Celebrating and exploring the films of Japanese director Mikio Naruse with 2 rare screenings.
Live accompaniment by Tania Gill
In the West Mikio Naruse is the least well known of the big four directors of Japan's golden age of cinema. Yasujiro Ozu Akira Kurosawa and Kenji Mizoguchi have all become touch points for their meticulous style and/ or their heroic narratives. Naruse is probably best known like Mizoguchi for his "women's films" often cautionary tales of women in Japanese society but in his early silent works Naruse was a much more diverse and dynamic filmmaker. I hope that the double bill of 'Flunky Work Hard!' And 'Apart From You' will introduce audiences to the Naruse who wasn't afraid to laugh to experiment and to shift his eye beyond the plight of Japanese women in early 20th century to all members of society.
Synopsis: A clash of generations confronting a changing world contrasts the life an aging geisha Kikue working to support her rebellious teenage son who is ashamed of her profession with the youthful Terugiko a woman who harbours deep bitterness toward her family for pushing her into a profession she considers humiliating. As with all Naruse films the camera movement and expressive editing follow closely the development of the relationships between these three giving it balance and maturity.
Preceded by: Flunky Work Hard! 1931 Japan 28min
Mikio Naruse’s earliest extant film is the rare work by the director not to center around female characters. It is a charming breezy short concerning an insurance salesman and his scrappy son whose constant fights with the other boys put his father’s livelihood in jeopardy.
Introduced by Chris MaGee
This programme is generously supported by The Japan Foundation (Toronto)
Co-presented by the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre
Event Venue
Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave. Toronto M6R 2M9, Toronto, Canada
CAD 17.00