Schmutziger Fluß

While there are many movies a child is the lead, this one is outstanding. You can empathize the children recalling your own childhood. The children here are not necessarily cute. But from this movie, you can see real sensitivity of children who feel social contradiction in their bones.

It is set to Osaka 10 years after the end of the WW2. Japan had been tremendously broken down in the war, but had miraculous recovery after it, thanks to the Korean War. Osaka is a metropolitan which has resumed prosperity and growth.

The noodle restaurant owner in this movie looks poor, but at least they can manage daily life. They and their customers had survived the war, and had worked very hard to resume the life. This couple's attitude to other people around is always warm. They accept the children from the "kuruwa-bune" (prostitution boat) without prejudice. They pay a visit to the husband's former wife at the deathbed and show their son. Everybody had such inherent, pure heart, and those who are left from the rapid economic growth kept it.

This film never seems to have been released, on VHS or DVD--WHY? It won several awards when it came out, and it's director is well-known. Was it ever released in Asia on any home video format? This is TOIO GOOD A FILM to be so forgotten!! This film reminds me of--yes--many other films about childhood--"Whistle Down the Wind" is another film few people remember. This film was released in 1981, yet it's setting in post-WWII Japan makes it seem timeless--especially the use of black and white throughout, and the strong ending. But there are many subtler asides--the one father's seeming allusion (as a Japanese war vet)to war crimes they were forced to commit in China ("we did all the dirty work") and all this still overlain with the aura of nostalgia and childhood "mystification" make it a very powerful and subtle film. I wonder if the social criticism and allusion to war crimes are what has kept it out of home-viewings release and in total obscurity for the past 25 years?!?!

I started watching this movie around noon yesterday... and have been watching it over and over and over, hoping that the ending would miraculously change, if I just watched it one more time...

Only Akira's SEVEN SAMURAI comes close to this!

(Guys: if you are in the doghouse for whatever reason, watch this with your Signficant Other... you wil be forgiven by her for whatever you did!)

To answer the questions from the two reviewers above, Japan released a DVD box set of all major works by Oguri, including Muddy River and His masterpiece Sting of death. I saw Muddy River in the early 80s and connected with this film deeply. Exceptional film and one of a handful of best movies about children. To the great list about child movie a reviewer mentioned above, I will add Ponette and Shoeshine t the list. Or even maybe Ivan's childhood. Ponette has probably the best child performance ever captured on the silver screen.

Oguri only made a handful of films in his career but undoubtedly he has left a strong impression on many cinephiles. I highly recommend that you guys check out his other films.

This film actually made me cry. It was the sad reality after World war 2, told in story format. The ending is pretty sad but it's an interesting watch for a black and white film. It won quite a few awards in the 80s and was even nominated for the oscars back in 1982.