Munekata shimai (1950) User Reviews

a nice little film

[quinolas · 7/10 · 18 April 2002]

MILD SPOILERS

This is Ozu's first film produced outside Shochiku. That might the reason why the story is rather unconventional for an Ozu's film, too melodramatic and romantic (rather sickly is Mariko's insistence on marrying Hiroshi and asking her sister to divorce her husband). Also, never before or after generational differences have been so overtly exposed as well as there are too many, for an Ozu film, references to the war. Ryu , playing the sister's father, acts as a mediator (Ozu's alter-ego?) between the two, and tries to be just, even though his preferences are for old Japan. Whoever believes that Ozu's films philosophy isn't essentially Buddhist should pay more attention to Ryu's words of accepting different ways of life and Tanaka final's refusal to marry Uehara (sign of transcending the material world and personal desires or just pure old fashion?) and the ultimate death of Yamamura right after he gets his long sought job (Karma in action). Takamine Hideko ( a Naruse's regular) ,playing the role of Munekata Mariko, is extremely funny at some points. Her outrageous (specially when she visits Hiroshi 's girlfriend Yoriko or her habit of sticking out her tongue, bodily ticks are essential elements of the characterisation of Ozu's film actors) behaviour reminded me of my shock when I first saw I Was Born But… Nevertheless her character gets a bit boring with her parody of some sort of Noh narrator (the joke just goes for too long). Also Setsuko Munekata might not be a suitable role for Tanaka Kinuyo, in particular when she's got to keep smiling (something typical in actresses working with Ozu) while telling her sister that she decided not to marry Hiroshi. Technically is what you'd expect from Ozu, interesting matching cuts, even though I have to say that some shots were very predictable (cut on action shots) and not as perfect as for example the ones in Tokyo Story (technically an almost perfect film). Quite unusual for Ozu's work, at least during this period, are some tracking shots of Hiroshi and Setsuko walking down the street ending in a beautiful long shot of her disappearing around a corner. Specially weird is an unmotivated tracking shot to the right, moving away from the sisters at the entrance of a Kyoto temple that essentially goes nowhere and then stops suddenly, the image framed by two trees . What I found really amusing was(probably an Ozu's trick to confuse audiences) the way in which the film begins with news of the sisters' father (played by Chisu Ryu) diagnosed with cancer. Given only 6 months of life, nevertheless he remains alive and kicking throughout the whole film with no signs of departing this world. Funnily enough is somebody else who dies first. Also the way in which ends, when everybody was hoping for a final reunion between Uherara and Tanaka she decides to dump him, and so breaking any expectations. I thought it was brilliant (a bit reactionary though).

The Munekata Sisters might not be the very best of Ozu but I found it intriguing and funny enough to watch again.

The Munekata Sisters (1950)

[SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain · 6/10 · 12 December 2011]

I'm so lucky to be living close to a cinema that is showing an Ozu Retrospective for the entire month, especially one with many free screenings. This was one of the free ones and I'm quite glad about that as it is certainly one of Ozu's lesser works. The Munekata Sisters is based on a novel that was very big at the time. The whole production was big, being the biggest budgeted Japanese film at the time. It even managed to pull Ozu from his usual studio. As such, there seems to be more pressure on Ozu to do something different, which just isn't Ozu. There's obviously a lot of familiar ground here. With marriage and family being the key focus. However, it is overly dramatic. Not so much into the realms of laughable melodrama, but the fight between the old fashioned Setsuko and the "new fashion" Mariko. I never felt the bond of sisterhood that strongly. It seemed more like a mother daughter relationship. Hiroshi is also just a very flat character. He is simply a lure from Setsuko's husband. He is perfect, kind, rich, funny, patient, etc. But only because we rarely see him. One interesting facet is Mariko's attempt to procure Hiroshi for herself, because if he can't be with her sister, Mariko doesn't want him with anyone. Mariko is really the star, and should have been the main focus. He tomboyish nature manifests in cute moments, as she enacts her version of Hiroshi's dates, and constantly sticks out her tongue. Ryu is underused in this film, but serves as a great metaphor for the unpredictable nature of life. Don't allow this to be your introduction to Ozu, but visit it after you are familiar with his films. September 17,

Hideko Takemine is radiant

[gbill-74877 · 8/10 · 17 December 2023]

"They didn't hold hands, but they desperately wanted to."

I just love Hideko Takemine in this film. She plays Mariko, the plucky younger Munekata sister who likes baseball more than temples, sticks her tongue out when she hears something she doesn't like, smokes from time to time, and speaks her mind freely about things she's frustrated with. She represents shifting cultural values and a more outspoken generation of younger women, which was really nice to see, particularly as it gave such life to this film.

Her older sister is Setsuko (Kinuyo Tanaka), who is devoted to her husband (So Yamamura) despite the fact that he's a lazy, unemployed drunk. She runs a bar, but is struggling to stay afloat financially, and moreover, has discovered that her father (Chishu Ryu) has less than a year to live. She was actually romantically interested in another man 15 years previously, Hiroshi (Ken Uehara), but only realized the depth of feelings when she got engaged, and he'd already gone away to France.

Well, Hiroshi is now back, which sets in motion a melodrama, as Mariko begins developing feelings for him, Setsuko's husband begins suspecting that his wife may be having an affair with him, and there is a third woman in the picture as well, a friend he made while in France (Sanae Takasugi). Having read her sister's old diary, Mariko would actually love for Setsuko and Hiroshi to be together, but can't help herself from playfully flirting with him too (and at one point, outright proposing to him, I mean, how the hell did he resist that?). Meanwhile, the husband is quite a tool, coolly (and unfairly) judging his wife while stroking a cat, and slapping her hard across the face seven times in case we couldn't hate him more.

It's often difficult to arrive at a satisfactory ending in such film, as emotionally we know what we want, but that path could be viewed as formulaic and not very artistic. I have to say, the route Ozu chose here wasn't very satisfying to me either, and I was almost tempted to reduce my review score, but had enjoyed it up until that point.

Some of the better scenes are when the sisters debate one another, even if it is expository, such as when Mariko questions her sister's marriage and Setsuko replies, "You're too young ... to understand marriage. It's not always a good time. Holding back is what keeps us going. That's how it is," to which Mariko says bluntly, "Then marriage is stupid." After Mariko has referred to her as outdated, Setsuko chastises her: "What doesn't become outdated is up-to-date. Things that are truly up-to-date are those that never get old. ... Your idea of up-to-date is skirt lengths going from long to short. If everyone has red nails, yours absolutely must be red too, no?"

With the ensuing tolerant fatherly advice for both young women to be themselves and how Setsuko's husband ultimately treats her, it seems there is a progressive message here, which I really enjoyed seeing from Ozu. Through signs we often see in English, including one for Coca Cola, he's reminding us of a changing world in Japan, but seeming to say that somehow it's going to be alright. Meanwhile in transitions between scenes, he gives us beautifully composed images, like clouds floating over hills or trains trundling by, the world impassive to the drama of these little lives.

It's Takemine's film, however. Her character is full of vitality, at times pretending to be a pompous narrator of romantic scenes, acting as a ballerina she's just seen, giving birdcalls to a nightingale with her father, or dancing around the room after tricking the other woman into thinking Hiroshi's left. She's played beautifully played by Takemine, who I'd watch in just about anything.

self-conscious Ozu?

[alsolikelife · 13 December 2003]

From what I've heard, this is one of the least revered Ozu films, but after first glance I find it to be one of the most fascinating. A naive but zealous girl (Hideko Takamine) proposes marriage to a man who is in love with her sister (Kinuyo Tanaka) who is trapped in a loveless marriage; this is the girl's way of showing concern for her sister, by keeping the man she really loves but cannot have close at hand. It's an odd mix of high comedy and stark social commentary on the social boundaries that define women's roles, and for me it shows as much tonal range as anything I've seen in other Ozu films -- frivolous flirtatious interludes, sincere and tender romantic exchanges, and stark moments of violent rage are held in precarious balance thanks to Ozu's rock solid powers of observation. It's worth seeing this film as Ozu playing as self-consciously and inventively with genres as he did in the 30s -- the girl in some scenes narrates the action like a benshi. I definitely see this as a reworking of WHAT DID THE LADY FORGET?, revisiting the setup of the liberated meddling gamine overturning the fragile co-existence between a hapless housewife and the helpless husband; this time the scene of domestic violence is given the full measure of subtext and consequence that was lacking in the earlier film, adding resonance to what otherwise might be misjudged as straight melodrama. A difficult film to pin down, but no less alluring for it.

Underrated masterpiece!

[fa-oy · 9/10 · 4 November 2011]

It might be one of Ozu's least known films, and quite different from his other ones too, but his techniques and masterful skills are still there.

I've had the privilege to watch his films chronologically, from "The Only Son" to the last film he made, so I can notice that there was a big change from his (in that time) previous film "Late Spring" to his subsequent one "Munekata Sisters" and practically different from his other previous ones in general. Although the subject matter in this film is more romantic and dramatic in comparison to his previous films, as I just mentioned, his filmmaking style remains the same, the static camera and his beautiful close-ups are still there. Also another interesting thing to say is that this film resembles Mizoguchi's themes, he could have easily done this one of his films if he'd had the chance.

I might get the readers bored for repeating myself, but you can rest assured this is another essential film from Ozu you surely should get your hands on if possible.

Also this may be the last time I review one of Ozu's films, not because I don't like his other films, but because you simply can't go wrong with him, you either get his filmmaking or not. If you get it, then you'll probably love most of his films; therefore, you should really watch all you can get from him.

My score: 9.2/10

Funny, bittersweet, and wise - an underrated film

[WeeClaude · 9/10 · 28 January 2024]

The Munekata Sisters is possibly the most obscure film in writer/director Yasujiro Ozu's postwar filmography. But it doesn't deserve to be, because it's actually a great comedy-drama that should have a wider audience.

The film revolves around the relationship between older sister Setsuko (Kinuyo Tanaka) and her younger sibling Mariko (Hideko Takamine). Setsuko is more reserved and adheres to traditional Japanese values, while Mariko embraces modern trends and enjoys sassing people. Naturally, their personality differences bring them into conflict.

Takamine gives a fantastic and genuinely funny performance as Mariko, which is light-years different from the reserved heroines played by Setsuko Hara in Ozu's more acclaimed films. She does funny voices, sticks out her tongue, and even dismissively flicks a suit of samurai armor. (I assume that's a big no-no in polite society.) Yet underneath all this joking is a sensitive character who loves her older sibling, despite their obvious personality clashes.

By contrast, it's initially easy to overlook Tanaka as Setsuko. But as the film goes on, Setsuko's struggle with a loveless marriage starts to dominate the plot, and her character becomes compelling.

Speaking of the plot, it contains more romantic melodrama and unexpected twists than usual for Ozu - possibly because it's based on a serialized story, rather than an original creation. But Ozu directs it with his usual sensitivity and prevents the material from becoming corny or saccharine. Ozu also makes effective use of his graceful transitional or "pillow" shots in this film, which are even more beautifully composed than usual.

Some viewers (understandably) dislike the film's unusual ending. I won't spoil it here, but suffice to say that I actually liked it, and indeed thought it was the most honest way to resolve the story. Ultimately, this film is about two sisters who are very different people but very committed to each other, and the ending does justice to their relationship and its place in the story.

I was a fan of Ozu for 20 years before I bothered to check this out - because, who ever talks about The Munekata Sisters? (Its lack of U. S. availability didn't help, but it's on the Criterion Channel now.) Imagine my surprise when I discovered that this is a witty, wise movie that rounds out Ozu's filmography quite nicely. It's not an all-time great like Late Spring, sure, but a movie doesn't need to be a legendary classic to be awesome.