A HEN IN THE WIND (KAZE NO NAKA NO MENDORI). Viewed on Streaming. Director Yasujiro Ozu's (also credited as a co-writer) melodramatic tale of poverty and domestic violence set in the early post Pacific War years. It's the standard good-wife-bad-husband plot device. This time it involves a woman awaiting her husband's return from the military while living with her young child in upstairs rooms rented from a working class family, and barely surviving as a some-time dress maker and by selling off her meager possessions. She reaches the point of deciding which of her last possessions to sell: a sewing machine (the source of her livelihood) or herself (which she chooses). When the cold-hearted husband returns (sans even a small gift or an emotional embrace) after an absence of several years, he promptly interrogates his wife about how she has survived (she blabs), rapes her, throws her down a flight of stairs, gives his money to a young hooker promising to find her a job, and otherwise exhibits every indication of planning to abandon his wife and child (which he likely does right after the closing credits!). First off, there is the choice of film title. It might have meant something to contemporary audiences, but looks plain weird today. Perhaps it symbolizes the piece-by-piece selling of just about everything to survive like the loss of a bird's feathers (or a plucked chicken)? Ozu's direction is lethargic (except for scenes of wife abuse). Leading actress Kinuyo Tanaka appears a bit too old to be playing the young-mother character. The child actor appears to be mostly comatose even when not playing sick. Leading actor Shuji Sano is miscast as a slum-dwelling, perfectly-groomed "pretty boy" prone to mugging. Even usually excellent character actor Chishu Ryu seems to be struggling with weak lines and direction. The Director's trademarks are much in evidence: lots of underwear on clotheslines; trains often seen or heard; plenty of static shots that look like (maybe are?) photographs; etc. Sound is a mixed bag with apartment scenes sounding like there is a cement mixer in the background. Score consists of limp-violin orchestrations. Restoration is not great with many grayed-out scenes. Cinematography (narrow-screen, grey and white) is okay, but lighting continuity is uneven and scenes can be under lit. Subtitles are sometimes too long and need reduction editing. Unless you are an Ozu cultist, skip this dud. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD. Details: streaming (FilmStruck) = 8 stars; cinematography (narrow screen, grey and white) = 6 stars; lighting = 5 stars; restoration = 4/5 stars; direction = 4/5 stars; performances = 4/5 stars; subtitles = 4/5 stars; score = 3 stars.
Review of A Hen in the Wind
