35-37 Naruse: Volume One
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Matango
- Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2005 5:19 am
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Just saw Flowing this afternoon, and enjoyed it so much that I'm really loath to put on the Jones/Lopate commentary, especially since I've decided to stop at 45 minutes on the Sound of the Mountain full-length. Anyone recommend the Flowing chat as being especially worthwhile? I'm inclined to just watch it again without. Actually, I can't believe I'm even asking this, but there you go. Thanks.
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Michael Kerpan
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I would recommend watching Flowing at least one more time before tackling any commentary (no matter how good it might be). This is a rich and complex film -- and it is probably best to gather together ones own thoughts together before dealing with other people's explanations.
I will be interested in what (if anything) they say about Sumiko Kurishima -- who would have been very much a face from the distant past even when the film was first shown.
I will be interested in what (if anything) they say about Sumiko Kurishima -- who would have been very much a face from the distant past even when the film was first shown.
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Matango
- Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2005 5:19 am
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Yes, I think I'll do that. But I'll be interested to see if the uncle from Chiba is the same actor who plays the master swordsman in Seven Samurai, and if they mention it. I'm pretty sure he is, and if so it's great to see him again since he doesn't pop up very often....in fact I can't recall having seen him in anything else.
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Michael Kerpan
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Seiji Miyaguchi is indeed Kyuzo in Seven Samurai. He actually pops up with some regularity in the films of Kurosawa and Naruse (and other Toho directors), starting in the mid-40s. He also shows up in two of Yamada's Tora-san films and in Ozu's Early Summer (not sure who he plays in this, offhand).Matango wrote:Yes, I think I'll do that. But I'll be interested to see if the uncle from Chiba is the same actor who plays the master swordsman in Seven Samurai, and if they mention it. I'm pretty sure he is, and if so it's great to see him again since he doesn't pop up very often....in fact I can't recall having seen him in anything else.
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GringoTex
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:57 am
I've watched the three films a second time (these being my first three Naruse films), and I'm even more staggered than the first time. Always before with a "great" director I've encountered, there's a wealth of literature to explore (in English), but not with Naruse.
I wanted to get some of your thoughts on his formal approach. He attacks his subject with an openess and directness I'm not sure I've seen before. He can establish domestic space like Ozu when necessary, pan like Hawks when necessary, and dolly like Ford when necessary. I keep on wanting to compare his style to that of late 30s Hollywood melodrama, especially William Wyler. And he and Wyler share that whatever-style-at-all-costs virtuosity. But Wyler had to play beneath the surface. Naruse could confront abortion, homosexuality, divorce, and prostitution completely openly.
In many ways, he reminds me of Fassbinder more than anybody else. Adapting all great styles to uncover the most sordid of subject matter. Thoughts?
I wanted to get some of your thoughts on his formal approach. He attacks his subject with an openess and directness I'm not sure I've seen before. He can establish domestic space like Ozu when necessary, pan like Hawks when necessary, and dolly like Ford when necessary. I keep on wanting to compare his style to that of late 30s Hollywood melodrama, especially William Wyler. And he and Wyler share that whatever-style-at-all-costs virtuosity. But Wyler had to play beneath the surface. Naruse could confront abortion, homosexuality, divorce, and prostitution completely openly.
In many ways, he reminds me of Fassbinder more than anybody else. Adapting all great styles to uncover the most sordid of subject matter. Thoughts?
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Anonymous
I just received the new program schedule of the Munich Filmmuseum and they're actually presenting a Mikio Naruse retrospective! I'm bursting with joy! The time couldn't have been better, as MoC's Naruse set really opened my eyes to this brilliant, overlooked filmmaker.
As for GringoTex's posting: the filmmaker I felt most reminded of when I watched REPAST was the Chantal Akerman of JEANNE DIELMAN. REPAST seems to me very much a feminist film, therefore having something quite striking in common with Mizoguchi's work. I think it's quite a ridiculous statement to speak of an "invisible style", which is often applied to Hawks and sometimes to Naruse. He is as much a stylist as Mizoguchi or Ozu, but one has to be a careful observer. Kurosawa - for one - smashes all kinds of colors and visual extravaganzas into your face, which turns out to be of little content and very shallow (I'm no big Kurosawa-fan). But Naruse is much more subtle. He observes the surface of things and then carefully and delicately delves deeper. The emotional and psychological revelations in SOUND OF THE MOUNTAIN are so perfectly structured and built-up that I sometimes really had to hold my breath. Emotionally, it is a very devastating film. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears that Naruse actually touched such grounds in 1950s Japan.
In my opinion Naruse really has the clear signature of a unique master. The only thing to remind one of Ozu may be some of his actors (in this set particularly Setsuko Hara, which I only know from Ozu's films), but apart from that Naruse's visual style, his construction of plot and character-development is totally his own.
As for GringoTex's posting: the filmmaker I felt most reminded of when I watched REPAST was the Chantal Akerman of JEANNE DIELMAN. REPAST seems to me very much a feminist film, therefore having something quite striking in common with Mizoguchi's work. I think it's quite a ridiculous statement to speak of an "invisible style", which is often applied to Hawks and sometimes to Naruse. He is as much a stylist as Mizoguchi or Ozu, but one has to be a careful observer. Kurosawa - for one - smashes all kinds of colors and visual extravaganzas into your face, which turns out to be of little content and very shallow (I'm no big Kurosawa-fan). But Naruse is much more subtle. He observes the surface of things and then carefully and delicately delves deeper. The emotional and psychological revelations in SOUND OF THE MOUNTAIN are so perfectly structured and built-up that I sometimes really had to hold my breath. Emotionally, it is a very devastating film. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears that Naruse actually touched such grounds in 1950s Japan.
In my opinion Naruse really has the clear signature of a unique master. The only thing to remind one of Ozu may be some of his actors (in this set particularly Setsuko Hara, which I only know from Ozu's films), but apart from that Naruse's visual style, his construction of plot and character-development is totally his own.
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Michael Kerpan
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Some characteristics that might form part of a definable Naruse style.
1. Heavy reliance on the gazes of the characters.
2. Special sensitivity to light -- often giving the impression of reliance on natural lighting (though he apparently used artificial aids to achieve this when necessary -- his peers were supposedly impressed of his mastery in this area).
3. Frequent resort to a certain sort type of stroll by couples (usually a male and a female, but not always)
4. Frequent adoption of not merely a female perspective (but as feninist a perspective as one could find in Japanese films of his era)
5. A sort of mosaic-like editing that often gives the impression of virtual long takes (made up mostly of shots that are actually rather short).
As to female perspective -- "Sound of the Mountain" is an interesting case -- as the viewpoint character in both the novel and the film is the father-in-law. But the film departs from the novel in giving this character far more sympathy and understanding of the (not blood related) females he encounters.
1. Heavy reliance on the gazes of the characters.
2. Special sensitivity to light -- often giving the impression of reliance on natural lighting (though he apparently used artificial aids to achieve this when necessary -- his peers were supposedly impressed of his mastery in this area).
3. Frequent resort to a certain sort type of stroll by couples (usually a male and a female, but not always)
4. Frequent adoption of not merely a female perspective (but as feninist a perspective as one could find in Japanese films of his era)
5. A sort of mosaic-like editing that often gives the impression of virtual long takes (made up mostly of shots that are actually rather short).
As to female perspective -- "Sound of the Mountain" is an interesting case -- as the viewpoint character in both the novel and the film is the father-in-law. But the film departs from the novel in giving this character far more sympathy and understanding of the (not blood related) females he encounters.
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sevenarts
- Joined: Tue May 09, 2006 11:22 pm
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Just got this box set the other day, and I have to say: great job MOC! I'm a Naruse newbie, so I was originally planning on holding off and getting the forthcoming Criterion for a cheaper taste first -- but I ultimately decided to just take the plunge and support this great label. Good move on my part, as it turns out. The box is great, beautifully designed, and the book looks wonderful.
I watched Repast tonight, and was very impressed. It's a very quiet, unassuming, and emotionally quite ambiguous film. I often didn't know quite how I was supposed to feel about these characters and their actions. In particular, I found the wife's constant laughs and smiles -- pitched virtually the same in practically any situation -- particularly puzzling, and I couldn't for the life of me get inside her head. Part of that may be cultural differences, and also the separation of 50+ years of changing norms, but not entirely. For instance, I haven't encountered any such strong barriers in Ozu, where I usually understand the characters pretty well in spite of any cultural differences. The fact that Naruse's characters in this film remain so impenetrable to me makes me think it's something else. It seems to be integral to the film that Naruse never comes out and states what he or anyone in the film is thinking. The only exception, of course, is the wife's voiceovers, but even there it's not necessarily clear that her words are to be taken at face value. At times, her tone seems to be that of someone desperately trying to convince herself of her own happiness. And her final words on the train journey home could just as easily be a bitter comment on her inescapable fate as the hopeful look to the future they seem to be on the surface.
This ambiguity runs all through the film, and ultimately keeps me interested. It's hard for me to think of the ending as any kind of a "happy ending," although it seems to be at least partially pitched that way, but nor is it entirely a downer. Naruse has a perfect control of tone here, modulating between extremes and leaving much to suggestion. The film's ending ties things up in a way that essentially brings things back to the beginning, thereby reinforcing the film's theme of the numbing repetition and routine in daily life -- and yet there's a sense that things have subtly changed, even improved, though it's hard to point to exactly how. This film has been lingering in my mind all night now, turning around and suggesting deeper meanings in ways it didn't necessarily do when I was first watching it. The style of it seems so effortless, so smooth and unassuming, that it seems it's only after it's over that I'm really starting to process it and scratch beyond its surface. Very interesting. I'm really looking forward to watching the other two films and then delving into that thick book. Nice job again, MOC!
I watched Repast tonight, and was very impressed. It's a very quiet, unassuming, and emotionally quite ambiguous film. I often didn't know quite how I was supposed to feel about these characters and their actions. In particular, I found the wife's constant laughs and smiles -- pitched virtually the same in practically any situation -- particularly puzzling, and I couldn't for the life of me get inside her head. Part of that may be cultural differences, and also the separation of 50+ years of changing norms, but not entirely. For instance, I haven't encountered any such strong barriers in Ozu, where I usually understand the characters pretty well in spite of any cultural differences. The fact that Naruse's characters in this film remain so impenetrable to me makes me think it's something else. It seems to be integral to the film that Naruse never comes out and states what he or anyone in the film is thinking. The only exception, of course, is the wife's voiceovers, but even there it's not necessarily clear that her words are to be taken at face value. At times, her tone seems to be that of someone desperately trying to convince herself of her own happiness. And her final words on the train journey home could just as easily be a bitter comment on her inescapable fate as the hopeful look to the future they seem to be on the surface.
This ambiguity runs all through the film, and ultimately keeps me interested. It's hard for me to think of the ending as any kind of a "happy ending," although it seems to be at least partially pitched that way, but nor is it entirely a downer. Naruse has a perfect control of tone here, modulating between extremes and leaving much to suggestion. The film's ending ties things up in a way that essentially brings things back to the beginning, thereby reinforcing the film's theme of the numbing repetition and routine in daily life -- and yet there's a sense that things have subtly changed, even improved, though it's hard to point to exactly how. This film has been lingering in my mind all night now, turning around and suggesting deeper meanings in ways it didn't necessarily do when I was first watching it. The style of it seems so effortless, so smooth and unassuming, that it seems it's only after it's over that I'm really starting to process it and scratch beyond its surface. Very interesting. I'm really looking forward to watching the other two films and then delving into that thick book. Nice job again, MOC!
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Don Lope de Aguirre
- Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2006 9:39 pm
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I would like to say, first of all, that these are the only Naruse films I have seen so far (Criterion will soon change this) but with regards to 'style' (and I'm really "just" talking about technique) wouldn't you say that compared to, say, a Mizoguchi, an Ozu or even -say- the likes of Oshima and Imamura, Naruse's work lacks (100%) stylistic coherence?Michael Kerpan wrote:Some characteristics that might form part of a definable Naruse style.
A sort of mosaic-like editing that often gives the impression of virtual long takes (made up mostly of shots that are actually rather short).
I don't mean this as a major criticism (I adored 'Flowing' and 'Sound of the Mountain' and thought 'Repast' to be very good indeed) but it seems to me that there are quite a few times in each film when I think: 'that shot/edit didn't quite work'...
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Michael Kerpan
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Not really.Don Lope de Aguirre wrote:I would like to say, first of all, that these are the only Naruse films I have seen so far (Criterion will soon change this) but with regards to 'style' (and I'm really "just" talking about technique) wouldn't you say that compared to, say, a Mizoguchi, an Ozu or even -say- the likes of Oshima and Imamura, Naruse's work lacks (100%) stylistic coherence?
I can't say I ever feel like that now. I may have thought that when I was first getting used to Naruse's work. I kept trying to measure what he was doing against Ozu. Eventually I discovered this wasn't an especially productive way to experience what Naruse himself was doing.I don't mean this as a major criticism (I adored 'Flowing' and 'Sound of the Mountain' and thought 'Repast' to be very good indeed) but it seems to me that there are quite a few times in each film when I think: 'that shot/edit didn't quite work'...
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kinjitsu
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Sander2
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Sander2
- Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2007 12:59 pm
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Matt wrote:Sander2 wrote:Masters of Cinema has announced a second box set containing films made by Mikio Naruse.
link?
The second paragraph. It's indeed a shame that nobody has checked out the Naruse films, but it isn't very surprisingly.
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sevenarts
- Joined: Tue May 09, 2006 11:22 pm
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I would certainly be interested to hear from MOC about a second Naruse set and its likely contents, but I believe Woman was scheduled to appear at some point in BFI's Naruse box set, not any future MOC release.Sander2 wrote:Masters of Cinema has announced a second box set containing films made by Mikio Naruse. Does anybody know whether that box shall contain When a Woman Ascends the Stairs? Because in case it does, I won't buy the DVD released by Criterion.
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ltfontaine
- Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 7:34 pm
Back in November, in this same thread, peerpee wrote:
The "hopeful" language of MoC's news item from December doesn't guarantee a second set, and such hasn't been forthcoming in the meantime. I'd be out selling Naruse: Volume One door-to-door like girl scout cookies if I thought it'd do any good, but until we're told otherwise, we can only "hope" for a Volume Two.The appearance of a NARUSE: VOLUME TWO box set rests entirely on the sales of NARUSE: VOLUME ONE in the next two months.
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fred
- Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2005 2:28 am
I don't think the BFI has given any indication that there will be a boxset. Has the BFI ever released a boxset? That didn't bundle previously issued standalone releases?Sander2 wrote:OK, thanks! In that case I'll wait for the BFI release, because I also want to own the other films in the BFI box set.
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TheGodfather
- Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2006 8:39 pm
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That`s very good news indeed! roll on december.Sander2 wrote:Matt wrote:Sander2 wrote:Masters of Cinema has announced a second box set containing films made by Mikio Naruse.
link?
The second paragraph.
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davebert
- Joined: Fri May 05, 2006 8:00 pm
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Well, thats still coded with the word "hope", so I wouldn't call that a definitive announcement. I think economics will certainly play a part... I imagine box sets are the most expensive to produce, and therefore some hesistancy would be a shrewd way to avoid, say, bankruptcy.TheGodfather wrote:That`s very good news indeed! roll on december.
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Kenji
- Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 9:23 pm
Good to see an article on him in today's British paper The Independent (by Geoffrey Macnab), marking the start of a BFI season- When a Woman Ascends the Stairs first up. Nothing very new or insightful in the article, a general quick overview- i'll just pick out some quotes:
"You probably haven't heard of Mikio Naruse" (Macnab- first sentence)
"Naruse was mild-mannered and extraordinarily shy" (Macnab)
"He was a completely unresponsive director" (Takamine, regular actress)
"He didn't seem to be very friendly with women by any means" (Catherine Russell, author of forthcoming book The Cinema of Mikio Naruse- Women and Modernity)
"In fact, during that so-called slump, the whole industry was in a slump" (Russell, of Naruse's 1940's films)
"I am moved by the sadness to be found in the simple lives of people" (Naruse)
"From the youngest age I have thought that the world we live in betrays us" (Naruse)
"The flow of short shots that looks calm and ordinary at first glance then reveals itself like a deep river with a quiet surface disguising a fast-ranging current underneath". (Kurosawa)
"You probably haven't heard of Mikio Naruse" (Macnab- first sentence)
"Naruse was mild-mannered and extraordinarily shy" (Macnab)
"He was a completely unresponsive director" (Takamine, regular actress)
"He didn't seem to be very friendly with women by any means" (Catherine Russell, author of forthcoming book The Cinema of Mikio Naruse- Women and Modernity)
"In fact, during that so-called slump, the whole industry was in a slump" (Russell, of Naruse's 1940's films)
"I am moved by the sadness to be found in the simple lives of people" (Naruse)
"From the youngest age I have thought that the world we live in betrays us" (Naruse)
"The flow of short shots that looks calm and ordinary at first glance then reveals itself like a deep river with a quiet surface disguising a fast-ranging current underneath". (Kurosawa)