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7.7/10
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A kabuki actor's mistress hatches a jealous plot to bring down her lover's son.A kabuki actor's mistress hatches a jealous plot to bring down her lover's son.A kabuki actor's mistress hatches a jealous plot to bring down her lover's son.
- Awards
- 1 win
Kôji Mitsui
- Shinkichi
- (as Hideo Mitsui)
Emiko Yagumo
- Otaka
- (as Rieko Yagumo)
Chishû Ryû
- Shouting audience member
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe long thin pipes with the tiny bowls that are seen throughout the film are Kiseru, introduced long ago into high society, such as Buddhist priests, wealthy merchants and samurai. Kiseru were status symbols and sometimes took on intricate designs made from precious metals. Their use was the primary way to smoke tobacco prior to the popularity of cigarettes in the mid-1800s, but continued in use to maintain culture. The characters in the film are often seen turning the Kiseru upside-down and banging them over the rim of a container, which was the way to knock the burnt tobacco out of the bowl prior to repacking it with fresh tobacco.
- Quotes
Kihachi: What did you plan to do with my son?
Otaka: Who cares about your son? He's cheap, like you, playing around with actresses.
[Kihachi beats Otaka]
Otaka: Are you sorry? I hope you'll be very sorry. The world is like a lottery. You take your ups and your downs. Let's make up please. That makes us even, you see. Just think how I feel.
- Crazy creditsThe film title and credits are placed before a backdrop of plain sackcloth. This would become a trademark of Yasujirô Ozu films.
- ConnectionsRemade as Floating Weeds (1959)
Featured review
One of Ozu's Best Early Works
This early career (1934) Yasujuro Ozu silent film is a personal favorite. A seminal work for Ozu, "A Story of Floating Weeds" is a remarkably modernist, concise film, and the story is powerfully moving. This picture is often argued as Ozu's first fully-realized, and it is an easy film to appreciate, with Ozu's quiet artistry on showcase throughout. (The patent imagery is here: laundry on lines, silent stairwells, passenger trains, hanging lights, etc.; as well as the simplistic, low-angle shooting style, resulting in a film that feels much more familiar to Ozu fans than its age would indicate. Established Ozu fans should notice some outliers, though, including realistic domestic violence and several moving dolly shots). The storyline involves a downtrodden traveling theater group, whose manager is reuninted with his estranged "nephew," (who is, in actuality, his son) and the young man's mother. What follows is a quiet, somber story of familial bonds, unrealizeable love, and the often impossible nature of personal happiness. It is also very much a film about the lower classes, whose plight is subject for this, Ozu's first metaphorical title. The "Floating Weeds" refers to duckweed, a floating plant often referenced in Japanese poetry, and it is emblematic of aimlessness, and the drifting lack of meaning in life. "A Story of Floating Weeds" is a movie about the flatsom and jetsom of Japanese society, whose destination is open to chance and whim. Perhaps equally importantly, "Floating Weeds" is a story about fathers and sons. It is timeless, fundamental stuff, and I'd argue some of Ozu's best.
helpful•91
- Flak_Magnet
- Sep 10, 2009
- How long is A Story of Floating Weeds?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Història d'una herba errant
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 26 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was A Story of Floating Weeds (1934) officially released in India in English?
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