Japanese Folk Variations After World War II

Reymundo 2022-12-22 07:50:31

"Trolley Mania" received such a flood of negative reviews that it almost killed Akira Kurosawa's film "Am I going to make a samurai movie that will kill me all my life until I die?" . Can you make a movie that bravely uncovers the scars of the Japanese people and reflects the current social situation, just to be the honest child in the emperor's new clothes, even if he dies in the end, it should be valuable and have no regrets, right? So he made this film. Akira Kurosawa's film is really different from his previous style, but he will also make films of similar style in the future, such as "Dream". But the Trailblazers film responded with a dismal box office, leaving him suicidal. This oppressive-style work is indeed not catering to the primary aesthetics of the public, but a very niche look at the bottom of society. The unkempt Japanese described in the film were very common in Japanese society after World War II, but they chose to ignore or even criticize and satirize. Modern Japan does not seem to have those people at the bottom, but the film is increasingly attracting the attention of contemporary Japanese. The film is divided into several unrelated characters and the stories behind them. There is a mad tram man who lives in his monotonous, crazy but happy world; there are two neighbors who drink and exchange wives every day; there are serious craftsmen There are middle-aged people who pretend to be confused to his sloppy wife; there are middle-aged people who are in a trance and feel ashamed of their cheating wife decades ago; There is a girl who works overtime every day and night to support her family and is insulted by her uncle, but she has inspired her death instinct to stab the wine delivery brother who really loves her (I don’t know if the Guling Street murder was affected by it). All stories have a theme: tragedy, and the struggles and aspirations behind it, positive or negative. So this film may have opened the scars of the people at that time, so their disregard and criticism are also the struggles and longings behind the misery! In the face of the earthquake and tsunami, Japan learned the wolf nature from witnessing countless dead souls. In the face of the destruction of Japan by the war, Japan is also reflecting on its own extreme right, at least the intellectuals are reflecting. It's not just a reflection on the past, maybe it's more a vision of where a country will go in the future - there is always an antidote for poison, and treasures are always hidden in garbage. Although the current situation is miserable, the future will always be better. As long as you don't give up on yourself, your heart is ashes. Time will surely heal the wounds of the times. Like a mentally retarded tram maniac, speeding through the ruins, always looking in the direction of progress. 2020.7.3

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Extended Reading

Dodes'ka-den quotes

  • Yukichi Shima: [speaking to his three guests] Let me ask you a question. Have you ever found a way to get rice from a rice store? I don't mean borrowing, I mean taking it right in front of their eyes.

    Yukichi Shima: [continues] You take a big pot and get it all wet on the inside, and have it filled at the rice store. Try to get it on credit and they'll refuse. You throw the rice out, but the pot is wet. So some rice remains stuck to the sides. If you repeat that three times, you'll get enough for a meal. Eh? Great, isn't it?

  • Taro Sawagami: Father...

    Ryotaro Sawagami: What is it?

    Taro Sawagami: Is it true we aren't your children?

    Ryotaro Sawagami: Think for yourself. Do you think you aren't? I know every one of you is mine. So, you're all dear to me. But if you don't love me, and if you don't think I'm your dad, then I am not. Right?

    Taro Sawagami: But people have always said that we aren't your kids, that our fathers are all different. And they didn't just tell me, but also Jiro, Hanako and Shiro.

    Ryotaro Sawagami: People say what they want. You can't stop them from saying all kinds of things. Right? No one can really tell whose child is whose. If you believe someone is your dad, then you are his son. If someone says you aren't my kids, then you ask him about his own father. I'll bet he can't answer. After all, it's either you believe me, or you believe the others.

    Ryotaro Sawagami: [looks at the kids] Who do you believe?

    Taro Sawagami: You, father.

    [all the kids raise their hands and shout in agreement]