Neve sottile

"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

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.

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.

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.

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.