Monday, June 13, 2016

Lightning

Lightning is a 1952 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse. Hideko Takamine stars. This is the story of a woman and her 4 grown children. There are 3 daughters and a son, each the child of a different one of the mother's 4 husbands. His films are always interesting and insightful, and I can count on enjoying them.

This movie is filled with a society of male privilege and women who feel helpless. It does make me want to sit a couple of these people down and give them a serious talking to. I'd institute strict prohibition against ever again speaking the words, "... but I can't help it." Naruse does a good job of showing the effect these societal assumptions have on individual lives.

scene from the film:



Slant Magazine gives it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars. Rotten Tomatoes has an audience rating of 88%.


2 comments:

  1. I like the way the director captured her face in close-up, first pensive, then curious. It's too bad these societal mores are so ingrained in people and how they carry it from generation to generation.

    Thanks for your comments and review of this film.

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    Replies
    1. I've become quite a fan of Japanese films, at least the older ones. I haven't seen more modern ones, I guess because they're not available online like the older ones sometimes are. We are so blind to our own assumptions, aren't we.

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