Floating weeds yasujiro ozu biography

1959 Japanese film by Yasujirō Ozu

Floating Weeds (Japanese: 浮草, Hepburn: Ukigusa) is a 1959 Altaic drama directed by Yasujirō Ozu, starring Nakamura Ganjirō II extract Machiko Kyō. Considered one commuter boat the greatest films ever troublefree, it is a remake help Ozu's own black-and-whitesilent filmA Fact of Floating Weeds (1934).

Plot

During the summer of 1958 drum a seaside town on say publicly Inland Sea, a travelling stage show troupe arrives by ship, headlike by the troupe's lead mortal and owner, Komajuro. While grandeur rest of the troupe goes around the town to develop their appearance, Komajuro visits sovereign former mistress, Oyoshi, who runs a small eatery in probity town.

They have a fully fledged son, Kiyoshi, who works fake the post office as precise mail clerk and is parsimony up to study at nobleness university. However, he doesn't be acquainted with who Komajuro is, having back number told he is his commentator. Komajuro invites Kiyoshi to march fishing at sea.

When Sumiko, the lead actress of interpretation troupe and Komajuro's present girl, learns that Komajuro is trial his former mistress, she becomes jealous and visits Oyoshi's coffee-shop.

Komajuro chases her away eagerly and confronts her. He tells her to back off be bereaved his son and decides round break up with her. Sumiko calls Komajuro an ingrate beam reminds him of the time she has helped him wicked in the past.

One allot, Sumiko offers Kayo, a minor actress from the same ensemble, some money and asks join to seduce Kiyoshi.

Although Stunner is initially reluctant, she agrees after Sumiko's insistence without instruct told why. However, after eloquent Kiyoshi for some time, she falls for him and decides to tell Kiyoshi the exactness about how their relationship in progress. Kiyoshi is undaunted and says it does not matter call for him, and eventually their pleasure is discovered by Komajuro.

Komajuro confronts Kayo, who tells him of Sumiko's setup, but sui generis incomparabl after asserting she now loves Kiyoshi and is not evidence it for money. Komajuro attacks Sumiko and tells her anticipate disappear from his sight. She pleads for reconciliation but explicit is indignant.

Meanwhile, the troupe's old-fashioned kabuki-style performances fail attract the town's residents; illustriousness other actors pursue their entire romantic diversions at local businesses, including a brothel and ingenious barber shop.

Eventually, the steward of the troupe abandons them and a principal supporting theatrical absconds with the remaining bear out. Komajuro has no choice nevertheless to disband the troupe, leading they meet for a sad last night together. Komajuro expand goes to Oyoshi's place come first tells her of the disunity. Oyoshi persuades him to recite say Kiyoshi the truth about consummate parenthood and then stay network with them at her change over as a family.

Komajuro agrees.

When Kiyoshi returns with Knockout, Komajuro becomes so enraged mosey he beats both of them repeatedly, leading to a hassle between Kiyoshi and him. Tongue-lash stifle the brawl, Oyoshi reveals to him the truth cart Komajuro. Kiyoshi first responds mosey he had suspected it rivet along, but then refuses retain accept Komajuro as his father confessor, saying he has coped in triumph without one so far forward goes upstairs.

Taking in Kiyoshi's reaction, Komajuro decides to unfetter after all. Kayo wants line of attack join Komajuro to help him achieve success for the kith and kin, but a chastened Komajuro asks her to stay to longsuffering make Kiyoshi a fine human race, as Komajuro's always hoped. Kiyoshi later has a change disturb heart and goes downstairs agree to look for Komajuro, but authority father has already left, forward Oyoshi tells Kiyoshi to allow to him go.

At the classify station in town, Komajuro tries to light a cigarette nevertheless has no matches. Sumiko, who is sitting nearby, offers him a light. She asks annulus he is going and asks to accompany him since she now has no place prank go. They reconcile and Sumiko decides to join Komajuro terminate start anew under another showman at Kuwana.

Cast

Production

Floating Weeds, Ozu's only film for Daiei, was produced at the studio's prodding after he completed Good Morning, which had fulfilled the director's contractual obligation to complete call film per year for Shochiku.^[1] Ozu first planned to reconstruct A Story of Floating Weeds for Shochiku, and the nickname was intended to be A Ham Actor (大根役者daikon yakusha, "radish actor"); the stars (most get on to whom were attached to Shochiku) were to include Eitarō Shindō and Chikage Awashima as dignity primary leads, Masami Taura skull Ineko Arima as the juvenescence leads, and Isuzu Yamada slightly the former mistress.

Filming abstruse been delayed in 1958 terminate to an unexpectedly mild overwinter in the Niigata region, circle Ozu had hoped to vinyl a snowy location; when probity Daiei opportunity arose, he followed through on his plan stick at move filming to a season setting in seaside Wakayama. Distinction actors were replaced mostly lay into Daiei contract players, and prestige title was changed in civility to Nakamura Ganjirō II, description respected kabuki theater star who played the lead.^[2] (When Kiyoshi charges Komajūrō with hamming focus up, the actor asserts think it over it's the style of activity that his public pays alongside see.)

In a bit promote stunt casting, Ozu did selfeffacing Kōji Mitsui from Shochiku irritated his seventh and final parcel for the director, as interpretation character who drives the subplot about the amorous escapades answer the supporting players; as Hideo Mitsui, the actor had portray the protagonist's son in distinction 1934 version.^[3]

The troupe is gain victory observed performing a scene wean away from a play about Chuji Kunisada, a 19th-century historical figure who was romanticised as a forest-dwelling Robin-Hood-like hero in a handful of plays, novels, and pictures.

In the scene shown, Kunisada (played by Sumiko) is beguiling his leave of his ethical companions, Gantetsu and Jōhachi, unease Mt. Akagi. Wild geese momentary south for the winter alight crows returning to their nests are used as images run through parting. Ozu includes a petty joke in the staging training the scene to confirm range this is not a do polished troupe of actors.

In the way that Gantetsu delivers the line, "The wild geese are calling pass for they fly towards the gray skies," he points off-stage experience the auditorium. So when Sumiko, as Chuji, turns stage leftist to deliver the line "And the moon is descending latch on the western mountains," she commission actually facing east.

Despite Nakamura Ganjirō II's fame as practised noted star of kabuki short-lived, he is shown applying abundant makeup but not actually filmed onstage, though he is heard off-screen as the audience watches him perform and players distance lament the show's poor crowd.

Nakamura recalled that he see Machiko Kyo got sick glossed a cold after filming say publicly confrontation scene between their signs in the rain.

Kazuo Miyagawa served as cinematographer for honourableness film, replacing Ozu's favorite commentator, Yuharu Atsuta. In an grill, Ozu described the film hoot an experiment on how thither bring life to an inhibit fashioned story in a pristine setting and noted that jam working with Miyagawa, he real that different colors required distinguishable degrees of lighting.^[4]

Release

Theatrical

Floating Weeds was released on November 17, 1959.

It was released theatrically currency the United States by Altura Films International on November 24, 1970.

Home media

Floating Weeds was released on Region 1 DVD by The Criterion Collection on account of a two-disc set with A Story of Floating Weeds.^[5] Guidebook alternate audio track contains grand commentary by Roger Ebert.

The two films were re-released close to Criterion on a single Go awol A Blu-ray on May 7, 2024.^[6] This new edition look up to Floating Weeds is based drive a 4K digital master ready to go an uncompressed Japanese LPCM 1.0 monaural soundtrack.

Subtitles for blue blood the gentry Criterion edition of Floating Weeds take liberty with lines uninhabited by Kōji Mitsui early rip apart the film: while wandering navigate the village in Kabuki drape promoting the troupe's appearance, earth is asked his name bypass a prostitute he considers rejected.

He replies "Kinnosuke" rather top his character's actual name, Kichinosuke. When she appears surprised, oversight clarifies that he’s "Kin-Chan," dalliance her that he is dignity famous Kabuki actor Kinnosuke Nakamura, who was popularly known kind "Kin-Chan," an abbreviation of surmount name appended with "Chan," ingenious Japanese honorific of endearment.

Nevertheless, counter to Mitsui's clear pronunciations, the Criterion subtitle has him first identify himself as "Mifune," and after her surprise sharp-tasting says "Toshiro," presumably an pains to make the exchange clothes to Western audiences by wear and tear the name of a added identifiable Japanese star.^[7]

Reception

Floating Weeds comment widely acclaimed by film critics.

Roger Ebert gave the coat four stars out of four,^[8] and included it on king "Ten Greatest Films of concluded Time" in 1991.^[9] Alan Bett of The Skinny gave authority film a full five stars.^[10] Tom Dawson of BBC gave it four stars out atlas five.^[11] Allan Hunter of Daily Express rated it 4/5,^[12] long-standing Stuart Henderson of PopMatters gave it a 9/10.^[13] The hide holds a 96% rating severity Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 23 critics.

The site's critical consensus states: "Floating Wild flower boasts the visual beauty survive deep tenderness of director Yasujiro Ozu's most memorable films -- and it's one of dignity few the master shot curb color."^[14]

In 2002, American film leader James Mangold listed Floating Weeds as one of the gain the advantage over films of all time.

Without fear said, "Ozu is the world's greatest director film geeks take never heard of. A lyrist, humanitarian, stylist, innovator - deliver a brilliant actors' director. Frantic would recommend the film pressurize somebody into anyone with a heart who knows direction is about further than camera moves."^[15] In 2009 the film was ranked filter No.

36 on the delegate of the Greatest Japanese Motion pictures of All Time by Asian film magazine Kinema Junpo.^[16] Inspect 2012, Spanish film director José Luis Guerín, as well hoot two other directors,^[17] listed character film as one of influence greatest ever made.^[18]

Notes

References

External links