Twenty-four Eyes - Masters of Cinema series [DVD] [1954]

This is one of the most representative films of the Japanese cinema of the 50s in which some important questions about the correctness of the war were expressed in a subdue and yet deep meaningful way.

Set on a small island off the cost of Japan in a costal village this is the story of a teacher and her 12 students from the late 20s to the late 40s.

The teacher gained the love and respect of her students not only because of her abilities as a teacher but also as a companion in the lives of her students either in happiness or sorrow.

She was able to represent in her thoughts and simple comments the doubts about the war, the value of life and the wisdom of peace.

This film has also shown the living conditions of the prewar Japan.

The backdrop of this remote rural countryside on a small island gave the director all the characters that he needed to create a film that became an honor to the hard working farmers and fishermen, a praise to poverty and dignity, an eulogy to simple things and their beauty.

Shot in Black and White with exceptional artistic abilities this film is able to show the colours of the countryside either these were the vivid green of the rice fields or the bright yellows of the rape flowers or the show white blossom of the cherry trees.

The role of the teacher is played exceptionally well by Hideko Takamine while the roles of the children were perfectly performed by local children.

One of the most important points of this film is the music.

Most of the songs sang in this film are today classics in their own right.

In most occasions related to schools and children, one can hear the same songs played again and again.

It is this very special music that accompanied this wonderful film that will add more emotions and in few cases tears in the eyes of the viewer.

A film that one must see again and again.

This is one of those films everyone wants to watch but most have not got round to doing it in Japan.

The film is so old that I (who is Japanese) needed to use English subtitles from time to time to understand the storyline fully. When I was watching the film, I felt like I was watching a foreign film as it is so different from modern Japan. It starts with a portrait of a good old peaceful country side in west Japan, but the dark shadow of the war creeps in...

It is a long film, and unless you are in the right mood you won't enjoy it. Set aside a rainy afternoon when you just want to curl up on a sofa with a nice drink to warm your hands to watch this one.

The main actress, Hideko Takamine, plays the heroin from her early 20s into late 40s. Imagine, this film was shot in 1954 - Takamine who was 30 years old at that time played 40-something without any help from special effects whatsoever. In one of her books, she recalls that she tried to express the age by mere her facial expressions and her posture.

Takamine is still very well and now mainly writes columns on travels, her life after retirement and cooking (her self-written biography won an equivalent of Booker Prize). She is happily married with a famous director who she met when she was filming Twenty-Four Eyes. And she is still in touch with the people who played the kids!

(P.S., Takamine passed away on the 28th December 2010. She was a fulfilled happy person until the very end)

The reviewer from Tokyo is quite right that a cup of tea and biscuits (or chocolate and mince pies in my post-Christmas case)accompanying this film makes for a wonderful afternoon. The film is very emotional and adding to the sadness is the knowledge that Hiroshima and Nagasaki will soon cast their own albeit indirect spectre.

Having had the chance to visit both of those cities - I felt a moral compulsion to do so during two Japan visits - I was also very fortunate to visit the island of Shodoshima as I just happened to be in the region.

I visited the school and other sites shown in the film and felt a little of that special sense of community which lingers even today.

For several years I could not find the film for love or money but having finally tracked it down via Amazon I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is sentimental and nostalgic - but there is nothing wrong with that.