together, a murder-suicide/lovers’ suicide. Eisei didn’t commit suicide due to the pressure of being a Qing heir as alluded to in the film. She also didn’t have to make the arduous trip and spend time in prison like her mother and younger sister. She had moved to Japan earlier to study and was not caught up in the expulsion and termination of the Japanese after the end of WWII.
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Food that heals
Ramen Teh aka Ramen Shop was a sweet, nostalgic look at the romance of a young Japanese man’s parents when they lived in Singapore. Masato set off in search for familial answers and a recipe that was inexorably tied to his mother. If you enjoy films with food, Ramen Teh may leave you hungry as Masato cooked his way through his mother’s recipes and visited the Singaporean food scene.Masato works at his father’s popular ramen shop in Takasaki. Ever since his mother’s death when he was ten, he and his father have not been close. When his father suddenly dies Masato discovers his mother’s journal amongst his father’s belongings. Written in Mandarin, he’s unable to read it. Feeling a gaping hole in his heart, Masato heads to Singapore to find his mother’s brother who owns a small restaurant. Not only does he want help translating the journal, but he dearly longs for his mother’s Bak Kut Teh, a pork rib soup he’s never been able to duplicate. Miki, an on-line friend and Japanese food blogger living in Singapore, meets up with him and translates the journal. The journal includes not only his mom’s thoughts, but also her recipes. Masato finds his uncle who is overjoyed that his nephew has returned, but his grandmother will have nothing to do with him. Masato will test whether food can heal a broken heart and a broken relationship.
This film was very simple and predictable, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t heartwarming. The story often flashbacked to his parents’ romance and their early married days when Masato was a child. Food figured prominently both in the past and present. It was also a nice travelogue as Masato visited the places from his parents’ photographs in Singapore. After discovering the reason for his grandmother’s hatred of the Japanese, Masato visited a museum that had a display detailing the atrocities committed by the Japanese during WWII. Shaken after learning the disturbing details from the war, he realized winning over his grandmother might not be possible. But Masato had secret weapons on his side--being a grandchild and developing a special ramen recipe to weaken her resolve.
Food, especially beloved family recipes, evoke strong emotions, it is a connection to family and friends, binding relationships through taste and life-giving sustenance. Even the familiar smell of a simple meal can transport a person to a happier place and awaken faded memories. Masato traveled in search of family, a recipe, and that which was thought lost, creating something very special along the way. While Ramen Teh had a tendency to meander, the final course was the pièce de resistance and enormously satisfying.
18 August 2025
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Hong Jong Du is freed from prison and heads to his brother’s apartment. Unbeknownst to him his family has moved with no forwarding address. Fortunately, a trip to the police department after a dash and dine situation reunites him with his reluctant family. He decides to take a fruit basket to the adult children of his vehicular manslaughter victim. There he briefly meets Han Gong Ju who suffers from cerebral palsy. Her family lives in a nice apartment complex for the handicapped ostensibly for her, while they stow her in a rundown apartment with only the neighbors bringing her food. The two “misfits” end up becoming friends and scandalizing “normal” people whenever they go out.
I enjoyed most of this film and felt it had an important message. Everyone had a lot to say about Jong Du and Gong Ju, but rarely listened to a word they said even when it was inherently important. Most people assumed Gong Ju couldn’t speak or was lacking in intelligence. Both beliefs were false. “Normal” people felt uncomfortable around those who were “different” and sought to drive the two away wherever they went. Moon So Ri gave a brilliant and what must have been an exhausting performance as Gong Ju. Sul Kyung Gu as expected gave a great performance as the complicated and at times despicable Jong Du.
Now why I cannot rate this film higher---When a great love affair begins without consent and with the words, “Be a good girl,” “Don’t struggle,” and “Stay still bitch,” the director has told me his underlying belief about women. Rape is NOT foreplay. Rape is NOT romantic. And while I’m on a roll, even when sex is consensual, ‘brace yourself darlin’ is not foreplay either. Without that vile and reprehensible beginning, I would have rated this complex film higher. Calling out ableism while not so quietly advocating violence against women is not a great tradeoff.
13 August 2025
Trigger warnings: partial nudity, sex scene, sexual assault
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Terrible story, great kung fu
The Magnificent Butcher starring Sammo Hung was a mixed bag for me. I didn’t like most of the comedy surrounding Sammo’s character, in fact, I found his character grating at the beginning of the movie. Around the 60 minute mark the fights picked up in quantity and quality. With both Yuen Woo Ping and Sammo choreographing the fights, there was no doubt they would be fast and destructive.Butcher Wing goes to the Wong Fei Hung school and is always causing problems. When WFH goes out of town on vacation he gives Wing the strict order to not cause any trouble. Unbeknownst to Wing, his brother and sister-in-law are in town searching for him. They run afoul of the smarmy and treacherous Ko Tai Hoi who kidnaps Lam Sai Kwong’s wife. The Beggar King comes to town when the brothers who are still unknown to each other end up on opposite sides due to Ko’s nefarious actions. The kung fu drunkard stumbles around and helps them sort things out. Ko is not done with any of them and has murder in his eye.
Like many of these kung fu comedies made famous by Jackie Chan, there was plenty of death to go along with the slapstick antics. A violent attempted sexual assault was disturbing and led to other prominent deaths. And those deaths led to more deaths as each side sought revenge.
Sammo was 27 and acrobatic. Neither villains nor stuntmen wanted to connect with his meaty fists. Fan Mei Sheng played Wing’s drunken mentor. He was not a kung fu artist though he could mimic moves. The big floppy hat, hair and beard allowed for the stunt double to take over when the real fighting began. He is also famous for being actor Louis Fan’s father. Kwan Tak Hing was 74 and still limber and spry. Famous for playing Wong Fei Hung at least 77 times, he acquitted himself well in his calligraphy brush action scene as did his stunt double for the more strenuous moves. Poor Fung Hak On was an accomplished martial artist who acted in over 200 films though usually as an extra, “thug”, or criminal of some sort. Here he played the vile Ko Tai Ho. Lee Hoi Sang was the rival school master Ko Ba Tin and in the grand finale fight with Sammo which was a thing of beauty.
I truly disliked the first hour of the Magnificent Butcher, the comedy and sexual assault did not set well with me. If you love early Sammo humor, I’m sure you’ll like this film more than I did. Once the more entertaining fights began (fans, elbow knives, poles, and cat style-hiss!) the film drew me in. There was no denying that Sammo and Woo Ping knew how to choreograph exciting fights. As always, I grade these old kung fu films on a curve.
11 August 2025
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"I can't close my eyes because of your beauty"
Miss Yeon is a short film of love, loss, and heart wrenching regret. At a mere 15 minutes director Choi Ji Won told the broken love story of two high school girls in flashback at Miss Yeon’s funeral.Woo Jeong blows off her boyfriend much to his anger and leaves to attend her friend Su Yeon’s funeral. Only a few friends are in attendance in addition to the grieving mother. Jeong is overwhelmed with memories of the sweet young love she shared with Yeon. And also the hurtful words their friends had to say about people who had same sex relationships. Filled with the anxiety of being caught and shunned, Jeong began dating a boy to “protect” her relationship with Yeon, an unfaithful act Yeon could not accept.
This short film highlighted the scorn and repudiation lesbian relationships faced and the pressure it put on the young couple. While Yeon accepted herself, Jeong struggled to fully accept herself and Yeon and desperately wanted to fit in with their gossipy friends. A confrontation at the funeral would grant Jeong a chance to vent her guilt and unbearable grief.
9 August 2025
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Life in the fast lane!
Life for 1970s movie characters was dangerous. The water wasn’t safe (The Poseidon Adventure, Jaws), buildings weren’t safe (The Towering Inferno), and the sky wasn’t safe (Airport). In Japan, the railways became a thing of danger when a down on his luck businessman decided the government and economic society had left too many people behind and planted a bomb on The Bullet Train.Passengers board Hikari 109 only concerned with their own lives and problems. After the train begins its journey, the railway receives a call stating that a bomb has been planted on the train. If its speed dips to 80km per hour, the bomb will detonate killing the 1500 passengers on board. The RR company, police department and government quickly assemble a task force to identify the bomber and determine the best course of action.
The 1994 American film Speed was based on The Bullet Train. Aside from the speed and ransom elements, the two films diverge significantly. In TBT, the chief bomber, Okita Tetsuo, is the focal point. His schemes and unfortunate background dominated the story. Takakura Ken was more than up to the challenging role even imbuing his character with empathy. While Sonny Chiba is listed as a main, his part as the train operator was fairly small. The Street Fighter was in a constant sweat fighting panic every moment. There was no loose cannon cop who didn’t play by the rules. Though there were plenty of officers trying to do their job and failing spectacularly on several occasions. Utsui Ken as the level headed and compassionate Kuramochi was the star on the side of good. He struggled to find a way to save the passengers and showed why learning how to do story problems in math saves lives. Seventy-year-old Shimura Takashi had a small role as the railroad president. The hysterical, self-centered passengers had me wishing for a good old zombie apocalypse in a mirror image Train from Tokyo instead of Busan. The crew had no idea how to handle desperate salarymen more concerned about their deals than their lives. I suspect in the film’s world they had a post disaster meeting to install locks on the car doors and cabin.
My biggest complaint would be the music which was dreadful even by 1970’s “bow-chicka-bow” style tunes. Also with a large cast, it took quite a bit of time for me to nail down who was in charge of what. The police continually waffled between wanting to surveil, arrest, or kill the suspects which put the passengers’ lives at risk.
At 2 ½ hours, the film ran long though most of the time was put to good use with few scenes dragging down the action. The economic divide drove the bombing team who were looking to kick the government in the side. It was hard to be too sympathetic with Okita as he did threaten innocent, if annoying, people’s lives. Perhaps these passengers who could afford the expensive bullet train tickets appeared complicit with the struggles so many people in Japan were facing. As the world’s first high speed train, it made for a shiny target of revenge. The people in charge callously weighed the passengers’ lives against their reputations, with Kuramochi caught in the middle only caring about the 1500’s safety.
For a 1975 disaster film, The Bullet Train acquitted itself well. The ending was a small emotional letdown, but also what made it distinctly Japanese. The primary antagonist and protagonist weren’t in a life-or-death guns drawn brawl, but rather in an existential and ethical battle that held people’s lives in the balance.
8 August 2025
7.75 rounded up to an 8.0
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"Just how did we get here?
1122: For a Happy Marriage was an interesting look into unhappy marriages. I’ve vacillated in my rating because I can’t say that I liked any of the characters nor was I satisfied with the ending.Ichiko and Otoyan have been married for seven years, seemingly happy to all of their friends. What no one knows is that they haven’t had sex in two years and Otoyan has a lover that Ichiko approves of. Being a rational person, Ichiko set up guidelines, mainly don’t bring his affair into the house. Everything seemed to be working until Otoyan violently rejected her sexual advances one night. Suddenly thrown into an existential crisis, Ichiko contemplates acquiring her own lover which shakes Otoyan up. Otoyan’s lover is having her own problems. She’s caring for an autistic child with no help from her husband and keeping her affair on the down low.
Ichiko was a tough nut to crack, she viewed herself as a calm ocean. Calm or horribly repressed, I’m not sure which. She often had a blank look on her face when others talked with her as if she was barely present. The child of an abusive father and needy mother she valued order over emotions. She often heard only what she wanted to hear. People have different sex drives to be sure, but Otoyan seemed like the kind of guy who didn’t even wrinkle the sheets, so it made me wonder if Ichiko had ever actually had an orgasm. One night with the handsome Rei seemed to answer that question, though she wasn’t hot to repeat the experience which I found confusing.
Otoyan took the path of least resistance in his life which unfortunately doesn’t always take you where you want to go. Extremely helpful and kind hearted he enjoyed taking care of others. He blissfully didn’t realize the pain he caused by bringing home the flowers from the ikebana class he took with his lover, smiling all the time from being in love, and taking phone calls from his lover at home. He also didn’t seem to be of this world, especially when he glossed over being violently attacked one night, later easily forgiving his attacker. However, he seemed to draw the line with Ichiko stepping outside of their marriage for sexual fulfillment. And while he refused to touch his wife out of loyalty to his lover, Mizuki was still having sex with her husband. His repression abilities rated right up there with Ichiko’s. Their lack of communicating about important topics often landed them in marital hot water, though with this couple it was always luke warm.
What ultimately caused my issues with this drama was that I didn’t find either Ichiko or Otoyan particularly interesting. Watching two people go through the motions with conversations scripted out of a therapy textbook wasn’t exactly riveting. Even Ichiko’s friendship with the passionate Rei had all the life sucked out of it as she barely acknowledged his existence. I didn’t mind that the drama explored different couples handling the doldrums and challenges marriage can offer in unconventional manners, but with all the sex going on, no one was very satisfied. I honestly wasn’t surprised the way the drama ended, it was as monotonous as Ichicko and Otoyan’s relationship.
31 July 2025 7.25 rated down to a 7.0
Trigger warning: One sexual encounter though no bits and pieces were shown.
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Needed more proofing
Croissant had a sweet premise for a web movie, but the production values and acting failed to rise to the occasion. Oh yeah, there will be baking puns.Sang Eun is a whisk taker. Abandoning her job and her law degree she attended pastry school and opened a bakery with her crumby boyfriend. A born loafer he rarely works and often gives away their profits buttering up his private yoga instructor. Gong Hee Jun spends most of his time studying for the civil service exam. He’s afraid he’ll grow mold, never having been able to hold down a job. After helping Sang Eun when she was injured, he applies for a job at her bakery. For Hee Jun it was love at first bite after tasting her croissants. He worries that his reputation as the “Assistant for Shutting Down” businesses will jinx her shop and burn her reputation.
Even in a shorter film, the dots knead to be connected. Hints were dropped, making it difficult to pin down relationships and sub-plots. The editing and production values often fell flat. Nam Bo Ra proved herself with her performance. Hyuk on the other hand mumbled through the entire film, with Hee Jun coming across as flavorless. I wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be a character trait or was a natural speech affectation.
Perhaps with more dough and in better hands the plot could have been smoothed out. I might not have loafed everything about this film but I donut want to say there was nothing to like about it. It had a nice message about persistence and going against the grain to bake your dreams crumb true!
14 July 2025
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Breaking and flashbacking
Breaking and Re-entering was a frothy heist flick starring a group of likeable actors. The plot attempted to take a fresh twist on the genre with limited success.Chang Po Chun (the strategist), Uncle Bin (master of disguise), Kao (the hacker), and Wen Hao (the hitter) rob a bank only to find they’ve endangered an old friend and must somehow put the money back. The only problem is that the person who hired them to steal the loot wants them dead and the money in his personal vault.
The cast was the strength of this film making the found family believable. Chen Bo Lin, Frederick Lee, Kent Tsai, and JC Lin had a nice, brotherly chemistry, even when at each other’s throats. Christ Wu Kang Ren, who is currently listed incorrectly as a guest star, played the villainous scumbag, a role he’s played more and more of lately. Cecilia Choi did a fine job as the love interest who had no problems with Po Chun being a criminal and knew exactly where to hit to bring a man down.
Despite the strong cast, the film looked more like a drama episode with writing to match. Perhaps I’ve watched too many heist films, but I’ve grown weary of the, “let us show you how we really pulled off the heist flashbacks” after making it appear they’d failed routine. There were also numerous flashbacks for the boys and for the derailed romance. Plot "twists" weren't very surprising, I was calling them out long before they materialized. I also wasn’t a fan of jokes that smacked of homophobia.
Overall, B & R was diverting entertainment if not riveting. The cast was fun to watch even if the script was riddled with onion pancake size holes in it. 7.25 rounded up to 7.5
11 July 2025
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Rebel without a Cause only with boats
Nakahira Ko’s sexually provocative film Crazed Fruit was the brother of all love triangles. Back in the days when Hollywood’s Desi and Lucy had to be shown sleeping in separate beds, Natsuhisa, Eri, and Haruji broke through societal norms and carried on torrid affairs with each other in the same bed, boat or on the sandy beaches.The Sun Tribe led by Natsuhisa and Frank was a group of bored well-to-do young people always looking for fun or trouble, whichever one they ran into first. They aimlessly killed time while railing against the establishment and rigid societal traditions. Natsuhisa’s little brother Haruji was more strait laced and gentler in temperament. Haru bumps into a beautiful girl in the train station and falls instantly in love. After they meet again by accident, his heart is sealed. Trouble arises when Natsuhisa discovers Eri’s secret and blackmails her into sleeping with him.
Though tame by modern standards there was no doubt that this film pushed the envelope for 1956. No bare bits were shown but the camera lingered suggestively over areas often considered off-limits. Characters discussed their sexual escapades as the men rated women. Post-coital moments left little to the imagination. And I’ve never seen a Japanese film with so many scenes with characters in swimsuits either.
I had no issue with the sexual content. My concerns were more about character development or the lack thereof. The brothers were close and one would have been labeled ‘the good one’ with the other one labeled ‘troubled’. That shorthand was about all that was given. Both men were obsessed with one woman and dangerously jealous. Eri, the femme fatale juggling three men, was the most thinly drawn. She supposedly loved Haru, was sexually attracted to Natsuhisa, and for some reason at the age of 20 was married to a man twice or three times her age. The volatile mix led to a suspenseful and violent conclusion.
Women may have been more sexually liberal but it was still a film written by a man which lent itself to certain biases. Consent was the male interpretation that “no” meant “yes” which was troubling. The Sun Tribe spent much time rating women and figuring out ways to meet new flesh. They may have rebelled against tradition but that didn’t mean they were any more evolved.
The cinematography was a mixed bag. Some of the shots were beautiful and thrilling. The characters spent a great deal of time either in cars, boats, or on water skis. The backgrounds for all three were laughably bad. Hawaii and Hawaii themed films were popular during the mid-1950s through the 1960s which Crazed Fruit reflected. While not set in Hawaii, the gang routinely wore Hawaiian shirts and played the ukelele. There were numerous scenes of the characters skiing which also seemed to be a popular theme from this time period.
Crazed Fruit explored the lives of (wealthy) children who had been born during WWII, lived through the bombings, and rebelled against the status quo as the country sought to find its own footing. While I could appreciate what the director was seeking to accomplish, I didn’t consider any of the characters particularly appealing. Natsuhisa was reprehensible, Haru was a blank page defined primarily by his desire for Eri, and Eri was only a vessel for the men in her life. The biggest lesson I took away from this film was to watch out for the quiet ones, still waters may run deep, but so does jealousy.
28 June 2025
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"It's not important if your son lived or died"
Army was a 1944 propaganda film by Kinoshita Keisuke. As a foreigner it was a bitter pill to swallow watching 3 generations of boys being taught that their main duty and goal in life was to die for their country and emperor. Ask no questions, entertain no doubts, have not so much as a frisson of fear for dying would be honor and glory to the country and family.At the beginning of the Meiji Era, the Takagi family is hastily packing up their belongings to flee the oncoming army. A wounded samurai bequeaths Lord Mitsukuni’s History of Japan to the family before he runs back to the battle that is already lost so that he can die for his lord. Thirty years later the grown son Tomonojo tells his son Tomohiko that “Whether you live or die, winning a war is a joy for the nation.” Furious at hearing that Russia is pressuring Japan to return the Liaodong Peninsula to China after the Sino-Japanese war, Tomonojo races to Tokyo to confront an old friend about it. *Okay, a brief interjection, this line of reasoning reminded me of The Princess Bride. Paraphrasing, “they are trying to take what we have rightfully stolen!”* While in Tokyo he suffers a heart attack. Tomohiko goes to Tokyo and is berated by his father for coming to the hospital and not honoring the emperor first. Tomonojo’s only desire is for his son to become a great soldier. Tomohiko’s health prevents him from fighting during the next war which distresses him to no end. He makes it his goal for his son to be a soldier in the next war, whenever and wherever it might be. Much to his father’s disappointment, Shintaro turns out to be a gentle, sensitive boy.
This movie was tough to get through. There was nothing subtle about it. The characters repeatedly mentioned the Emperor’s Five Principles. Sons were raised by their mothers but returned to the emperor so that they could die for him. Parents were not to be concerned about their children once deployed. “It’s not important if your son lived or died.”
Japan’s inevitable victories could have no nuance for Tomohiko. When someone suggested that Japan would have been a Mongol colony if the Divine Wind aka a tsunami hadn’t saved them, that was sacrilege! “If you were a true Japanese man, you’d be too ashamed to say Japan would have lost.” His over-the-top patriotism came across as self-indulgent, especially when those around him often had a more open-minded view of history. His ramblings sounded unbalanced which made me think Tomohiko being portrayed as a sore loser, terrible businessman, too sickly to fight, and a hothead was what caused Kinoshita to be banned from making movies until after the war. That was until the final minutes of the film. Unlike other propaganda films I’ve seen, the ending was what caused a real life general to call Kinoshita a traitor. The gripping scenes were beautifully shot and heartbreaking to watch. Tanaka Kinuyo gave one of her better performances without saying a word. Finally, genuine parental emotions were allowed to break through the stringent propaganda.
Army was heavy-handed in its message that young men’s lives were only meaningful in their deaths for the country and emperor. Two scenes with authentic parental concerns made the film and message more bearable, even if Kinoshita paid for the honesty. Will most likely only appeal to fans of the director or history buffs.
11 June 2025
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"A geisha's lie is not a real lie"
Mizoguchi Kenji once again explored the plight of women, especially those who served men in A Geisha. Ideally, well trained geishas entertained their male customers with their musical skills and genteel company, however, a barely concealed underbelly of prostitution bore out a more unsavory livelihood for many of the “Intangible Cultural Assets.”Eiko winds her way through the streets of the Gion to find her deceased mother’s best friend, Miyoharu. Unwanted by her father and wanted too much by her uncle, Eiko has no place else to turn. She begs Miyoharu to help her become a geisha. Miyoharu gives in and pays for Eiko’s extensive training. When it’s time for Eiko’s debut Miyoharu is forced to borrow a substantial amount of money from the teahouse madame not knowing who is financing Eiko behind the scenes. The two women who have thus far refused to accept patrons may not have a choice when their circumstances turn dire.
This topic was used in a variety of films featuring geishas and bar hostesses. Women who accepted patrons or who turned tricks on the side seemed to get ahead in the night world of Japan. Women were interchangeable depending on whether a man wanted a newer or older model. One young geisha had a 62-year-old patron her mother had arranged. These men were not used to being told no and often took what they wanted. Eiko mentioned a new law that protected geishas, but everyone knew it was in principle only. The “living works of art” were simply told to “close your eyes.”
Kogure Michiyo gave a moving performance as the veteran geisha. One scene as Miyoharu slowly removed her kimono in order to do what she dreaded was silently heartrending. Wakao Ayako’s Eiko went from a naïve and exuberant maiko to a young woman who saw the shining beauty of the geisha world pulled back to reveal the money and depravity underneath. Regardless of what the clients did, the women were expected to be compliant.
Mizoguchi created an aesthetically graceful film of floating geishas that also showed the crass and contractual side of humanity. While the central subject of a woman’s plight and criminal lack of options had been covered before, often by Mizoguchi himself, A Geisha stood out with the bond between Miyoharu and Eiko. The loyal and protective relationship the women forged together as they faced horrendous obstacles was well worth watching this film.
10 June 2025
Trigger warning: Attempted sexual assault
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"Are you shoveling sand to live, or living to shovel sand?"
Woman in the Dunes is a classic Japanese film that I’ve put off watching for a few years. Not for any particular reason, I just was easily distracted by other films. And the two-and-a-half hours running time tended to drop it down the list as this Butterfly can have the attention span of a gnat. But today I dusted off my courage and hit play.Note: We are not told the Entomologist’s name until the last frames so I will just call him E, because any term ending in ologist I usually screw up and trip over. The FL was never given a name so I’ll refer to her as The Woman, much like a character in Sherlock Holmes.
E is searching remote sand dunes hoping to discover a new variety of beetle that would be named after him. He misses the last bus out of town and a helpful villager tells him he can spend the night with a local. The Woman’s hut lies at the bottom of a sand dune pit and requires climbing down a rope ladder. She is very hospitable and strangely spends the night shoveling sand which the villagers haul up in buckets. The next morning when he attempts to leave, the ladder is missing and the unnatural sand cliffs are impossible to climb. He ascertains that he has fallen into a sand trap and is expected to shovel sand for his food and water with no possibility of parole.
The most beautiful and compelling character in this film was the sand. Director Teshigahara Hiroshi filmed grains of sand at the microscopic level and far above showing the mesmerizing rivulets across wide dunes. It was also unrelentingly invasive as it sought to take over the house and bury it minute by minute. Only for a minutes after a weekly bath were the characters bodies not covered in the tiresome fragments. They often appeared as if cursed by Medusa and turned to stone. The unearthly and unnerving music highlighted the strange shifting world the characters inhabited.
“Are you shoveling sand to live or living to shovel sand?”
Failure to shovel sand meant no food or water. The Woman was as much of a slave as E. How long had she been there? Was it a generational enslaved caste? She seemed to think of it as necessary for the village, but she never climbed the ladder and joined the villagers. It would never occur to her to leave. E struggled to escape several times before seeming to succumb to his plight. Was shoveling sand a parable/allegory about work? Especially salaryman work? Meaningless, repetitious, and almost impossible to quit. Other than enriching the union, it didn’t benefit society as a whole because anything made out of the cement it went into would be substandard and possibly deadly. There were other slaves we heard about but didn’t meet.
The characters lived on the bottom of the survival pyramid. Through a continuous grind of backbreaking tedious work, they received strictly rationed and controlled food and water. The sand continuously threatened to consume their shelter and their lives. They participated in raw, carnal sex. But eww, sandy sex brings on a whole host of indelicate problems. The pit provided no entertainment, no variety, and no real choices. The only true autonomy they had was to live (obey) or die (disobey). The woman desired a radio. Why? The outside news would only mock their isolation and enslavement. E’s curiosity ebbed until he accidentally made a discovery that excited him. Given his mental enslavement the revelation served to trap him more tightly.
The film reminded me of the original Star Trek’s pilot called The Cage. Warning! 60 year-old spoiler! Beings with telepathic powers needed humans to provide physical labor for them. They set a trap and used a beautiful woman as bait and reward. They also perversely enjoyed watching and punishing the humans. The villagers in The Woman in the Dunes were both perverse (they liked to watch) and cruel. Perhaps I’ve belabored the point attempting to understand this film and the story was simply karmic payback for the Entomologist trapping bugs in glass tubes and then pinning them to boards. In that case, he probably deserved what he got. Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
9 June 2025
Trigger warnings: There were a couple of nude scenes, but sexual encounters were done “tastefully” and implied more than showing body parts. There were bugs but not the ooey, gooey, or eight-legged kinds.
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"My ear works better than your nose"
Conduct Report on Professor Ishinaka was not what I expected. The titular Ishinaka showed up in all three independent love stories to give his own brand of wisdom to characters in need.Buried Gasoline
Kawai mentions that late in the war he was part of a group that buried over 400 drums of gasoline on the property of orchard owner Yamazaki. Writer Ishinaka, villager Nakamura, and Kawai dig with permission on Yamazaki’s land dreaming of what they will do with their new found wealth. It doesn’t take long before the men realize Kawai is far more interested in Yamazaki’s daughter than he is the buried gas.
An Argument
Mariko and Shuichi are embarrassed when they find out their fathers have gone to a burlesque show. They decide to shame them and maybe get some new clothes out of the deal as well. The tables turn when each child takes their father’s side in the argument tearing the lovebirds apart.
A Carriage of Hay
Yoshiko makes the long walk to town to visit her sister in the hospital. At the hospital a fortune teller says she’ll meet her future husband within the next day. After a long visit Yoshiko begins the walk home. A neighbor lets her hitch a ride in his hay wagon. They stop for a quick break and food. When it’s time to leave Yoshiko accidentally climbs up on the wrong hay wagon and falls fast asleep. It’s dark when she wakes up in a strange place. Shy farmer Teisaku and his family take her in for the night.
Each story featured gentle humor and young romance. Kawai used subterfuge in order to see pretty Moyoko. Mariko and Shuichi’s relationship and love were tested as they picked sides in their fathers’ fight. Yoshiko found the nearly mute Teisaku endearing as they spent an evening together.
The story was not Naruse’s but men were still shown falling back on their baser natures, especially in the second story where all the respectable men in town were eager to see the naked women dance even as they derided the show. During the third story, Teisaku’s mother summoned a constable to write up a letter stating that the mother had protected Yoshiko’s virginity and that she left intact. I suppose anyone seeing that sexy beast Mifune Toshiro would be given cause to wonder. Yet it was still a distasteful leftover of a rigid patriarchal system. Ishinaka appeared in each story to give the lovers’ romances a little push in the right direction, like a middle-aged Cupid. Happily, this movie was in very good shape, so many of Naruse’s older ones have been degraded with time. Elements of the stories were heavily dated, but overall the stories were charming and uncharacteristically romantic.
6 June 2025
Little note: Shimura Takashi made a tiny cameo as one of the high ranking burlesque show customers
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