Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Bambi B (A) on March 20, 2008 at 22:44:37

In Reply to: RE: Speaking of "quiet movies". . . posted by Larry I on March 20, 2008 at 12:24:14

Larry I,

Unfortunately, I last saw Toyko Story probably 30 years ago and all I can remember is vaguely about the story- is it a detective who loses his gun and then goes to get it back?- but I could be completely wrong- and I don't really remember the atmosphere of the movie. I also don't remember ever seeing "Floating Weeds", but the title makes it sound very peaceful and I'll watch for it.

I'm always interested in Japanese films and one reasons is these are so often "quiet" movies or have particularily serent moments. With Japanese directors I very much like Kurosawa's use of silence- often in climatic battle scenes, there is carnage and action on the screen but no sound at all- and that technique really gives me the sensation of just paralysing panic- the sense of the ears being plugged up and everything has a detached, surreal quality. I had that same sensation when witnessing a traffic accident. Down in Topanga Canyon, I saw a motorcycle- with passenger- make a 2' deep indentation in the back of a Honda Civic with the rider flying over the car. Then a couple of seconds later, the passenger crawled into the centre of the road in a horrifying state of trauma. And, just like Kurosawa's breathless climaxs scenes, the whole thing is engraved on my memory in a slow motion movie without any sound! Also, I'm thinking of that in "Seven Samurai" silent moments- remember when the Samurai disguises himself as a monk, rushes a bandit/kidnapper in a barn, and we don't see what must've been fantastic sword work, but instead the bandit rushes out in slow motion- we wonder if the bandit won>, but thens he falls head-first to the dust -all in silence and we instantl;y know- without seeing- the Samurai is hot stuff! That was such a fantastic, quiet way to present a killing- and the modesty of the Samurai in his skill is demonstrated-reinforced by NOT showing the actual sword cut- he's confident enough he doesn't have to "show off". In "Ran" there are battle scenes with all the soldiers' war lords' flag flapping back and forth in the chaos. Of course, another very quiet movie is Kurosawa's "Dreams"- and in particular the "foxes wedding" sequence. I always thought that was such an elegant tale to include- that foxes have their weddings when there are Sun showers- raining with the Sun out at the same time. This so convincing visually and the kind of reverence for silence is very affecting. I never knew if that was a unique tale to Kurosawa or is that true to Japanese folklore? - Such a very intensely aesthetic- delicate - really really Japanese- set of images.

I also enjoy the atmospheric mood is set by rain in the opening scene of "Rashomon". Kurosawa always uses a lot of water images in every movie which further contribute to a sense of quiet- the big final battle in "Samurai" took place in the rain. Remember the wise pariarch of the village "The Granddad" lived in water mill, with the sound of th water and the pounding of the mill hammers in the background and the scenes of the stream that ran through one of the vilager's outbuildings?

Besides the water and rain, Kurosawa also uses wind to great effect- when there are changes about to happen, it becomes very windy.- I'm thinking of the windy scenes of "Jojimbo"- the one about the wandering Samurai (Mifune) coming into a town torn apart by rival gamblers' gangs- and then cleverly playing the rival sides off each other until their mutual destruction. Whenever there's a power shift happening in Jojimbo- it's very windy- the "winds of change" I guess,.. "Ran" had those windy battle scenes. I think some of those were filmed at the bottom of Fuji and the very even, gravelly, kind of blood red volcanic soil kicked up by wind gives a kind of dry, austere, desperate quality to those scenes.

"Tampico" had both quietness- rememeber the homeless fellows on the steps discussing fine wines- they'd found in the dunpsters behind ezpessive restaraunt's? and there was the stunned silence of the scene in which every executive orders whatever the boss orders- except the new kid who goes his own way- and then the loudness- remember the confrontation of the competing noodle stand chefs?

A movie that included a very good imitation of Japanese "quietness" was "Kill Bill Part 2: Remember the scene in which Our hero kills U-Ren Ushii (Check that spelling)- that is in a walled garden courtyard and in the falling snow? And, of course, she's weilding a Samurai sword of almost mythic qualities- a sword of purely rightoues vengeance- made by a master. The fight in the falling snow was a great touch- the contrast of the violence that had just taken place insie with the delicate, and of course snow also muffles sound. There was quite a lot of applique Japanese in the Kill Bill movies.

A good topic, as I think it's not possible to have too much quiet around . In days of war and uncertainty, serenity is the precious luxury, and fortunately there werw directors- mostly about 40 or 50 years ago that still knew how to do it. No, American 13 years olds- the onlt people in the country with any cash- their Ritualin-numbed minds need movies that are especially over-stimulating.

Cheers,

Bambi B