Gan

Unspeakably beautiful, delicate and immutable. There is no weakness in the chain of imagery, the power of forces controlling the lives of the characters, painted on the screen like calligraphy. Necessity cages the characters in images as simple as a bird threatened by a snake, to the money lender once janitor to the kept woman generous to her servant to the cruelty of the wagging tongues. Nothing here a traditional American audience demands and receives from Hollywood; only the lucidity of the haiku or bonsai, the migration of the wild geese. Cinematic perfection.

(1953) The Wild Geese/ Gan (In Japanese with English subtitles) DRAMA/ CHARACTER STUDY

Adapted from the novel by Ogai Mori, that has an elder lady, Oshige attempting to set up a single and rather young, Otama (Hideko Takamine) with a date with her loan shark, in exchange for him to forgive the loan. At the same time Oshige continues to remind her that her impoverished dad's health is waning, and at some point may not be able to continue to sell penny candy anymore. By the time, Oshige manages to convince Otami for a meet and greet, it turns out, he Suezô, (Eijirô Tôno) is a much older man, and that his occupation is really a money lender, often loathed by the community because of his interest rates. Contradicting what was told to her about him, that he owns a kimono shop, and that despite having him having children, he has no wife at all because she is deceased. Otami, of course eventually finds out about this after already accepting lavish gifts and a better home, including a housekeeper. She also finds out that her dad also knows about it as well, but chose not to say anything, she at this point begin to accept the term of her being his "mistress". Creating conflict within herself as she becomes accustomed to be attracted to a student who walks past her house daily, we find out he is a student, Mr Okada (Hiroshi Akutagawa) studying to be a doctorate. And he too depends on the loan shark, Suezô, some people often call "the master".

What I like about this movie is it's subtleties in terms of it's approach that does not need to be graphic, but is shown instead many implications, both from Otama's point of view as well as her father to other's that have their own selfish reasons the reason why some have done the things each of them have done.

Hideko Takamine agrees to become the mistress of Eijirô Tôno. She was married, but the man turned out to have a wife and child, causing her and her poor father, a candy seller...well, problems. Tôno is, they believe, the widowed owner of a kimono shop with children, so it will be some time before she can be brought into his household as his wife. He is kind and indulgent of her. He is not, however, it turns out as advertised. His wife is very much alive and he is a money lender, despised by everyone when they are not trying to borrow money, and always hated by his debtors who cannot pay his usurious rates.

He is desperately in love with Miss Takamine. She likes him, but as she gradually learns the truth about him, she comes to despise him and herself. She takes refuge in a wished-for love of Hiroshi Akutagawa, a handsome medical student who killed a snake trying to eat her caged pet bird. He is focused on his studies and hopes to pass a test that will send him off to faraway Europe with a decent stipend.

Shirô Toyoda directs this fine adaptation of the hard life of poor Miss Takamine, from a novel by Ogai Mori. Toyoda was one of the many talented Japanese directors of the era. He directed his first movie in 1929, the last of almost 70 in 1976. He was best regarded for his literary adaptations like this one.

There are no clear villains in this movie. Everyone is trapped into the role that circumstances and economics dictates. They all long be free, but which of them will escape, like the wild geese that still flew over Tokyo in the time this movie is set?

In late Meiji Japan, a young woman whose reputation had been sullied by being tricked into a false marriage is again deceived, this time into becoming the mistress of a 'widowed owner of a kimono-shop' (Eijiro Tono), only to discover that his is actually a detested money-lender with a living, and resentful, wife. The story is touching and melancholy and Hideko Takamine is outstanding as Otama, a wistful young woman who slowly realises that, as the 'kept woman' of a hated man, she has become a pariah. The rest of cast is excellent (Miki Odagiri is quite funny as Otama's sometimes exuberant maid) and the black-and white cinematography is moody and perfect for the story. Like many Japanese films of the era, cultural transition is a dominant trope. Otama always wears a kimono and keeps her hair in an ornate traditional style, while her 'master' frequently wears Western-style business attire, and the young medical student (Hiroshi Akutagawa) that Otama becomes infatuated with, dreams of travelling to Europe to train as a doctor. Tranquil, sad, and beautiful. Best watched on a quiet evening with a nice bottle of saké. *watched as 'The Wild Geese' with English sub-titles.

A young woman is forced to reckon with a fate which has made her the mistress of a ruthless moneylender. Another in a long series of long suffering Japanese women caught in unbearable circumstances. Pretty much a common theme in Japanese films of the 50s. What makes this one different is the astonishing fluid, wonderfully composed direction of Toyoda. Someone who I never heard of before seeing The Wild Geese. The use of tight street scenes and forced perspective is extremely effective at creating a sense of time and space. In fact, this movie's technique resembles more the work of a David Lean or William Wyler than any of the major Japanese directors of the period. The score is heartbreaking and stirring. Then there's the acting . Everyone here is magnificent. One minor critique being that the students look a tad old. Hideko Takamine will break your heart in the lead as Otama . And that ending! Enigmatic with a capital "E"!