My rating is sort of a compromise between a 10 for the superb acting from the whole cast, especially the three principals Takamine, Nakadai and Mori, and 2 for the subject matter, which I never found involved me greatly. The film just plods along, one little misfortune after another for the heroine, who must display immense quantities of patience and forbearance. The viewer gets tired of seeing a plucky woman getting out of one scrape or embarrassment after another.
I see Naruse as a minor figure in the Japanese cinema, well below Ozu and Mizoguchi, two great artists who knew how to depict human suffering and give it meaning for all of us.
I see Naruse as a minor figure in the Japanese cinema, well below Ozu and Mizoguchi, two great artists who knew how to depict human suffering and give it meaning for all of us.