Naruse: Volume One (Repast / Sound of the Mountain / Flowing) [Masters of Cinema] [DVD]

Repast (1951) - a young wife disillusioned by her mundane life of housework has to decide whether to leave her emotionally unresponsive husband.
Sound of the Mountain (1954) - a young wife considers leaving her drunken philandering husband but bonds with her sympathetic father-in-law
Flowing (1956) - a diligent woman gets a job as maid in a declining geisha house run by a geisha coming to terms with being past her prime.

This is a sumptuous box set with 3 films plus commentaries & a book (& I mean book not booklet) containing essays by authorities like Audie Bock & Catherine Russell. Clearly Masters of Cinema are pulling out all the stops in making a case for Naruse as one of the great auteurs. Indeed each of these films is undeniably brilliant, however I can see why Naruse has previously failed to appeal to Western audiences the way Ozu, Mizoguchi, Kurosawa & co have done. Naruse's subject of post-war everyday family life is similar to Ozu's, but Ozu has a distinctive "formalist" style & "Buddhist" sense of resignation that makes his work seem understated, appealingly Japanese and yet universal. Naruse's films by contrast are more conventional 1950s "women's films", melodramas or whatever term you prefer. In fact Naruse's portrayal of family relationships is probably more complex - and darker - than Ozu's or Mizoguchi's and the position of women is treated in a more subversive manner. Even if you are averse to melodrama, Repast & Sound of the Mountain are extremely accomplished & thought provoking. Flowing is rather different - set in the geisha world it will be appealingly Japanese to many and is an amazing ensemble piece with eight strong women characters in constant interaction - it's sharp, funny and very poignant (this was actually the film of the three that had me in tears at the end!), it's full of subtle touches capturing the flow of the everyday - and of life (hence the title). Flowing is a perfect film & on a par with the best films of Ozu & Mizoguchi and goes a long way to justifying claims that Naruse really is one of the greats and justifying anyone interested in Japanese cinema getting this box set.

WONDERFUL BOXSET. HOWEVER, THIS COMMENT ONLY COMES FROM ONES WHO REALLY ARE INTERESTED IN OLD FILMS AND SEE THEM AS TREASURES OF GOLDEN ERA...RECOMMENDED...