Seisaku no tsuma

I watched Yasuzo Masumura's Red Angel a few nights ago, and was really impressed, so decided to watch another film of his that also starred Ayako Wakao in the lead role. Both it and Seisaku's Wife are perhaps comparable in the sense that they focus on love during wartime, and much like life, show it to be no party, no disco, nor any kind of fooling around. But Red Angel's grimness was unrelenting and genuinely shocking, and Seisaku's Wife feels a little more melodramatic in a way I couldn't quite click with. It's very repetitive, and even though I do agree with what I think the movie is criticizing, I just got so worn down by how much it seems to repeat itself.

It might be the point - the endless (and annoying) gossiping and two lead characters who keep feeling stuck by the terrible and backward small town they live in. I don't know if it fully came together, though, and the more shocking scenes feel jarring in a way that might've also been intentional, but still didn't hit me the way I think they were supposed to. It's a bit of a mess, but I think it's well-shot and mostly well-acted, and also given that some of the frustrations I felt are probably the point (doesn't mean I liked feeling that way, nor found it the "right" amount of frustrating), I can't exactly call it bad. I'll absolutely never watch it again, though.

This is a remake of a silent film (unfortunately I have not yet seen) from 1924.

A period drama set in the early 1900's at the time of the Russo-Japanese war. Everything being factually correct as far as I know. A woman that was in an arranged marriage to an older man who died. She returns to the village she is originally from although still an outcast from the time she had left. She meets, falls in love and marries a respected and distinguished soldier.

Ayako Wakao plays the lead for which she won a couple of Japanese acting awards. This performance could have won an academy award. She is outstanding. I think one of the best actresses of all time from any country. The rest of the cast is excellent.

The direction by Yasuzô Masumura also excellent. The editing is seamless. Not sure what could have been improved. The script and story are totally engrossing from start to finish. Plus it gives you things to think about. That is why I rate this movie a 10 out of 10. It is one of my most recommended Japanese movies I make to friends. Definitely should be watched.

A wild and fascinating melodrama full of passion, love, war, and hate.

Japan at the beginning of the 20th century. Okane, a beautiful girl from a poor family, must serve as a mistress to a much older rich man. When he and her father die, the young woman returns with her mother to their native village. The locals despise them because of Okane's past, the young woman meets them with arrogance and haughty behavior. But then everything changes when her mother dies and the handsome Seisaku, a young man who is regarded as a model soldier and the son-in-law of their dreams by the villagers, helps her in this difficult situation. The two fall in love and marry against the spite of the whole village (their passionate sexual relationship is emphasized during the whole film), but then Seisaku has to go to war against the Russians and their world falls apart...

Violent and passionate, wonderfully photographed and played (especially by the beautiful Ayako Wakao), full of hot tears but nevertheless never sentimentalist or kitschy, this Japanese film is a real discovery.

An astonishing film in terms of it's relentless power to both shock and move. It has a quick and melodic pace, something rather uncommon for films of the time. It gets moving straight away and sets us in a world of misplaced honor and preconceptions. Wakao is simply stunning in both her looks and talent. She plays a beaten down woman with a lot of spite, but equal amounts of heart. After the death of her sugar daddy, she returns to her home village where she is seen as tainted goods. It isn't long before a role model soldier returns to the village and, against the wishes of the townsfolk, sets his sites on the outcast. The two both seem to be rebelling against society, but also do have genuine affection for each other. It isn't something that is easy to pull off. By the time the violent third comes around it is a disturbing act of love that perfectly sums up the complex themes running around. This film is unforgettable and I would even recommend it to those that find early Asian cinema a bit slow. Hopefully, this could open some doors.

An absolutely Masterpiece from a great underrated director, who worked as assistant of Mizoguchi and his films, like those of his master's, are contemplative, although not such slow. Seisaku's Wife tells a rich and impressive story about an inevitable love in contradiction to military honor. You can see desperate life instinct in the age of imperial deadly values. This dichotomy, of course, is not unfamiliar in Japanese classic cinema: Naruse's Floating Clouds and, even more, Suzuki's Story of a Prostitute (also made in 1965) showed the same contradiction. But I found Masumura's movie stronger: Majestic pictures, simple but splendid music, and excellent performances. It is strongly recommended, especially if you love infinite golden heritage of Japanese studio cinema.