Archive for the ‘Akira Kurosawa Movies’ Category
The Sea is Watching was adapted from a novel by Shugoro Yamamoto, but the film script was written by the legendary Akira Kurosawa which raises many questions right away. The answer to the first question concerning why Kurosawa did not direct it is simply that he passed away.
Diverse personalities are found among the women living and working in The Sea is Watching's samurai era brothel.
I do not know the answer to question number two, “Would Kurosawa have actually gone ahead and made this movie without significant rewrites?”
And question number three, “How exactly might this film have been different as a result of Kurosawa directing?” is impossible to answer.
The movie lacks a bit of cohesiveness, and in this case I don’t think the blame can all be put in the lap of director Kei Kumai. The story is noticeably disjointed, though it was interesting to watch in some scenes.
In an accompanying documentary on the DVD there seems to be a desperate attempt to connect this movie to Kurosawa as much as possible by indicating how precisely Kurosawa’s production planning notes were followed.
Oshin, played by Nagiko Tono, chooses the wrong man to invest her emotions with.
If Kurosawa had been able to make this film, he would have certainly refined it throughout the production process and crafted a very different movie. It cannot be certain that the resulting product would have been better, but it can be certain it would be something different simply as a result of having a different chef in the kitchen.
Unfortunately the film’s director Kumai may have felt compelled or perhaps he was even commanded by the producers to follow Kurosawa’s story and notes to the letter. The producers may have felt that would be a good selling point. There is boasting in the documentary of how intently they followed Kurosawa’s plans. But even Kurosawa would not have adhered to everything precisely as production approached and shooting began.
A large part of what makes a good movie (and I think most producers and directors would agree) is the ability to evolve and adapt during the production process. I would be horribly concerned about the end result if someone took the script for my little film project and shot it word for word with absolutely zero consideration for the needs of the film as the production moved forward.
This is all speculation on my part. I do not know what might have been or what exactly took place in the production of The Sea is Watching. The claims of following Kurosawa’s notes to the extreme might just be marketing hooey anyway. One thing is definitely certain; the Sea is Watching does not “feel” like a Kurosawa film.
The always lovely Misa Shimizu as Kikuno in The Sea is Watching. Don't be misled by this slightly provocative image; The Sea is Watching has no significant erotic content.
Though I can be a sucker for a Japanese film with an ultra-sweet and sympathetic female lead, such as the one in this story played by Nagiko Tono, the story in The Sea is Watching is simply a little too soap opera-ish for me. I’m sure some viewers will find it surprising that this adapted story came from the mind of Akira Kurosawa.
Others have speculated that Kurosawa wrote this film to answer some critics’ charges that he lacked skill in telling stories from the perspective of female characters. I doubt that was Kurosawa’s motivation, but this is definitely a woman’s tale.
There are some very well done scenes in the movie, and if an inside view of what life might have been like in a Samurai era Japanese brothel is enticing to you, then you may not regret adding this film to your Netflix list. And if you are curious about this movie’s connection to Kurosawa, it may be of more interest to you. This is not an unwatchable film. It’s interesting and entertaining in several scenes, but it is also far from being a masterpiece.
Postcard perfect image of Misa Shimizu and Nagiko Tono from a striking scene found near the end of The Sea is Watching, a scene that may also be a bit too synthetic and incongruous.
Misc. Tidbit
The ending for The Sea is Watching was shot with a green screen that created additional dramatic effect for a conclusion that was already over the top and a little manipulative for my taste. I thought it was odd to staple such an obviously artificial visual on the end of the film. Though visually intriguing, the night sky shots were too distracting for me because of their noticeably synthetic creation which seemed visually out of step with the rest of the movie.
For Japanese Language Students
I was able to enjoy working on my Japanese listening comprehension skills while watching The Sea is Watching, but this movie will not have the broad appeal of other films reviewed here, possibly making it less pleasant to endure for some Japanese language students.
Also, because of the time period the story is set in, the characters may not be using what would be thought of as modern Japanese in some scenes. I limited the listening comprehension practice rating to “Fairly Good” for this film.
Savage Japan Movie Reviews
Dan Savage [email]
The Sea is Watching
Entertainment Value: Fair
Listening Practice: Fairly Good
Running Time: 118 Minutes
Writer: Akira Kurosawa from a
novel by Shugoro Yamamoto
Director: Kei Kumai
Japanese Title:
海は見ていた (うみはみていた)
Original Release: 2002
The Sea is Watching is available from Netflix.
As I get this review site underway and jump back into Kurosawa planning to re-watch many of the Akira Kurosawa films in my library for review purposes, I decided to start out the Kurosawa directory with Rashomon, something completely fresh and new to me and one of Akira Kurosawa’s most famous films. Though I have owned the movie for some time, this Rashomon review comes after my very first viewing.
- Machiko Kyo, in the role of Masako, gives her disturbing account of the incident. The odd smudges on her forehead are meant to represent eyebrows. It was the fashion during the Heian period for ladies of the court to remove their natural eyebrows and replace them with soot marks higher up called “moth wings”.
I can understand how Rashomon was ground breaking for its time, but a film made in 1950 no matter how good then is going to be a bit primitive in many ways. You must be prepared for that and be willing to be patient with some aspects of the production. However, the direction of Kurosawa and the camera work of Kazuo Miyagawa is still interesting in many scenes.
Some of your patience will be needed simply because this film was made for a specific time and specific viewing audience who were comfortable with many elements and behaviors presented in the story. The overacting, stereotypical characters, and general presentation are likely suited to the expectations of a 1950’s Japanese audience.
Though the story does rely on dialogue, Rashomon plays a lot like a silent movie, and Kurosawa has indicated this was his intent. The interesting outdoor testimony scenes provide nice separators for the multiple presentations of the crimes. I kept imagining the actors were in a corner of the famous Ryoanji rock garden in Kyoto (minus the bigger rocks) during the scenes where each character is attempting to tell the story in a way that presents themselves in a more favorable light.
The music in Rashomon is often heavy handed and an obtrusive and displeasing element, especially the odd bastardized version of Ravel’s Bolero that jarringly pops up in the film. But it does sort of lend a silent movie effect, as if someone was down in the orchestra pit banging away on an old dilapidated piano. The music is not piano music and perhaps not quite as crude as I am portraying, but it often seemed to have a life of its own, as if it was separate from the movie in many places.
There are no really admirable or genuinely sympathetic lead characters in Rashomon, so it is a bit of a mental ordeal to watch this intentionally unpleasant story shared over and over again in its different incarnations.
Toshiro Mifune's bandit is portrayed almost as a hero in this version of the story.
Toshiro Mifune is fascinating as always, though the over-the-top psychotic laughter from him and Machiko Kyo late in the film is very annoying. The laughter served its purpose of forcing the point that these characters are not intended to be worthy of the audience’s compassion, but it is far too excessive and doesn’t play well today.
There are a lot of issues to consider in the presentation of Rashomon, and it is at the very least a thought provoking film. It is a film that does not wrap things up with definitive answers to the questions posed. It leaves the viewer to ponder and consider our sometimes tenuous perception of truth and reality.
If this review at first sounds like I was not very fond of Rashomon, I should clarify that I did not strongly dislike the film. I learned some things from studying Rashomon. Perhaps much of what I learned was revealed in the DVD bonus features, especially the subtitled interviews from part of the NHK documentary The World of Kazuo Miyagawa with Kurosawa and cinematographer Miyagawa. I watched the NHK supplied material before viewing Rashomon. I think it was valuable and though I wouldn’t normally recommend this, I do suggest watching the bonus features first with Rashomon. It gave me a few good things to look for and made the viewing of this “out of time” movie less tedious.
If you enjoy studying movies and are interested in significant films that are credited with changing the face of cinema around the world, then you may very much enjoy and appreciate this classic film. If you are looking for a fun and easy to watch Japanese movie, you might want to pass on Rashomon.
Extras
After writing this review, I also forced myself to sit through the commentary by Donald Richie, an author of several books on Japanese film. Though I listen to almost every single commentary provided with every single film I view at home, I say “forced” in this case because I’m always hesitant to sit through commentaries recorded by people who had absolutely nothing to do with the production of the film being discussed.
In fairness to Mr. Richie, he was not a pointless babbler, and I definitely learned some things from listening to his comments. Though I was hesitant at the beginning of the commentary, I do not regret taking the time to watch Rashomon a second time with Mr. Richie‘s accompaniment. My appreciation for the film was certainly increased and if you add this title to your library, I would say the commentary is definitely worthwhile for your second viewing of the film.
Donald Richie, though obviously a fan of Kurosawa’s work, suggested quite directly in his commentary that Kurosawa had no real talent for music direction in his films, and that the composer was not at fault for the inappropriate soundtrack. He blames Kurosawa, sharing a story of how Kurosawa directed the composer to come up with something Bolero-esque. That was interesting to me, especially after my own reaction to the weird music composition during my first viewing.
For Japanese Language Students
As far as listening comprehension practice goes, there are many heated exchanges consisting of dialogue delivered at a very high rate of speed. I do not think this is a good choice for beginner Japanese students trying to pick out lines by ear.
Savage Japan Movie Reviews
Dan Savage [email]
Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon
Entertainment Value: Moderate
Listening Practice: Poor
Film Study Opportunity: Excellent
Rashomon is available from Netflix.
