JAPANESE FILMS

Someone Who Looks Like Gary Cooper

This is part five of “Films of 1949” series (Part 1, 2 3 and 4). In his “Truth of Cinema”, Tadao Sato vividly describes (1) the conversation among young workers in the office immediately after the war; What will be your choice? Arranged marriage or “romantic marriage”? Arranged marriage is the marriage in which partners are introduced through parents or relations; it does not require romantic relationship prior to marriage. “Romantic marriage” is realized through the romantic relationship between partners. Many old folks, such as my uncles and aunts, or those who had been in their teens or twenties in …

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JAPANESE FILMS

An Apron as a Weapon

Many people believe that an oppressive, totalitarian government is designed by a group of devils wearing human skins. The nation is hypnotized by cunning propaganda, led to believe the blood-tainted doctrine, and subliminally conditioned to sacrifice their life for those devils. Today, we would notice these devils when we see them. A modern democratic society will not tolerate such a diabolical political process. So we believe. The problem is, some totalitarian regimes were the products of democratic process. Nazi party won 230 seats in Reichstag as a result of the 1932 federal election. In Japan, though no particular political party …

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JAPANESE FILMS

Nobuko Rides on a Cloud

  Nobuko Rides on a Cloud (ノンちゃん雲に乗る) 1955, Shin-Toho Prod. Hisatora Kumagai, Hiroji Nakata Dir. Fumindo Kurata Writer Fumindo Kurata, Setsuko Murayama Haruko Wanibuchi, Setsuko Hara, Susumu Fujita Synopsis A little girl, Non-chan, is walking down the road crying hard. Her dog, Es, is following her. She finds a large tall tree with a nice branch extending out to the river. Non-chan climbs onto the branch, finds herself reflected on the water. She stops crying, and pretending to be a bird, she flaps her arms. Then … When she comes to herself, she was in the clouds. She was saved …

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