Dragnet Girl

Dragnet Girl (1933) by Yasujiro Ozu, from Eclipse Series 42: Silent Ozu-Three Crime Dramas, might be the most American film by the director known for being the most Japanese of Japanese directors. This film's art design seems to ape the hardboiled film noir crime dramas of the 30s. As Michael Koresky's written commentary on the film points out, throughout the film the viewer can see a poster for Wallace Beery's The Champ and a Jack Dempsey fight flier in the boxing gym, English language house rules in the poll hall, and in the record shop the Victor logo and statues of the logo dog, Nipper as a promotional mannequin. It is the story of a gangster Joji (Joji Oka) and his office lady moll, Tokiko (Kinuyo Tanaka-Mizoguchi's muse) as tough talking dame with a soft spot. She is given to extreme fits of jealousy but can see the good in people and can even long for it for herself and Joji. Their relationship is jeopardized by the arrival of an up and coming flyweight boxer who wants to join Joji's illicit gang, Hiroshi (Hideo Mitsui) and his pure-hearted sister Kazuko (Sumiko Mizukubo) intervenes on his behalf with Joji. A bit melodramatic for my taste, but probably not uncommon for the time. This film has some of the most extravagant camera movements that match the flamboyant set design. For example, there a couple of great sequences in which Ozu focuses on a car headlight reflection as a car speeds on its way. There's a camera pan onto  a teapot. And there's a pool table level closeup sequence. There are some great location shots, the most impressive is the bluff overlooking Yokohoma that has been seen in films of his contemporary Hiroshi Shimizu. Of course there are the trademarks of Ozu's style: masterly framing and interesting still life transitions throughout.