Roslindale Monogatari

Tsuchi / Earth (Tomu Uchida, 1939) Famed "realist" film about country life, made by Uchida without studio approval or cash. Shot with donated reel ends (and a bit of funds) on weekends and vacation days. A widower with two children lives with his his father-in-law. The family grows rice on rented land, and it is hard to make ends meet, especially when weather is uncooperative. The relationship between the man and his father-in-law is strained -- and grows worse when the old man accidentally allows the family's house to burn down. This film was believed to be lost, but in the 60s an incomplete copy -- sub-titled in German and missing first and last reels -- was found in a German archive. Recently, a somewhat longer (but still incomplete) version was discovered in a Russian film archive. The version I saw was the one found in Germany. More pictures: http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a59/mkerpan/earth/tsuchi01.png http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a59/mkerpan/earth/tsuchi03.p...

Urashima Taro no koei / The Descendant of Taro Urashima (1946) Taro Urashima is a folk tale character rather similar to Rip van Winkle. Here our hero, also named Urashima (Susumu Fujita), is a veteran returned long military service, who is confused and perplexed by the greatly changed Japan he has returned to. A shaggy , bearded fellow, he gains a bit of notoriety for a primal howl he has begun making in public places. He catches the attention of a young newspaper reporter (Hideko Takamine), who encourages him to make a more dramatic protest -- scaling the tower on top of the parliament building and bellowing his call to all Tokyo. The image of the shaggy prophet on top of his parapet anticipates Bunuel's "Simon of the Desert" to a remarkable degree. Urashima holds onto his position until he collapses from fatigue. His increased notoriety brings him to the attention of a group of opportunistic politicians, who seek to exploit his popularity for their "Japanese Happi...

Neve r Give a Sucker an Even Break (Edward F. Cline, 1941) One of the most remarkable of Fields' works -- and sadly his last. (He would appear in a few more films -- but the rejection of his script by "Director" Franklin Pangborn in this film proved prophetic). Lots of "meta-cinema" here -- with Fields trying to peddle his script to Pangborn. As the proferred script is enacted before us (as Pangborn reads it) -- our rejection of it as preposterous is undermined by the (preposterous) Pangborn's rejection. Gloria Jean -- as Fields' niece -- has a remarkable singing voice for her age -- and a spunkiness that made her a suitable Fieldsian protege. Wonderful character actors scattered throughout in supporting roles. Onna ga kaidan wo agaru toki / When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (Mikio Naruse, 1960) This simply gets better and better with each re-visitation. Not only is Takamine (in the central role of bar hostess "Mama") perfect -- so is the entir...

Birum a no tategoto / The Burmese Harp (Kon Ichikawa, 1956) I've seen a number of Kon Ichikawa films to date, and liked all but one -- but I like this best of all. A young Japanese soldier, injured when attempting to convince a group of fellow soldiers to surrender (the war having ended), is nursed back to health by a Burmese Buddhist monk. Initially determined to re-join his own regiment, he feels the call to minister to the unburied Japanese war dead. V isually beautiful, wonderful music, good performances and a moving message. It made a perfect Good Friday film (especially as it actually used a Passion week hymn "O Sacred Head Surrounded" in its soundtrack). Highly recommended. More screen shots: http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a59/mkerpan/harp/harp01.png http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a59/mkerpan/harp/harp02.png http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a59/mkerpan/harp/harp03.png http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a59/mkerpan/harp/harp04.png http://i9.photobucket.com/albu...

Man on the Flying Trapeze (Clyde Bruckman, 1935) One of Fields' very greatest films. The high point here is probably the opening segment -- involving (among other things) kegs of bootleg applejack, singing burglars (and police), a hectoring spouse, a very unmotivated Fields, in-laws from hell. A must-see. Gakko III / The New Voyage (Yoji Yamada, 1998) Earnest, didactic, sentimental. In some cases, these might be viewed as negatives -- but this is the kind of film that Yamada puts his heart into. A woman with an autistic son is laid off from her job as an in-house accountant. Initially at a loss, she learns she can enter a free training program for office building maintenance workers (covering everything from heating system maintenance to fluorescent bulb changing). Her classmates cover a wide range of backgrounds -- but she is most drawn to a down-sized corporate executive (but only after he finally sheds his illusions that his connections will bring him a new corporate job)....