JAPANESE FILMS

Musashino, the Landscape That Never Was (Part 1)

  THE LADY OF MUSASHINO The film opens with distant roar of heavy bombing, as thick ribbons of smoke drift over the horizon. The war is at its last stage. A couple fleeing from the inner city is Michiyo (Kinuyo Tanaka) and Tadao (Masayuki Mori), who seek refuge in Michiyo’s parent’s home in Musashino. An old large estate with long history of Samurai family, the place is deeply etched with pride of the prestigious clan. Tadao, a sarcastic and decadent French literature professor, finds this luxurious atmosphere comfortable but feels alienated at the same time. He finds agreeable fellow citizens …

 
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Kinoshita’s Blu-Ray and DVD released

Let’s Toast the Young Lady (お嬢さん乾杯, 1949) To commemorate his 100th anniversary, Shochiku announced the release of Keisuke Kinoshita’s works on Blu-ray and DVD later this month. Blu-ray Twenty-Four Eyes (二十四の瞳, 1954) Carmen Comes Home (カルメン故郷に帰る, 1952) The Ballad of Narayama (楢山節考, 1958) DVD Twenty-Four Eyes (二十四の瞳, 1954) Carmen Comes Home (カルメン故郷に帰る, 1952) My First Love Affair (野菊のごとき君なりき, 1955) The Lighthouse (喜びも悲しみも幾歳月, 1957) The Ballad of Narayama (楢山節考, 1958) The River Fuefuki (笛吹川, 1960) Tragedy of Japan (日本の悲劇, 1953) The Garden of Women (女の園, 1954) Broken Drum (破れ太鼓, 1949) Let’s Toast the Young Lady (お嬢さん乾杯, 1949) The Army (陸軍, 1944) …

 
JAPANESE FILMS

Mistresses and Lovers

This is part seven of “Films of 1949” series (Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6). Though Imai’s “Green Mountain” captured the new spirit of the time, liberation from old era, the year 1949 was also at the entrance into another long turmoil; the Cold War. Joseph McCarthy gave his “Wheeling Speech” in February of 1950. Korean War also broke out in 1950. Yes, U.S. was also heading for the dark age. Inevitably, U.S. policy toward Japanese democracy quickly shifted to that of anti-communist.