Yumenji

The final installment in Seijun Suzuki's Taisho Triolgy is Yumeji (1991), which didn't appear until 10 years after the second installment, Kagero-za aka Heat Haze in 1981. Again he teams with producer Genjiro Arata for an unusual biographic film that is more impressionistic than factual of the story of the life of real-life painter and poet Takehisa Yumeji (1884-1934). Yumeji is more of an addendum, to those earlier films. It stands apart, because Yumeji’s artistic world has little to do with the Westernised social and cultural world of the Taisho era that is seen in Zigeunerweisen and Kagero-za. There is a convoluted plot involving women, painting, a duel, and elopement in Kanazawa. At times, as in the previous two films, there are moments of confusion and boredom as Suzuki becomes more interested in the producing impressions of characters or visual images than following a conventional narrative structure or plot line. Like the previous chapters of the trilogy, there are great visual set pieces, art direction, pictures, and images throughout. It is worth noting that I first became aware of this films due to the fact that Wong Kar-wai borrowed a musical motif, "Yumeji's Theme" from this film for his film-In The Mood For Love, and ironically it is used more often in that film than in the original film. It's not unreasonable to say that this and the Taisho Trilogy, in general, is probably only of interest to art film aficionados and people interested in the films of Seijun Suzuki-there is much artistry to appreciate once one struggles through the sprawling dream-like narratives of the films.