Tôkyô kôshinkyoku

Maybe some would argue that you shouldn't review incomplete films, but I remember watching Metropolis between the lost footage being discovered and it being re-edited into the film, so on my first viewing of that, it was only about 75% complete (and to this day, I think it's still technically "only" 98-99% complete, because one or two short sequences remain lost). And sure, that's different to the amount that's lost when it comes to Tokyo March, but both still occupy/occupied the same status of being "partially lost."

In the end, we have what we have of Tokyo March is what we have, and who knows whether it would've been amazing or not. I think what exists is interesting, and there are a few shots sprinkled throughout that are amazingly well-composed and visually striking... but I'm not always the biggest fan of Kenji Mizoguchi, so I feel a little indifferent to some sequences of this.

I think this is quite good by the standards of the 1920s (at least the stuff I've seen), but it's harder to say whether it would've been genuinely great if it still existed. If it ever gets fully unearthed (unlikely, but you never know), I'd happily revisit it to give it a more fair watch/review. And there's definitely enough here that works to make it an interesting watch for anyone interested in early Japanese cinema... or just early/silent cinema in general.

Mizoguchi shares with Dreyer a very similar source for motivations that later shaped his directorial vision: a troubled childhood. This early short film proves that point as it is quite straightforward in its biographical references.

A 28 minute film about a young man who at first falls in love at first sight with a poor girl. She is Michiyo, who lives with relatives after her parents pass away. In order fir her to help the family monetarily she becomes a Geisha. By a weird twist, the young man's father takes a liking to her, with her geisha name now Orie. The young man sees her at a party and, though he abhors geishas, is smitten with her. A few more twists happen, and the plot thickens. This film is appended onto the DVD release "The Water Magician", also directed by Mizoguchi (Rating: 10 stars, see separate review). This is a great short film, which even has a few scenes of Tokyo in the 20's. Like "The Water Magician", it is a gift that this film still exists. The story is told simply and effectively. For everyone that knows Mizoguchi's later work, such as "Ugetsu", "Street Of Shame" and "Sisters Of The Gion", this is an excellent place to continue sampling his sometimes brilliant work. This is well worth your time.

Tracing the early career of Kenji Mizoguchi (i.e., before THE 47 RONIN) remains a problem for this particular round-eyed devil. I found a copy of the 29-minute Cinemateque Francaise version of this movie -- no problem! I can read the French titles! Alas, the original version is more than a hundred minutes long. What can I tell about the original movie from such a cut-down?

Well, I can tell you about the plot. Shizue Natsukawa, daughter of a geisha, father unknown, loses her job at the factory, so she becomes a geisha. Most of the customers are grabby. Isamu Kosugi, is not. In fact, he proposes marriage, and things are looking rather bright, until his father forbids the marriage because of a Dark Secret.

It's difficult to tell from such an extreme cutdown, but it looks to me like this is a variation on the German Erda story, in which some uncaring female figure of lust lures innocent men to their doom -- THE BLUE ANGEL, perhaps, or PANDORA'S BOX. Except in Mizoguchi's telling of the tale -- and I think I see a lot of German Expressionist influence in the opening sequences -- this alluring Circe is nothing of the sort. She's a nice girl trying to earn a decent living in a world where she is nothing but an object for men's lust, trapped by forces beyond her control.

Or maybe not. Perhaps some day a more complete version will show up. I don't think it likely, but I can hope so. And perhaps one or two more early Mizoguchi films will show up where I can see them.

Version I saw : Bluray (projected), subtitled, with benshi narrator

Actors: 5/10

Plot/script: 6/10

Photography/visual style: 5/10

Music/score: 7/10

Overall: 6/10

Tokyo March is one of the few surviving films by director Kenji Mizoguchi. I saw it as a result of a demonstration at Manchester University of the interesting practice of 'benshi' narration. The narrator provides dialogue, imitating voices for all characters, and adds notes explaining the narrative to the audience. It arose during a time when literacy was poor in Japan, so the inter-titles were of little assistance.

The film itself is a broad melodrama covering themes of social stratification. It's not especially good, and suffers from the perennial problem of silent film overacting, but at only 3/4 of an hour, at least does not overstay its welcome.

If it has any great value, it is as a historical document. Tokyo March speaks to the social and cultural environment of Japan at the time, as well as revealing to the educated cineaste the state of film techniques and technology in the country. For example, I detected strong echoes of the work of D.W. Griffith, reflecting the fact that America was a good 10 years ahead of Europe in terms of film exports to Japan.

If you get a chance to see this, or any other film, with a benshi narrator, I think you will not regret trying it. Aside from that, there is not really a huge amount to see here.