Synopsis
An aging actor returns to a small town with his troupe and reunites with his former lover and illegitimate son, a scenario that enrages his current mistress and results in heartbreak for all.
An aging actor returns to a small town with his troupe and reunites with his former lover and illegitimate son, a scenario that enrages his current mistress and results in heartbreak for all.
Historia de una hierba errante, Ukikusa monogatari, История о плывущих водорослях, Повесть о плавучей траве, Histoire d'herbes flottantes, 浮草物语, Vízsodorta fűszálak története, Storia di erbe fluttuanti, 부초 이야기, Opowieść dryfujących trzcin
19th Yasijurō Ozu (after Late Spring, An Autumn Afternoon, Equinox Flower, Good Morning, Tokyo Story, Early Summer, I Was Born But..., Tokyo Twilight, Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family, I Graduated But..., Floating Weeds, Late Autumn, A Straightforward Boy, Record of a Tenement Gentleman, The Munekata Sisters, The Flavour of Green Tea Over Rice, That Night’s Wife and Walk Cheerfully)
Silence makes this tale sing. The little grace moments, the rain tinkling into a cup, the bike on the hill, they're the one beat in a bar rest that gives Ozu his rhythm. And Ozu is all about rhythm, the flow of images. Floating Weeds feels like a Satie Gymnopédie bashed out on a Steinway compared to A Story's…
Surprised to discover that, decades before OnlyFans, there was a viable resale market for used Dalmatian costumes.
The first Ozu film that feels distinctly "Japanese." Which is funny because for a time many believed Ozu's films were "too Japanese" to be appreciated by western audiences. The irony? Ozu was making western-inflected, Hollywood tributes and films about Japan's modernization since the beginning of his career long before anyone from the West even really knew about him. To call his films "too Japanese" is to be entirely unfamiliar with the kinds of stories he frequently told, which wouldn't grow in popularity in the West till after the war. A STORY OF FLOATING WEEDS is the first film I've seen from Ozu that feels like a period piece. Every character wears traditional Japanese garb, the setting reflects traditional kabuki theater and performances,…
It may be impossible to compute, but given how often fathers are physically or emotionally absent in the films of Ozu Yasujirô it is safe to say that his own situation growing up left a lasting impression on him. Ozu, who spent the majority of his life living with his mother, did not have much contact with his father during his formative years, a once-prosperous man who died in 1933, a year before he made the silent A Story of Floating Weeds (Ukikusa monogatari).
The film opens with the arrival of an itinerant kabuki troupe to a provincial town. The impoverished band is led by a good-natured man named Kihachi (Sakamoto Takeshi, who played a similar character…
Ozu # 21
As someone who absolutely loved the remake I had my reservations about this one. Thankfully the third act makes up for it wonderfully.
When considering the works of Yasujirō Ozu, people often overlook his silent films. His career was long and his craft was honed in the silent era. A Story of Floating Weeds is one of his last silent films, and it showcases the maturity which his later films possessed. The themes are serious and the filmmaking sincere. The film's craft clearly displays the rule-breaking camera placement Ozu was known for and scenes are composed from beautifully simple shots, often of actors looking directly into the camera. The plot is one about fatherhood, a common Ozu backdrop. It's also a film about class, specifically in regards to a poor man wanting better for his son.
A Story of Floating Weeds is about…
Having already seen Floating Weeds, there were no surprises here, but I still found myself a little choked up at the end. The story is as effective as a silent, black-and-white film as it was in its later form. It's a well crafted melodrama that captures the emotional complexity of the head of an acting troupe as he navigates the dissolution of his troupe while reconnecting with his son (who is ignorant of the man's status as his father). He shows profound integrity when everything blows up, and that moment has twice now stunned me.
In grey tones, the film does not lack for powerful imagery. Father and son fishing together, fluidly moving their fishing lines back and forth, is…
Yasujiro Ozu was a true master at his craft. Theatrical performances and gestures were predominant during the silent era for enhancing the dramatism effect intended, but Ozu (and Mikio Naruse too, for that matter) knew that the stories are what are left in the audience's hearts, and even the images can stay there too. Hence, a striking cinematography is displayed in front of our eyes, creating an aura of either wonder or tension, depending on what the scene intends to create. Although the majority prefers the remake, the black-and-white, silent nature of Ukikusa Monogatari captures a much more tragic feeling, all the more nostalgic.
And.... unlike the remake, this one had me in tears towards the ending.
98/100
Welcome to Juno's Flavours of Ozu. An Ozu season created by one of Letterboxd's best members.
One of the few early Ozus that feels like one of his later works. Therefore, it is unsurprising that this would be remade (as was the other silent highlight, I Was Born, But...). This has a structure that would become the director's own: a pleasantly meandering opening act where it is not clear what is truly apropos (in a strict narrative sense), only for the pressure to build and for the relationship dynamics to create their own narrative in the remainder of the film.
It is a satisfying formula that creates reality, empathy and well drawn characters. The relationship led storytelling is wonderful to…
I was going through my schedule for my Yasujirō Ozu binge and almost left out this film because I wanted to get to his talkies quicker but I am so glad that I didn't as A Story of Floating Weeds is easily my favourite from Ozu thus far.
Up to this point, I had really liked and even sort of loved That Night's Wife and Tokyo Chorus but found them to be riddled with problems and that they were severely underdeveloped, that was mainly the case for That Night's Wife. I had enjoyed his work but it was frustrating to not feel the same love and appreciation for his work as many others had felt so. Yet, I knew that…