Two movies, the movie Late Spring(Banshun,1949) of Yasujiro Ozu film director work and the movie Godzilla(Gojira,1954) of Ishiro Honda film director work, may have said in common.
It is saying that for the person who passed away, a living person needs to change fortunately.
It says a little more wordily, the people who remained for those who have died against their will have the responsibility which builds a fortunate home and society.
(Here is an original story in two works. An original also has the theme and an opinion. However, some change for putting in both of one's opinions is made in filming. Since it is the purpose that an opinion gets across to many spectators, it is satisfactory.)
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1,A trace of Director Ozu reaching Late Spring
Director Ozu works starts in the silent-movie ages of prewar. His works(I Was Born, But...(Umarete wa mita keredo,1932),etc) are loaded with desire to draw and present the problem of the occasional social trend. He repeats trial and error to the reality in which the public sees only the movie which he wants to see. Moreover, although he also tried a thing of the U.S. movie style like Dragnet Girl(Hijosen no Onna,1933), it did not gear completely.
He is demobilized in war, without being smeared with an intense battle as it served in a war by a chemical weapon unit from testimony of the person himself.
"A Hen in the Wind(Kaze no naka no mendori)" which tried the opinion again by it was disrepute. It was refusal for many spectators to look at the reality of sympathizing on a movie. I think that this movie itself had effective control, it avoided the love scene scene, and had presented an actual problem and its solution.
However, he completes his methodology in a Late Spring at last. This work was made in Japan under occupation through which it has passed only four years from the end of the war. First, he arranges the element which is likely to pull mind for many spectators and he spread the story. Next, he brings many spectators to the scene of the opinion. So to speak, the contents of the story are "decoy(pretense or pretext)". His true opinion appears. The climax of this work is a father's "Solo long words" portion in the hotel(ryokan,A Japanese-style hotel) in Kyoto. Although long words are described plainly, it is all the opinions of this work.
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2,Godzilla(1954) of director Ishiro Honda,The successful succession
On both sides of Treaty of San Francisco(April 28, 1952), Godzilla(1954) was manufactured five years after Late Spring in Showa 29(1954). Director Honda worked sincerely, imitating the methodology of Late Spring.
Mother does not appear at home of Dr. Yamane, and it is two livings with Emiko of a daughter. The first scene of a living room of a house of Dr. Yamane is photographed by low angle, and a line of a head of actors is set in form of a right down straight line. And Father does not appear in the family of Shinkichi of the Oto island. They are "Lacked families".
Emiko was, so to speak, a childhood friend of Dr. Serizawa, and she chose Ogata as a lover though it was a future fiance. Director Honda's opinion is shown by Solo long words which comes after an argument of Dr. Serizawa and Ogata.
Music grows well very much. Composition of music is Akira Ifukube.
Melody of a cello passed to Solo long words is the same as melody of the harmonica which a fisherman blows in an opening scene of the work(With many the classical style music works, the subject of a work is shown in the beginning.). This melody is transformation(variation) of melody that is the first movement of the Eroica symphony(Sinfonia Eroica, composta per festeggiare il sovvenire d'un grand'uomo) of Beethoven. It is that is to say hero of tragedy. The last movement of the Eroica symphony melody was quoted from his ballet music "The Creatures of Prometheus". Prometheus gave the human "fire" in a myth. Then, it is supposed that "the knowledge of civilization" was given. Even if it submits it to civilization criticism and reflection, it is thought.
Is Dr. Serizawa a victim? Did Dr. Serizawa blame that the secret should just have been kept and was there? No, it is different. Although a schoolgirl's chorus was the dead's symbol(the Holy Spirit of all the people), it was seen, and he noticed and regained his conscience. He tells Emiko and Ogata that I want you to become fortunate. (Hope of symbol can be found out in two persons' future, Emiko and Ogata. Because they will never forget the fact of tragedy.) He accepted own responsibility. He has noticed that it is a mistake to have shown dangerous invention to Emiko. Emiko says, "I never say to father, either". It is the same meaning as a husband dose never say to wife, either. Some scene where there is a distortion in a heart of Dr. Serizawa is different from Director Ozu-angle, and the horizon line becomes an upward slant to the right. "Godzilla" is the person's symbol between the persons it became impossible to control a desire. It can be said that it is Director Honda's opinion that just the human being of a position like Dr. Serizawa in fact should lead control of a desire.
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3,A dream of Ozu and Honda successful succession
Director Ozu and Honda's opinion is expressed in Dreams (Yume,Akira Kurosawa's Dreams,1990) again.
Director Akira Kurosawa made a movie of strange omnibus 6 episodes(7 episodes form at first plan).
Ishiro Honda participates in this work as aide direction(Substance is equal with a director).
Solo long words appear to episode 6th of this work. The performer is Chishu Ryu. The opinion are the repetition that they emphasized of what Director Ozu Late Spring and Director Honda Godzilla(1954) insisted on. However the opinion like Director Kurosawa is included, too. However, I think that after all an opinion of Ishiro Honda is strongly reflected in a shadow.
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4,Appendix 1(About Late Spring of Director Ozu)
The scene where the work became dirty from the tearoom of the beginning to the last is eliminated entirely. Reality is waiting to many spectators after coming out of a movie theater. The town of it is a burned field and it is in the situation without food where there is no honest house. Many spectators thinks that they wanted to forget reality at least while seeing the movie. Director Ozu examined himself about the previous work, and regained intuition.
A close life of the beautiful daughter Noriko(Setsuko Hara) and the father Professor / Syukichi Soya(Chishu Ryu) passing middle age who lost the wife. A daughter's marriage talk, a father's second marriage talk, the friend of the already remarried father. The plot is shown which pulls many spectators's mind.
If it looks at the situation where people in those days were placed here, a father will be killed in war and it will seem how was the mother a death due to sickness, debility death, etc., and Lacked families was a large number. It seems that Lacked family was an icon representing a social trend of those days.
By it, it becomes a scene of the bedroom of the hotel(ryokan) in Kyoto.
After two persons talk in a bed, a daughter's face scene and, a flower vase scene(a pot shot) enters twice. This meaning is that the 1st time is the deceased mother who gazes at two persons, and the 2nd time is a symbol of the Holy Spirit of all the people who passed away in the war(A spirit of a departed person, night under the moon therefore). People who passed away are wishing surviving people's happiness.
And although the next morning comes and a daughter recurs the talk, Ozu's true opinion Solo long words starts here. It is clear that these words are turned to many spectators instead of a daughter. "History of human life -- Mother was seen crying in kitchen repeatedly(Who made it cry ?)... " If this will be made the conversation of a father and a daughter however it may see this, it is tedious as words and there are a little inconsistencies. This is the opinion signal(message) to many spectators. Your past should dissociate once. It is the opinion notice new happy home and happy society what should be built all together.
The last scene. An apple of lower left of a screen. Father finishes skinning it and bows his head(Direction to cry at first) . This is an allegory of Forbidden fruit of Adam and Eve. It is the tree of wisdom(knowledge of the right and wrong) . It is tiny criticism to war of Director Ozu who thought that "Human being is smarter...but why" . And it is civilization criticism, and it is succeeded by Director Honda.
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5,Appendix 2(About after Late Spring of Director Ozu)
In Late Spring, Early Summer(Bakushu,1951), and Tokyo Story(Tokyo Monogatari,1953), all of three persons' name are "Noriko". This is the name imposed on the "Norito(a Shinto prayer-ancient, Japanese Liturgy)" . It is because "the feeling heart of thankfulness to it being given life" is in one of the meaning of a congratulatory address.
First, Early Summer is the story which Noriko is married to the man who loses a wife and has a child. "Really true ...""was good with the ... It was good by chattering"
The performance of Tami(Haruko Sugimura) is the presentation of a sample to many spectators. Besides, because she marries into Akita, there is conversation asking whether she speaks Akita dialect and wears "Monpe(Work clothes for woman of Japanese pants-style
,it is asked whether she does a dirty work. But,it is a temporary transfer of an office worker, farming has nothing to do.)" . This is the signal(message) to people of a farm village. It gives hope to people of Lacked families in a farm village. It is possible that there is the person who goes from a city to a farm village.
In next, Tokyo story, Noriko is the wife who lost a husband. It is composition of the husband who was killed in war, and its wife. Excellent scene in a Japanese-style apartment(narrow collective housing for low income earners) of Noriko whom there is in the Yokohama neighborhood. Conversation of a bride and a mother-in-law Tomi(Chieko Higashiyama), you cry and cry. However, it is usual practices of a Japanese movie from old times to let sound a violin and many spectators cry(Olin wo suru). I emphasize a fiction of this scene, and this is that is to say a lie talk. Please watch the last gesture and a performance of an expression of Noriko well. It is made to open by conversation in Onomichi of the last. Your husband who died hopes for your happiness. Please find your good partner, and marry again early, that is Director Ozu's opinion , and a signal (a message) for many spectators.
I think that you who are good of perception understood it if I say incidentally. It is usual practices of a Japanese movie from old times to A Hen in the Wind's Tumbled down the stairs,too. Is the scene where he used a stunt man as only very "Rial" ? I think that Director Odu checked it repeatedly. He consider it to have directed it to let me change many spectator suddenly. However, the intention of his work direction was not understood not received by spectatos,
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6,Appendix 3(A supplementary opinion about music of Godzilla(1954))
When expression is quoted, it comes to have an original context and a different meaning. Melody of The Eroica symphony is quotation of a early opera's overture of Mozart. However, it is quotation of Beethoven with this work. I regard a very famous main theme as quotation of string quartet of Beethoven. It was used an old russian origin rhythm that the second of Razoumovsky. A title is Russian notation(Cyrillic alphabet) when I watch facsimile score of a main theme. However, Maurce Ravel used the same rhythm(melody) with Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. Then therefore a new meaning was added and had double meaning(re-spectrum Russia and irony or negation). This rhythm(melody) was used in Tone Poem "Arctic Forest"(Composed by Akira Ifukube,1945). Music of the scene where Godzilla goes ashore is transformation(variation) of Dies irae(Day of Wrath).