Lost In Translation

BFI: Throne Of Blood

Robert N. Watson has written some great commentary on one of Akira Kuroswawa's masterpieces in BFI: Throne Of Blood (2014). The Japanese title of the film, incidentally, is Kumonosu-jo (Spider's Web Castle). In the introduction, Watson points out that there was a tepid reaction when the film was first released-it was voted the fourth best film of 1957 in the Kinema Junpo end of the year list. However, over time it has garnered respect as one of Kurosawa's finest achievements and one of the best film adaptations of a Shakespeare play,Mac Beth, of all time. Watson cites its influence on him probably led him to become a Shakespearean professor. In fact, my own first viewing was as an assignment in an university Shakespeare course to watch the film and compare and contrast it with a filmed Royal Shakespeare performance of MacBeth. Watson states that it is a a profoundly ambivalent exploration of human morality that is at once intensely localized and transhistorical-and deeply self-conscious of the medium. In the next section, "A Guided Tour Through the Spider's Web," Watson analyzes the film with commentary chronologically as it was presented in the film: from "Day One" until it's conclusion on "Day Six." There are several photos to reflect points that Watson makes about mise en scene throughout the discussion. It is a very though provoking analysis and description, in fact, I was inspired to go back and watch my 2003 Criterion edition of the film again.

The Brothers And Sisters Of The Toda Family

The Brothers And Sisters Of The Toda Family (1941) directed by Yasujiro Ozu prefigures his greatest success in the west, 1954's Tokyo Story in this depiction of poor treatment of a parent by her adult children. The film was produced during wartime, so the fact that the war is such a minor aspec tof the film says a lot about Ozu's attitude toward this endeavor. At the same time, there must have been some aspect of the film that was deemed worthy for the nation to see since the film industry was under such close scrutiny of the government censors. I suspect that concept was filial piety-the idea of respect and deference toward elders. There are some traces of the aggressive colonial expansion reflected in the business interests of the youngest son of the family who scolds the older siblings for not taking proper care of his mother and youngest sibling. He vows to take them back with him to occupied Manchuria-colony of the Japanese empire, which seems benign in this film. But I suspect Chinese viewers might have a different perspective on this solution in the film. That being said, the film reflects many of the Ozu cinematic techniques such as still life transitional pictures and low camera angles. For many, this might be considered a minor Ozu film, but it reflects many of his most important cinematic techniques and is reflective of the wartime period in which he was forced to film. 

Once Were Warriors

I was inspired to read Alan Duff's no holds barred look at poverty, disillusionment, and the destructive lives in the Maori ghetto communities of Auckland in his groundbreaking novel Once Were Warriors (1990) after revisiting the film version and seeing a new documentary about it: Twenty Years Later, Where Are They Now?-'Once Were Warriors.' In the documentary the actors and producers talked about the book and what a sensation it made in the public and the opportunity it created for the film team. However, knowing the basic plot of the book via the film probably detracted from my overall enjoyment since I had a good idea of what was coming next while reading the book. But it was different from the film in several ways-for one the book chapters are written from the perspective of different family members, the plot is changed somewhat, and one of the family members-the second oldest son Abe-is removed from the story altogether for the film. I would go onto to say that the book is much darker than the film, which would probably surprise many viewers since the film is pretty bleak as well. Perhaps, one might say that there is more redemption in the book as well, since it extends to reviving the Maori community not just in terms of personal redemption of the characters.

After Life

After Life (1998) is Hirokazu Kore-eda's follow up to his stunning Ozu-esquese debut, Marbosi. Again, Kore-eda is grapples with the concepts of memory and loss. I feel that this exercise is less affecting than his previous foray into those themes. There are some heartfelt moments, but the premise of a bureaucratic purgatory where a group of dead create eternal memories in a make-shift studio in order to send the recently departed into the afterlife, is a bit too contrived for me. The execution of the enterprise comes across as extremely Japanese in every sense: deadlines, a daily schedule, dormitory rules, paternalistic announcements and supervisors, etc...could it not be hell for some? Apparently there are some scenes that are unscripted and feature everyday people re-telling powerful memories from their life. One of the most profound is that of an old woman joyfully recounting a story from her youth, in which she went to dances and was rewarded by her brother with treats for recounting her time at the dances. Overall I think Kore-eda has interesting themes, but the execution of the premise was too hard for me to swallow. Visually it was lacking the powerful expanse of nature and the Sea of Japan from the remote Ishikawa that inhabited his overshadowing previous film.

2014 Top Films

As usual I am still catching up on films released in 2014 in 2015. I still want to see Birdman, Inherent Vice, Listen Up Philip, etc. But of those films that I have seen there were several that were outstanding and many that were worthwhile seeing. So instead of ranking them I will make two lists: one of the must see films and a list of worthwhile films that should be interesting if you have the time.

Must See (4):

Boyhood

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Ida

Only Lovers Left Alive

Worthwhile (7):

Blue Ruin

Life Itself

Nightcrawler

The Rover

Snowpiercer

Under The Skin

Winter Sleep

Pignon

Pignon is an excellent little French bistro in Shibuya near Shoto.

One of the house specialities is guachomole (with shrimp).

The quiche with bacon was savory.

The meat dish was lamb.

Winter Sleep

Winter Sleep (2014) by Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Once Upon A Time in Antolia) has created a novelistic study of a delusional landowner in a rural village in Cappadocia. He is delusional because he believes tha the acting as a kind of benevolent wealthy landowner and village elder, Adyin (Haluk Bilinger), but in reality no one really likes him or respects his petty little column that he uses to criticize the people around him. There is an incident involving the young son of a  tenant with a Muslim Imam in the household that proves to be the catalyst for Adyin's reckoning. he demands satisfaction from the family when the boy is caught throwing a stone at Adyin's car-breaking a window. An apology isn't enough and the family haunts Adyin by begging his forgiveness and trying to show respect and deference to their landlord. His sister, Necla, who is seeking refuge from a divorce questions whether or not she should return to her ex-husband and leave her brother. His much younger wife, Nihal (Melisa Sozen), is driven to exasperation by his belittling of her fund-raising projects. However, his skepticism and cynicism turn out to be accurate when his wife tries to give his anonymous donation to the family that has a sick boy and unable to pay their rent on time. This unfolds slowly over three hours but punctuated with stunning cinematography by Gökhan Tiryaki. The film has garnered almost universal praise including winning the Palme D'Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

The Master Of Go

One of the main reasons I couldn't fully enjoy Yasunari Kawabata's 1954 novel The Master Of Go is that I don't know the rules or how to  play the game. I realize that the game is a sort of metaphor for Japanese society as Kawabata pits an ailing master, Shusai, against a younger upstart, Otake, which represent the cultural zeitgeist that was taking place when the real events from which this novel is based on occurred in 1938 during the height of the second world war. "I said that as challenger in this Master's last game he was fighting in single combat, and he was also fighting a larger battle. He was being carried on the currents of history." There are slight references to this fact when the narrator the newspaper reporter, Uragami, mentions the popularity of Go during times of war. The invasion or colonization of China can seen to be referenced in the character of Wu: "It was Japan that nurtured, protected, and ministered to a genius that would have lain dormant in China." There is a passage where the narrator plays an American in Go and reflects: "The Oriental game has gone beyond game and test of strength and become a way of art." He surmised that there was no tradition of Go in America. Ultimately, I found this novel lacking the aspects of the other Kawabata novels that revealed the mysteries of the hearts of people facing profound emotional conflicts among families and lovers.

Nightcrawler

Dan Gilroy's 2014 Nightcrawler starring Jake Gyllenhaal is a very mature debut from the screenwriter. The film has a noir quality in which the protagonist, Lou Bloom, roams the LA area late at night trying to get grisly crime footage for TV stations. The character is amoral and obsessed with getting the best footage possible no matter the legal or ethical complications. In fact, Gyllenhaal, plays the character as a sort of moral autistic-a sociopath, a person who doesn't really know how to connect with other people on a emotional level. The cinematography of the film is striking as well. It is easily apparent why many people think this film will get consideration during awards season.

Holiday Films

Long-haul air travel is a great way to catchup on films missed throughout the years. This time I saw Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014), it is another entertaining edition of the series re-boot.

I also saw Snow On The Blades (Zakurozaka no adauchi 2014), a Meiji era historical drama based on a short story by Jiro Asada directed by Setsuro Wakamatsu. It can be seen as a revisionist samurai drama where the feudalistic values of bushido are called into question in the modern age of the Meiji era. For some reason, I felt this film came across as somewhat maudlin or overwrought-not exactly sure why, perhaps, it had to do with actors who I identify with contemporary dramas and TV: Ryoko Hirose and Hiroshi Abe (complete with modern mullet hair after getting rid of his chomage).

There was a TV documentary feature commemorating the 20th anniversary of the breakout New Zealand film, Once Were Warriors-Where Are They Now? (2014). And this led me to watch the emotional film again.

In the classics section, I decided to watch a highly regarded film that I haven't sat through in it's entirety-Singin' In The Rain (1952) directed by Stanley Donen (known for the Audrey Hepburn vehicles: Funny Face  and Charade). It was very cinematic and entertaining I can see why it is so beloved.

I also saw a couple of other documentaries. The first one was the fascinating historical documentary, Nixon By Nixon: In His Own Words (2014) from HBO. Here Nixon places himself in ignominy with his expressions of anti-semitism, anti-homosexuality, racism, paranoia, sexism, and blatant disregard of law and order-believing himself to be above it. The other was Stones In Exile (2010) directed by Stephen Kijack about the recording of the Rolling Sotnes' seminal 1972 album, Exile On Main Street.