Yasujiro Ozu's cinematography and directing style fascinate me. The utterly unmovable camera is such a strange way to tell a story. It's almost like watching a comic book with its tight borders, except that the characters within those borders are allowed to move, enter and exit freely, yet the borders never move, as if utterly uninterested in their comings and goings.
So yeah, visually this is a great movie, masterpiece even. The viewing angles change from sweeping scenery shots to extreme close-ups where the characters stare right into the camera, which at some points creates a feeling of uneasiness, but that works for the movie's favour. Plus, all the colours, all the traditional Japanese clothing, all the over-the-top facial expression on Komajuro's (Ganjiro Nakamura) face, they all come together to form a movie that's definitely nice to look at.
Unfortunately the story itself is a bit boring. It's not that bad, not really, but I just couldn't get all that much into it. A group comes to town, the meet some people, some secrets are revealed, there's drama, there's hurt feelings. It's all very basic, and while the actors do manage to get into their roles and give good performances, I was left expecting just a bit more. A new twist, especially brilliant speech, something touching, but nope... nothing.
So yeah, it's not a bad film. It's actually rather good, great even for those that will appreciate it for its visual style and simple, yet classic story. The latter just wasn't my cup of tea in this case, unfortunately.
So yeah, visually this is a great movie, masterpiece even. The viewing angles change from sweeping scenery shots to extreme close-ups where the characters stare right into the camera, which at some points creates a feeling of uneasiness, but that works for the movie's favour. Plus, all the colours, all the traditional Japanese clothing, all the over-the-top facial expression on Komajuro's (Ganjiro Nakamura) face, they all come together to form a movie that's definitely nice to look at.
Unfortunately the story itself is a bit boring. It's not that bad, not really, but I just couldn't get all that much into it. A group comes to town, the meet some people, some secrets are revealed, there's drama, there's hurt feelings. It's all very basic, and while the actors do manage to get into their roles and give good performances, I was left expecting just a bit more. A new twist, especially brilliant speech, something touching, but nope... nothing.
So yeah, it's not a bad film. It's actually rather good, great even for those that will appreciate it for its visual style and simple, yet classic story. The latter just wasn't my cup of tea in this case, unfortunately.