I had seen this before and wanted to see it again in the context of other Naruse films.
In a way it is not easy to understand why this is supposed to be one of the best post-war Japanese films. I have been told that Naruse has done better than this. Then - maybe he has and this hit the nerve of Japanese society best.
It is about disrooted people Japanese after the lost war. Yukiko is repatriated from Vietnam where she worked as secretary for the forest department. She had an affair with Kengo, who promised her that he would leave his wife and that they would live together. Of course Kengo has not the intention to that. Yukiko is struggling to make a living. Kengo is still fascinated by her, but he is not all constant in his emotions. Actually he has another affair even while flirting with Yukiko. Hopefully a modern woman would tell a Kengo-type to go his way. This is melodrama, so when Yukiko dies, he realizes what he has lost.
I found this very interesting, even poetic. Naruse's narration is not always easy to follow. I was sometimes not sure if I was in a flash-back, present time or the next shot. There is a beautiful scene where a kiss from a flashback is continued in the present. (I wish I could append it here.) However, I was not always sure about the level of the narration I actually was on.
7/10
In a way it is not easy to understand why this is supposed to be one of the best post-war Japanese films. I have been told that Naruse has done better than this. Then - maybe he has and this hit the nerve of Japanese society best.
It is about disrooted people Japanese after the lost war. Yukiko is repatriated from Vietnam where she worked as secretary for the forest department. She had an affair with Kengo, who promised her that he would leave his wife and that they would live together. Of course Kengo has not the intention to that. Yukiko is struggling to make a living. Kengo is still fascinated by her, but he is not all constant in his emotions. Actually he has another affair even while flirting with Yukiko. Hopefully a modern woman would tell a Kengo-type to go his way. This is melodrama, so when Yukiko dies, he realizes what he has lost.
I found this very interesting, even poetic. Naruse's narration is not always easy to follow. I was sometimes not sure if I was in a flash-back, present time or the next shot. There is a beautiful scene where a kiss from a flashback is continued in the present. (I wish I could append it here.) However, I was not always sure about the level of the narration I actually was on.
7/10
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