| The Silent Treatment of FLOATING WEEDS |
|
| written by itchy008 |
August 16, 2004 - 10:21 PM PDT |
|
6 out of 6 members found this review helpful
|
Although Yasujiro Ozu's A STORY OF FLOATING WEEDS contains many basic elements of melodrama (a secret in the family, a jealous woman, a young man in love for the first time), none of them take over the film. One reason is this film is from 1930s Japan, when outbursts of emotion would be out of place. Another is that in an Ozu film, crying and carrying on are usually kept under control.
This does not mean the love affairs and secrets have little impact in the lives of the traveling actors and townspeople in the Japanese countryside. On the contrary, Ozu shows us slowly and thoughtfully how devastating the choices people make for the benefit of others can turn out to hurt everyone involved.
On this DVD, Donald Ritchie, the most respected Western commentator on Japanese cinema, talks about the big and the small. He explains how A STORY OF FLOATING WEEDS marks an important change in Ozu's career and what is the significance of the main character scratching his butt in key points of the film.
You should watch it along with FLOATING WEEDS, Ozu's 1959 remake. |
|
|
Your cart
© 2006 All Media Guide, LLC. Portions of content provided by All Movie Guide®,
a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.