The postwar democratization of Japan was supposed to make everyone equal. But the stigma of nobility and merchant class remained. So when car shop owner Keizo begins dating Yasuko, the daughter of former nobility, many complications ensue. Today this film comes across as just another match of opposites, and a not-particularly interesting one at that. But at that time it was major. This topic was dealt with more dramatically in Anjo-ke no Butokai (Ball at the Anjo's House) two years earlier. Here it becomes a comedy of manners. A very quiet comedy. As such, it may be hard to sit through for those expecting clever wit or humorous situations. Every gesture is very subtle: the touch of a glove in place of a hand, the foaming remains of a beer in a glass in the climactic scene. I liked the interaction between the two. Hara, as usual, is magnificent, playing shy and demure with traces of shock and amusement. Sano flicks between sullenness and earnestness, showing his charm and anger in equal measures. Kinoshita does a fine job directing this film, showing a postwar Tokyo where one could freely drive or ride a motorbike on the streets. But overall, it's hard to recommend this to anyone other than fans of the director or Setsuko Hara.
Review of Ojôsan kanpai
