Le grondement de la montagne

I'm well aware that Mikio Naruse is one of those holy cows of film history. Criticising him is some kind of blasphemy.

And yet I'll gladly die painfully on this hill: Every single one of his movies is terrible out of principle.

I've you've seen one Naruse, you've seen them all because there is literally nothing to it. Every single story - this one included - is basically about a ridiculously noble, self-pitying, suffering woman in a world where virtually every man is a smug, condescending parody of a man.

Women always have the moral highground and the whole thing is nothing but a mawkish didactic-play with the depth of a sunday morning cartoon.

It's redundand to say anything about his laughable radical feminism and I want my review to finally get through.

Again, his movies are objectively bad, people just don't (want to) see it because we live in objectively bad times.

An honest look at marriage, adultery, divorce, and abortion, especially refreshing for 1954, and with the emotions between an elderly man (So Yamamura) and his daughter-in-law (Setsuko Hara) poignantly rendered. His son / her husband (Ken Uehara) is a real piece of work, brazenly carrying on with other women, staying out late, and getting physically abusive when they don't do as he wishes (referred to, not shown). Meanwhile the man's daughter is also in a broken marriage, returning home with her two children because her husband's cheating on her. The film calls out bad male behavior by showing its impact, and the conversations between characters feels fairly modern.

One of the things altered relative to Yasunari Kawabata's novel is the elderly man's mental state, which in this adaptation isn't declining with age, with accompanying melancholy. Another is his relationship with his daughter-in-law; clearly they have a connection in the film, but it's based on simple kindness and admiration, and erotic feelings on his part aren't involved. The result is a character who is on the surface a decent old man, still married to his own wife despite his own indiscretions and having been more attracted to her older sister long ago. He's not particularly effective in reining in his son, however, and he doesn't give his own daughter enough affection or attention, reserving those things for his daughter-in-law. In that sense he's failed in life.

As in many of her films, Setsuko Hara is the brightest light in the cast. Her character is simple, kind, and filial (derisively referred to as "childlike" by her husband), but shows a toughness in the actions she takes. Hara brings out the emotions very well, and while the ending gets a little melodramatic, it has power. Overall, just a very well done, well-paced film from Mikio Naruse.

The team of Hara, Kawabata, Naruse, and Uehara is back with another inconsistent, too long film about marital (and other) woes. When it's focusing on the love affair between the elderly father, wonderfully played by So Imamura, and his young, child like daughter in law, affectingly portrayed, as usual, by Setsuko H, the film can stand comparison with the master of heartbreaking, Japanese family drama, Ozu. However, when it wanders off into side stories, like the one about the son's mistress and the mistress' room mate, things can, frankly, get a bit dull. Give it a B minus. PS...It's a long time coming but that last scene in a Tokyo park is a real ticker tugger.

This film tackles a subject that even today is controversial: Choice. Kikuko (the utterly amazing Setsuko Hara) is locked into a loveless marriage with her husband. They live with his parents, and it is particularly her father in law Shingo (Su Yamamura, who also is excellent) that she is closest to. Kikuko is a veritable maid, but mostly doesn't complain, while her husband is having an affair. You want Kikuko to confront him, but she doesn't. Then (this is where it gets controversial) Kikuko finds out she is pregnant, doesn't tell anyone and gets an abortion! Her reason is that its not the time to have a child, since her relationship is in flux. In the movie "Juno", Ellen Page brings the baby to term. The brilliance of this film is its unflinching subject and how its handled, with dignity, sadness and relief. If this film were released today, especially in the United States, you'd have so many interest groups up in arms about it. That its handled like this, with you deciding what to feel rather than having your feelings be dictated to you, makes this a masterpiece. In every review I've written in which she has been an actress I've praised Setsuko Hara. She is beautiful (especially when she smiles), but its really about the seemingly effortless way she portrays all types of women, strong, weak, resilient, unable to cope etc. She is one of the greatest actresses to have ever graced the screen and her portrayal is phenomenal as the under appreciated wife who makes a choice based on her circumstances. Director Mikio Naruse has always considered this one of his best films, and it is. Even if you're passionate about the "life" issue, see this film. I can't say enough about the acting of Ms. Hara in this film. The film is essential viewing.

"Yama no oto" is, in essence, the story of the love between a daughter-in-law (Setsuko Hara) and the father (So Yamamura) of her neglectful and selfish husband (Ken Uehara). As Yamamura becomes more and more aware of the unhappiness of Hara, he takes ever more unconventional steps to try to rescue his son's marriage (for instance, approaching his son's mistress). Though the issues of infidelity, abortion and divorce swirl through this film, the tone is remarkably low-key and unmelodramatic. The cinematography here is similar to that found in Ozu's films of this period, though not so rigorous. The performances of Hara and Yamamura are superb. A very well-done and moving film by Japan's greatest neglected master.