11 / 122 The Complete (Existing) Films of Sadao Yamanaka

[ltfontaine]

Spoiler here.

In The Japanese Film, Anderson and Richie describe the conclusion of Humanity and Paper Balloons as follows:

“The next morning the neighbors find the wife's balloons blowing about in the courtyard. They look into the couple's room and find they have committed suicide.â€

[Michael Kerpan]

Continued spoilers ---

Well -- the neighbors may have thought the couple committed suicide -- but Yamanaka lets us know that the wife took the initiative here. Her dishonored samurai husband was clearly drunk and asleep. She took responsibility for killing him (as he might not have been honorable enough to do so himself when sober) and then herself.

The samurai does NOT look for work on a daily basis -- he occasionally presses the local honcho (who owed a debt of honor to his father) for a position -- but (like the unemployed samurai in Kitano's "Zatoichi" and unlike the hero in Kore'eda's "Hana yori mo naho") there is no hint that he was interested in any employment other than that of minor samurai retainer.

[zedz]

[quote="ltfontaine"]There are other misrepresentations included in the writers' synopsis of the film, such as their statement that “the ronin, like his fellow tenants, searches daily for employment,â€

[ltfontaine]

but we should probably cut some slack for writers discussing hard-to-see films in the pre-DVD era.

Of course, and I haven't meant to disparage Richie and Anderson in raising this question. Their groundbreaking work has been immensely important for English speaking students of Japanese film, and was especially so in tunneling through the barriers of ignorance that prevailed at the time their book was initially published. Reading English-language film criticism from the 1950s, when Western critics were just beginning to comprehend the vast richness of the Japanese cinema, it feels as though the writers are commenting on films from another planet, so dim and distant is their perspective.

[Michael Kerpan]

The problem is not what Richie and Anderson wrote so long -- it is that conventional wisdom about Asian cinema still hasn't advanced very far beyond this point.

[zedz]

The problem is not what Richie and Anderson wrote so long -- it is that conventional wisdom about Asian cinema still hasn't advanced very far beyond this point.

If we're optimistic, we could hope that the prolonged invisibility of many of these films was a contributing factor, and that this might now be changing, but a lot of people are much more comfortable with "conventional wisdom."

Segueing back onto the topic (sort of - at least it's MoC), I've been thrilled by my first exposure to Naruse, and amazed by how little these films have in common stylistically with Ozu, with whom he's so regularly lumped. Naruse's way of setting up, developing, staging and cutting scenes is completely different, and even the content (Japanese family life) of these films is only similar on the most superficial of levels. It's as if Ozu was the only available frame of reference for early writers on Naruse, and that association has become permanently grafted on.

On the strength of Humanity and Paper Balloons, Yamanaka seems to be a similarly accomplished filmmaker, but it's even harder to determine a directorial personality on the strength of a single film. And his surviving oeuvre is so slender even the best-informed conclusions about him are probably frustratingly tentative (are the surviving films his best, or his worst? Are they completely unrepresentative?)

[Michael Kerpan]

All three surviving Yamanaka films are great ones -- then again, some of the missing ones were also supposedly great ones.

I think Ozu and Naruse has an almost symbiotic artistic relationship. Yes they have different styles -- and different perspectives -- but they definitely influenced each other a lot. But Ozu made Ozu films -- and Naruse made Naruse ones. ;~}

[ltfontaine]

The problem is not what Richie and Anderson wrote so long -- it is that conventional wisdom about Asian cinema still hasn't advanced very far beyond this point.

Another problem is the scarcity of commentary, in English, from Japanese critics. As recently as 2000, Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto still identified Donald Richie among critics on Japanese film as "the most authoritative voice in the West and in Japan." Paul Schrader's comment that "Whatever we in the West know about Japanese film, and how we know it, we most likely owe to Donald Richie," signifies a double-edged sword.

[Michael Kerpan]

How much (if anything) did Richie ssay about Yamanaka's influence on Kurosawa in his Kurosawa book? (Haven't looked at this for ages -- and don't have a copy at hand?)

[ltfontaine]

How much (if anything) did Richie say about Yamanaka's influence on Kurosawa in his Kurosawa book? (Haven't looked at this for ages -- and don't have a copy at hand?)

Richie cites Yamanaka and Mizoguchi as Kurosawa's predecessors in the maturation of the jidai-geki, an assessment confirmed by Yoshimoto. While Kurosawa named Mizoguchi as his most profound influence in this regard, he did, in his autobiography, acknowledge Yamanaka as among his greatest teachers.

[Don Lope de Aguirre]

he did, in his autobiography, acknowledge Yamanaka as among his greatest teachers.

I have only seen one Yamanaka film but it's a shame that Kurosawa didn't learn more, in this case! None of his films come any where near approaching the depth and acumen of Humanity and Paper Balloons.

[Michael Kerpan]

I have only seen one Yamanaka film but it's a shame that Kurosawa didn't learn more, in this case! None of his films come any where near approaching the depth and acumen of Humanity and Paper Balloons.

I don't know -- "Idiot" and "Lower Depths" (among others) suggest Kurosawa was an excellent pupil of Yamanaka.

[Murasaki53]

he did, in his autobiography, acknowledge Yamanaka as among his greatest teachers.

I have only seen one Yamanaka film but it's a shame that Kurosawa didn't learn more, in this case! None of his films come any where near approaching the depth and acumen of Humanity and Paper Balloons.

I feel a bit like that about Kurosawa. Although there is always something memorable in the films of his that I have seen so far, I actually prefer not only Yamanaka but also Masaki Kobayashi as directors.

[HerrSchreck]

My god, man.. I know I've commented already on this film, but with each re-watching I grow more and more attached to it and it's characters, and my understanding of it's poetics--and how they appaer to operate-- grow with each spin.

The ease of his sophisticated mise en scene and the seeming inevitability remind me occasionally of Ford at his lyrical yet crowd pleasing best ('m talking some of his work for Zanuck in the zone of late 30's: GRAPES, LINCOLN)... the unfolding contains few if any missteps, and each subsequent piece of the narrative and their setups just seem like they could not have been any other way. This and the strength and completeness of the character's development.. especially since so much of their development feels so incidental and random rather than Deliberately Explanatory. So loose, undeliberate, yet tight and well constructed. Throw in the rich poetics (drifting clouds, the held shot of the doll, the inn fringes swaying in the breeze, water droplets after rain showers, etc), the comedy going so sophisticatedly side by side with tragedy and you've got some of the most sublime melodrama ever commited to celluloid man. This highly skilled hand shows a total Cinematic Natural and a level of cinematic familiarity and operative skill which causes me to believe (along with the aching rhapsodies of Ozu, Ichikawa, Kurosawa et al regarding the power of Yamanakas lost catalog) that the missing films are more than likely on a par with HPB.

This dvd-- 16mm or not (and I don't know for sure it's a 16 but it bears some of the hallmarks.. and even if it is it's to MoC's enormous credit that they brought it out despite the fact that this is all that remains of this title)-- has been one of the greatest discoveries for me of the dvd age... on a par with the sublime restored version of Sir Arne's Treasure. Kudo's to Nick et al for bringing this masterpiece to the west with such incredible subtitling, especially since it's obscure status probably sees it getting blooped over by many a middle class buyer. I love gazing at the photo of Yamanaka on the back cover of the booklet trying to tweeze out some aspect of the dude there in that wild face. He's one of those Paul Leni/Jean Vigo/Murnau type dudes who you look back at with that sublime yearning for What Might Have Been. I hope to soon get my hands on a copy of THE POT WITH...

[Michael Kerpan]

It is likely that "Humanity and Paper Balloons" WAS Yamanaka's greatest film. But both "Million Ryo Pot" and "Kochiyama Soshun" are so wonderful that it is almost certain that many of the lost films (JMDB credits him with 31 or so films) were also excellent. His Bangaku no issho (1933) is supposed to have been especially fine.

[peerpee]

What amazes me is how different (yet brilliant) his remaining films are. I've been hoping that Criterion splurge a proper Criterion set (as opposed to an Eclipse set) on Yamanaka's remaining films. Donald Richie has recorded a commentary for HUMANITY AND PAPER BALLOONS, so we can live in hope.

[Michael Kerpan]

What amazes me is how different (yet brilliant) his remaining films are. I've been hoping that Criterion splurge a proper Criterion set (as opposed to an Eclipse set) on Yamanaka's remaining films. Donald Richie has recorded a commentary for HUMANITY AND PAPER BALLOONS, so we can live in hope.

I agree. Each of the three surviving films is utterly distinct from the others.

I would love to see a complete Criterion set -- but somehow just don't believe it will happen.

I have not heard of any Western scholar who is an expert on Yamanaka. But Mitsuyo Wada-Marciano has a book coming out next year called Cinema Nippon, which will focus specifically on Japanese films of the 20s and 30s, I am expecting this to be a must-buy book.

[HerrSchreck]

I would love to see a complete Criterion set -- but somehow just don't believe it will happen.

I have my doubts too. At most we'd probably get a deluxe HPB.

As to whether or not it's the crowning achievement of his career-- subjective and totally speculative on top of that. Glory in the remnants with sublime ache for what wasn't.

Is it true that Yamanaka was sent off to the front (as a common footsoldier no less) specifically because the humanistic tendencies in his films (particularly HPB & the utterances he put in Tange Sanzen's mouth?) caused govt authorities to see him as not towing the party line-- the drafting coming either as "punishment" or "shutting him down" in a manner of speaking?

[Steven H]

I don't know of any evidence that they specifically sent him off to die, but it seemed like Ozu recieved completely different treatment comparatively, spending his days watching movies in Singapore. I do know that Yamanaka was a fairly well known director of the time, and attracted his own audience (racking up multiple Jumpo awards in almost every year he worked.) I'd imagine they were aware of his leanings and probably didn't go out of their way to keep him around. I'd be really curious to find out for sure myself (and hell, if it can come out that Bush's granddad almost tried to take over the government in the 30s, at least we can get the dish on Yamanaka.)

HerrSchreck, what did you think about Pot Worth...? I can't communicate well how much I love this film. It's one of those that I can put on at any time, any day, and watch from beginning to end. The soundtrack alone is worthy of gobs of praise.

[the dancing kid]

Is it true that Yamanaka was sent off to the front (as a common footsoldier no less) specifically because the humanistic tendencies in his films (particularly HPB & the utterances he put in Tange Sanzen's mouth?) caused govt authorities to see him as not towing the party line-- the drafting coming either as "punishment" or "shutting him down" in a manner of speaking?

It's difficult to say for sure. There were other filmmakers who were of the same mind as Yamanaka (they are sometimes referred to as the "Narutaki group"), although not all of them are as known as him or have any surviving films left. Others also gave in to the government with time. Japanese film policy from the war is being researched by a lot of people right now, so maybe the specifics will come out one day.

Peter High's book 'The Imperial Screen' has a lot of background on films made during the war. He doesn't have a lot to say about Yamanaka specifically, but you can get a general idea of what he was up against from the accounts of other figures in the film world. To my knowledge there aren't any accounts of other filmmakers or critics being sent to die in the trenches, so if that was the case with Yamanaka it would be unique. Usually they just put dissenters under house arrest and blacklisted them from the industry.

[Michael Kerpan]

Shortly after Yamanaka was sent to North China, Ozu was also drafted and sent to the Nanjing area -- he served an extended term as a common soldier there.

At this stage, the Japanese government had not yet decided that fictional movies were an important element of propaganda. Later on, the government decided that movies were very important. It was at this later stage (in the 40s) that Ozu was drafted again -- and sent to Singapore to make movies. (Japanese film makers and film technicians were seeded throughout all the captured territories -- partly to help develop local film industries that could support the Japanese occupation authorities.

[fiddlesticks]

Shortly after Yamanaka was sent to North China, Ozu was also drafted and sent to the Nanjing area -- he served an extended term as a common soldier there.

According to Donald Richie, they ran into each other while in China:

In July 1937, following the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Ozu was called up with all the other reserves and sent to China as an infantry corporal. There he traveled widely, spending most of his time on the shifting front. [...] It was during this time that he met Sadao Yamanaka [...] for the last time. [...] Shortly after their meeting in China, Yamanaka died of dysentery.

[Michael Kerpan]

According to Donald Richie, they ran into each other while in China

I forgot about that meeting.

Some Japanese directors of a similar age did not get drafted in the late 30s -- I've never read anything that explained how conscription worked in Japan at that time.

[HerrSchreck]

What amazes me is how different (yet brilliant) his remaining films are. I've been hoping that Criterion splurge a proper Criterion set (as opposed to an Eclipse set) on Yamanaka's remaining films. Donald Richie has recorded a commentary for HUMANITY AND PAPER BALLOONS, so we can live in hope.

Having just seen the beautiful presentation of the Tange...Million Ryo Pot I can now concur w Nick on the differences at least between this and HPB.

This film just thoroughly charmed the crap outa me. The only stylistic consistency (besides the worldly-wise sense of humor which is of course running fullsteam here in TS&MRPot) is the use of actorless, static pictorial composition as a form of pause? page turning? ellipsis?... it's to an extent similar to Ozu's use of static compositions between scenes to evoke place/mood. Interestingly, there is more of these static shots (here almost used in place of a wipe or dissolve) in Ryo, than the more melancholic HPB (which is where you'd 'expect' a "Japanese" filmmaker to insert static, representative pictorialism-- a more meditative film). What I wanted to point out about them is that, to my eyes, there is a similarity between the spare use of this device in HPB and Ozu's use of them, in that they are far more poetically evocative, meditative of the bittersweet theme of the films (HPB by Yama and all the classics by Ozu where this technique is so perfectly developed, epitomized by the later, mostly stationary-camera works Tokyo Story, the later Floating Weeds etc).

This versus it's more frequent use in Ryo, where they appear almost as counterpoint to the action, like illustrations in a book, part of though seperate from the action. These images stand by themselves in their high painterly quality, to be admired, whereas in HPB the images of clouds, fringes, dolls, etc are thoroughly humanized, some aspect of the onscreen action is threaded through these images which are reflecting the humanity in the narrative. Regardless, the use in both films is totally distinct, and completely masterful. Even at the culmination of a thirty year career, most directors can't evoke in either of these two styles with anywhere near the ease on display of HPB or Ryo. Totally vibrant personality buzzing thru both of these films. Of course, the other similarity on display is the "inevitability" of his mise-en-scene... even when stylized, it's all so easy, effortless, and smooth. What a talent.

Two other things come in for special note in Ryo: the fantastic music (and the use of it), and the comedic editing and timing-thru-editing. I love the setup-result series of edits (removing chunks of time betwen the comedic setup and it's subsequent result) showing the power struggle between Tange Sazen & the Mistress, i e
She: "The boy will go to school,"
He: "He cant defeat an enemy with pen and ink, he'll go to dojo", she "school,"
he "dojo",
she "SCHOOL"
he "D O J O"
....... cut to Tange sitting passively alongside the kid praising his spelling/calligraphy.

I haven't been this charmed by a lite, fun, comedy in years...

As I was groaning to Steven H yesterday in pm, one of the-- if not the-- most lamentable lost canons in film history.

[Michael Kerpan]

Did you note the scene in Million Ryo Pot that anticipates a very similar one in Rules of the Game?

Alas -- unless you decide to enter the uncharted waters of unsubbed Japanese cinema, the equally impressive Kochiyama Soshun will remain inaccessible (and this was the hardest to traverse when watching all three unsubbed initially).