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One should first read The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki to better understand this film. It is a very great novel about the life of four middle-class sisters in Osaka, Japan in the 1930's. The book describes in great detail the many subtleties of life in Japan which a Westerner can miss understanding in the film. The film rather closely follows the book and is very beautifully photographed.

Kon Ichikawa probably is the director who most rightfully can be considered to be the successor of Yasujiro Ozu. At the beginning of his career he made a couple of war films, but later his subject was more and more the daily life of middle class families.

"The Makioka sisters" is a film from the second half of his career and is about the relationships between four sisters of a family in the Kimono business. All the sisters are different. The two oldest are married, number 3 and 4 are still single. The oldest one runs the external (business) relations, the second one runs the internal (family) relations. Number 3 is looking for a husband the traditional way and is choosy in this regard. Number 4, who can (according to tradition) only marry when number 3 is finally married, is more easy going. She finds the character of her potential boy friends more important than his social standing.

"The Makioka sisters" was a film in honor of the 50th anniversary of the production company, so the film had to be a little festive. Situating the film in a family in the kimono business enabled Ichikawa to use bright colors, and in this respect the film reminded me of "Ju Dou" (1990, Zhang Yimou).

Due to the possibility of using bright colors in a film and not in a book, one is inclined to say that in this case the film must be better than the book. Some years ago I read (another) book from the writer Jun'ichiro Tanizaki and now I am not so sure anymore. Tanizaki turned out to be a very subtle writer. Maybe I need to read "The Makioka sisters" some day to come to a final judgement.

In 1983, director Kon Ichikawa made this film adaptation of the epic 1948 postwar novel "Sasameyuki" ("light snow"). Like Hollywood's "Gone with the Wind", it depicts the decline of the aristocracy through a deceptive romance angle. There's an even greater deception in this film which I'll get to in the 4th paragraph, but let's start with the plot first.

This is the story of an aristocratic Osaka family over a period of 4 years beginning in autumn 1936 and ending in spring 1941, just as Japan entered World War II. So already we see a direct parallel to Gone with the Wind which depicted 4 years 1861 to1865 leading up to the American Civil War. As such, this is the story of a traditional "polite society" that is slowly and unavoidably heading into an era-changing storm. The plot focuses on 4 sisters of a proud family who, following the deaths of their parents, cling to ideals of propriety and nobility even as events around them--and they themselves--begin to deflate this bubble. In particular, the story revolves around the elder 2 sisters' unsuccessful attempts to arrange a suitable marriage for the 3rd sister, while from behind the 4th sister (the rebellious one) chips away at the pomp by getting herself involved in multiple scandals and general bad behavior.

"The Makioka Sisters" is a quiet, slow moving & poetic film, so don't expect the riveting drama of Gone with the Wind, and definitely don't expect the explosive performance of Vivien Leigh, Hollywood's greatest Scorpio haha. But if you have the patience to read into this film, here beneath the veneer of polite Japanese gentry is brewing a serious Tara-burning fire. And that leads me to the great deception I mentioned earlier.

The deception happens on two levels. First there is the artistic level, where director Kon Ichikawa chooses to avoid overt shocks in lieu of subtle, unspoken storytelling: the lingering stares that the elder sister's husband casts on his young sister-in-law, or the way the sister-in-law "accidentally" shows her kneecaps to the staring husband; the way the 2 elder sisters "argue" not with shouts but by staring at each other like cats; or the youngest, rebellious sister's chain smoking habit when she's not in the house. No, we don't get any rousing, fiery "AS GOD AS MY WITNESS...!" turnip-eating scenes, but instead we get just as much electricity in what is NOT shown.

And this leads me to the 2nd level of deception. This is regarding the culture of 1983 Japan when this film was released. As Japanese film historian Audie Bock says in her essay on this film, "Japanese audiences of the 1980s, flush with the wealth that came with being banker to the world and possessing an even higher standard of living than the United States, could no longer bear to look back on wartime poverty. While the book chronicles the decline of the Makioka family ... Ichikawa presents only luxury."

And right there, you have the reason why "The Makioka Sisters" is an amazing experience. Just as the fictional Makioka sisters deceive themselves into upholding their illusion of wealth, so the actual audience (of 1980s Japan) was deceptively kept in this same illusion. Just as the Makioka sisters don't want to confront poverty, scandal and essentially *truth*, so this film also acts like a silent 5th character telling us that the aristocracy is alive and well.

Did Kon Ichikawa truly believe this, or is the entire film a very clever tongue-in-cheek jab that's putting one over on the nouveau-riche? I suspect it's the latter. So in that respect, perhaps this film isn't like Gone with the Wind so much as it's like the 1971 classic "Fiddler on the Roof" - tradition vs. change (and you know who always wins). But this last bit is just my opinion. Check out the film and decide for yourself how to interpret this magnificent work.

This is a gorgeous film to watch--you probably will never see a more beautiful view of Japan as you see of the wonderful cherry blossoms or Japanese Maples around Kyoto and Osaka. So, the cinematography is excellent. However, the story itself seemed awfully flat overall. The writing and acting was decent, but the film needed more energy, heart and a sense of humor for me to care more about the characters. Most of the characters would have surely benefited from a massive dose of this, as the way they were portrayed it was, at times, hard to for me to care about them or sustain my interest in the film. For example, the 3rd daughter (who was the one who repeatedly refused marriage proposals) was a bit of a cipher, as she didn't say very much and just used a lot of facial expressions instead of dialog. The youngest, though a little self-destructive, was probably the easiest to like or at least understand. And the two older sisters were very domineering but needed to be softened a little more--lest they seem too one-dimensional. A decent film, but that's all.

The Makioka Sisters shows Ichikawa going back to one of the greatest 20th Century Japanese writers, Junichiro Tanizaki. Ichikawa had already directed, in the 1950s, a stunning adaptation of the Tanizaki novel The Key. The Key is an elliptical comedy about erotic fixation, with a lush visual style of saturated colors. The Makioka Sisters is a more subtle and delicate film, attuned as the novel was to the undercurrents running through the highly structured lives of the main characters. In some ways, the novel was Tanizaki's attempt to write a modern version of Murasaki Shikibu's Tale of Genji, and Ichikawa seems to have understood this in his adaptation, which brings a great deal of low-key humor and psychological insight to the proceedings, all very much in the Genji style. Essential viewing.

We saw this beautiful movie several years ago at a Pacific Film Archive showing. We had read the book and found the film followed it faithfully and was gorgeously photographed. We just wish we knew if and when it will ever be made available on DVD or videotape. It was a pleasure to see a film that depicts life in nearly modern Japan with realistic people and locations. We have seen so many "studied" and arty films or medieval Japan that this one has remained a favorite ever since. We were pleased when a beautiful copy of "The Leopard" was released last year and hope that something this classic and beautiful can be made available to viewers.

Not being in the mood for a Japanese take on "Masterpiece Theatre" I bailed about halfway through this Kon Icikawa offering. I notice several prior reviewers have compared this film to the works of Ozu. And while it is true that "Sisters" is a family drama, a genre Ozu all but invented in his country, it could not be more different in mood and feel. Where works such as "Late Spring" and "Tokyo Story" are contemplative, sad and often quite funny I found this film to be melodramatic, stiff and occasionally amusing. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two directors is in the pacing. Where Ozu's best films flow, slowly but inexorably, toward a powerful conclusion I found Ichikawa's pacing to be, well, let's use the "Masterpiece" analogy again. Too many indoor scenes that felt like skilled, dramatic readings from Tanizaki's great novel rather than a visual adaptation of it. Which is not to say the film isn't beautiful to look at. Indeed, it is gorgeous, with resplendant costumes and art direction that marvelously recreate Japan on the eve of Disaster (otherwise known as WW2). In fact, it is the look of the film that kept me from bailing sooner. C plus.

I give this film 10 out of 10 as even after seeing it more than 10 times it still moves me deeply. I was 15 years old when I first saw this movie in the theater in Seattle. I went back to see it again a couple of weeks later. The first 13 minutes during the credits is my favorite scene, filmed in Kyoto in Springtime. Read the book for more background. The Kimono worn by the female actresses are amazing. The late Juzo Itami plays the father. All the dialog is spoken in "Osaka-ben" or Osaka dialect, which has a softer sound than Tokyo dialect. You can also hear some Kyoto-ben too ("gomen-yasu" said by a servant upon entering in the first scene before entering the room). This film brings me to tears it is so beautiful. At the end of the first scene, when the camera pans out to the cherry blossoms outside and the music starts...it is cinematic heaven! I am waiting for this film to come out on DVD.

The Makioka Sisters isn't really my kind of film, owing to it mostly being about matchmaking and set some decades ago (at least on the surface; there's a little more to chew on beyond the premise). That being said, I found enough to like here.

As the title might imply, the sisters really take charge here, and it was refreshing to watch a film like this set as far back as the late 1930s (to my knowledge, a very culturally conservative time in Japan's history) have female characters with agency who took charge. Mainly, it's the two older sisters of the four looking over the two younger sisters, given they've all been orphaned, with the two older siblings sometimes butting heads while doing what's right for the younger ones. They all feel like they have something of a say over where they're going in life (I guess the older siblings more so than the younger ones, but still), and that was good to see, and I imagine inspiring.

The acting is all solid. Male characters are put in the background, but aren't just there to be mocked or ridiculed. It feels like a feminist movie in a slightly more relaxed way than this premise might be done today, and I think I respect it for that. It's all nice and real and genuine, and doesn't call attention or show off regarding how much agency it's giving its female characters; it's not just doing it to get applause or grandstand.

The film also looks nice, which I think can be said about anything Kon Ichikawa directed. Unfortunately, it is a little long, at 140 minutes. Maybe about 110 minutes would've felt like the sweet spot for me, but trying runtime aside (it's a little boring in parts), I did mostly like The Makioka Sisters.

The Japanese movie entitled Sasameyuki (Light Snow) (1983) was shown in the U.S. with the title The Makioka Sisters. The film was based on a novel entitled The Makioka Sisters, so that change makes sense. The movie was co-written and directed by Kon Ichikawa.

The film takes place in the late 1930's, the years when Japan was a war with China. In retrospect, this was the start of WWII, but people didn't realize that at the time. There are some references to wartime scarcities, but this isn't a "homefront" movie.

The plot pivots on the marital status of the four sisters. Their parents are dead, and the oldest sister is responsible for the family name and the family honor. She's married, as is the second sister.

The third sister--Yukiko, portrayed by Sayuri Yoshinaga, is the shyest and most conservative of the four. The youngest sister--Taeko (Yûko Kotegawa) isn't as concerned about the strict rules of etiquette over which the others obsess. However, protocol dictates that she can't be married until Yukiko is married. So, much of the plot has to do with finding the right husband for Yukiko.

The film has colorful scenes of cherry blossoms and fall foliage. The glorious Japanese kimonos are worn by most women, and they are truly beautiful. (Because of the color and scenery, this movie would work better in a theater, but we had to make do with a DVD.)

Almost everything is serene on the surface of the film, but just under the surface there are intricate attachments and resentments. It's a long and quiet film, but it keeps your attention throughout.

For the record, Sayuri Yoshinaga (Yukiko) is one of Japan's greatest female actors. She starred in over 100 films. In my mind, she's the true star of this movie.

Some critics say that Ichikawa should be considered at the same level as the more famous Ozu, Kurosawa, and Mizoguchi. I don't have the depth of knowledge to know whether or not Ichikawa is the equal of the other three. However, after watching this movie, I know that he's a great director.

This film has an IMDb rating of 7.2, which is pretty good. I thought it was better than that, and rated it 9.

I didn't know anything about Kon Ichikawa's "Sasameyuki" ("The Makioka Sisters" in English) when I started it. It's an impressive story of some sisters in Japan on the verge of World War II, although I understand that there's a lot that a non-Japanese would miss. I guess that one has to fully understand the Japanese culture to catch the nuances.

Nonetheless, it's a fine look at this family as they try to find a husband for the younger daughter. There's a particularly resplendent shot of the cherry blossoms in one scene. The only other movie of Ichikawa's that I've seen is 1956's "Burmese Harp", but now I'd like to see the rest. Like Akira Kurosawa, Ichikawa was instrumental in revolutionizing Japanese cinema (and maybe world cinema). Definitely see it.

"Each sister is engaged in their own affairs, but Ichikawa's film (its Japanese title can be literally translated as "light snow") allots the lion's share to Sachiko and Yukiko, and the matchmaking arrangement preceded by precise calculation of all the conceivable conditions ("background" should be investigated through and through, no mentally disturbed mother-in-law lurking in the dark), the sheer canniness and the business-like action is astounding (death certificates of diseased wife and children are tossed over the dinner table), and Yukiko, played by beloved Japanese actress Yoshinaga with a comely reticence, extraordinarily wears down the mounting pressure and grinding process, to claim her hard-won victory, a good match is worth the wait, especially when eligible ones are few and far between during the wartime; whereas Sakuma, so adroitly embodies Sachiko's diligence and tenuous discomposure under a painstakingly maintained graciousness that comes naturally with age and savoir faire."

read my full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks

This elegant domestic drama unfortunately offers little to viewers not already attracted to Japanese culture and tradition. The writing is sensitive; the photography is beautiful; but once the plot lines are clear don't expect many surprises.

The story involves a pair of formality-bound wives attempting to uphold etiquette by arranging marriages for their more modern (and thus less willing) younger sisters. And because the film is set during the halcyon days just prior to World War Two, it presumably ends with an elegiac parting glance at the passing of a more refined age.

Postscript: the all-too brief impressions above were gleaned from a single, incomplete screening during the film's brief theatrical run at the Opera Plaza Cinema complex in San Franscisco, way back in 1986 (three years later, I would be in the same small theater when the Loma Prieta earthquake hit). Now (certainly) older and (possibly) wiser, I would like the chance to re-evaluate it...