Pick me some Mikio Naruse

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The Cinematheque Ontario is doing a complete Mikio Naruse retrospective. I only have time to watch, say, five of his films. Which ones should I see?

― Jack L., Tuesday, 11 October 2005 20:14 (twenty years ago)

Well, I wouldn't say "complete" as he directed some sixty or so films, but it's still a very nice selection. Floating Clouds, Late Chrysanthemums, When a Woman Ascends the Stairs and Sound of the Mountian are ones you hear talk about. There's a good article in the new Film Comment on Naruse as well. Oh, it's online right here.

― Jeff LeVine (Jeff LeVine), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 20:42 (twenty years ago)

Right, not a complete retrospective, my mistake.

Thanks for the tips.

― Jack L., Tuesday, 11 October 2005 20:55 (twenty years ago)

Wow - I was just reading over the Cinematheque Ontario's website a little more closely and see they're screening thirty-five of his films, but split over two seasons. That's a lot of movies! Glad to read the series is touring as well - though I imagine we won't be getting all thirty-five films when it gets out here, @ LACMA, but I'll be really looking forward to having the chance to see as many of these as possible.

― Jeff LeVine (Jeff LeVine), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 21:19 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...

has anyone been going to the New York tour of this at Film Forum? i saw 'when a woman ascends the stairs' and 'floating clouds.' the latter was boring but was compensated by a powerful ending. the former was quaint, but i loved it. still want to see 'late chrysanthemums' (this weekend) and 'repast.'

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Thursday, 3 November 2005 08:51 (twenty years ago)

I've been to 3 in the last 5 days (I saw "Repast" last year, and "When A Woman..." once, I think) -- "Floating Clouds" was thebest of those, esp that cut btwn the years-apart kisses.

But overall he's not working for me.

I like other "boring" filmmakers, but when it comes to reconstructing the Woman's Melodrama, I favor Sirk's coolness plus hysteria ... so far.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 3 November 2005 14:31 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

When A Woman... finally released on DVD a few weeks ago. My first Naruse too! The editing and lighitng were unexpectedly modern. It didn't move me as much one of Mizoguchi's geisha thingys though.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 15:24 (nineteen years ago)

nine years pass...

via Keyframe:

Dan Sallitt has modestly posted a major announcement: He’s made an entire book, A Mikio Naruse Companion, freely available online. As he notes in his introduction, “Naruse made approximately 90 films in his lengthy (1930-67) directing career, 68 of which have survived intact.” The book is comprised of “blurbs” on each of the surviving films that Dan wrote between 2005 and 2013—which he’s since rewritten, more than doubling the total length of the original collection. “Though Naruse is increasingly regarded in the West as one of the greatest of Japanese directors, it seems to me that we still fail to apprehend the full scope of his artistic powers.”

https://mikionaruse.wordpress.com/

― we can be heroes just for about 3.6 seconds (Dr Morbius), Monday, 6 June 2016 18:13 (nine years ago)

fantastic. thank you!

― new noise, Monday, 6 June 2016 19:23 (nine years ago)

two years pass...

saw When a Woman Ascends the Stairs, really liked it - its focus on everyday life and ordinary aspirational people and its portrayal of women in Japanese society. It is frustrating that despite the fact Naruse has directed something like 70 feature length films it’s so hard to see any of them

― Dan S, Sunday, 21 October 2018 00:32 (seven years ago)

pretty much all of naruse's work is along the same lines.

― visiting, Sunday, 21 October 2018 00:41 (seven years ago)

the website linked above is invaluable.

― visiting, Sunday, 21 October 2018 00:42 (seven years ago)

the site looks interesting, will check it out

― Dan S, Sunday, 21 October 2018 00:58 (seven years ago)

one year passes...

tonight in NYC (35mm)

https://filmforum.org/film/ginza-cosmetics-shitamachi-10-21

― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Monday, 21 October 2019 18:42 (six years ago)

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