Ukigusa (1959)

Director:

Yasujiro Ozu

Writers:

Kôgo Noda (screenplay) and
Yasujiro Ozu (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 November 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A troupe of travelling players arrive at a small seaport in the south of Japan. Komajuro Arashi, the aging master of the troupe...

Plot Keywords:

1950s | Family | Japanese | Japan | Father Son Relationship

Cast

Ganjiro Nakamura	...	Komajuro Arashi
Machiko Kyô	...	Sumiko
Ayako Wakao	...	Kayo
Hiroshi Kawaguchi	...	Kiyoshi Homma
Haruko Sugimura	...	Oyoshi
Hitomi Nozoe	...	Aiko
Chishu Ryu	...	Theatre Owner
Koji Mitsui	...	Kichinosuke
Haruo Tanaka	...	Yatazo
Yosuke Irie	...	Sugiyama
Hikaru Hoshi	...	Kimura
Mantarô Ushio	...	Sentaro
Kumeko Urabe	...	Shige
Toyoko Takahashi	...	Aiko no haha (as Toyo Takahashi)
Mutsuko Sakura	...	O-Katsu
Natsuko Kaga	...	Yae
Masahiko Shimazu	...	Sono mago, Masao
Michisumi Sugawara	...	Kyaku
Tatsuo Hanabu
Tadashi Date
Tsutomu Tanaka
Hachiro Misumi
Taro Marui
Saburo Sakai
Koh Sugita
Nobuo Minamitaka
Kyousuke Shiho
Seiji Sasaki
Joe Ohara
Kenichi Miyajima
Kisao Tobita
Osamu Maruyama
Tetsuo Takeuchi
Ken Yamaguchi
Rin Sugimori
Yoshiaki Fujimura
Wakayo Matsumura
Mitsuko Takesato
Nobuko Shingu

Directed by
Yasujiro Ozu

Writing credits
Kôgo Noda		(screenplay) and
Yasujiro Ozu		(screenplay)

Produced by
Masaichi Nagata	....	producer

Original Music by
Kojun Saitô

Cinematography by
Kazuo Miyagawa

Film Editing by
Toyo Suzuki

Production Design by
Tomoo Shimogawara

Art Direction by
Tomoo Shimogawara

Makeup Department
Takashi Makino	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bainari Nakamura	....	assistant director

Art Department
Tokujiro Harasima	....	property master
Iwao Iwami	....	set designer

Sound Department
Takeo Suda	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Yukio Itô	....	lighting technician

Editorial Department
Shozo Tanaka	....	color consultant

Other crew
Sueyuki Hanayagi	....	choreographer
Hideo Matsuyama	....	planner
Kichijiro Ueda	....	stage director

Production Companies

• Daiei Studios

Distributors

• Daiei Motion Picture Company (Japan)
• Altura Films S.L. (1970) (USA) (subtitled)
• Artificial Eye (2003) (UK) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)

Also Known As:

Drifting Weeds
Floating Weeds (USA)

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | UK:PG (re-release)

Company:

Daiei Studios

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Triplettes de Belleville, Les (2003)

Perfect Balance of Comedy and Moving Drama

I wrote this after I saw my first Ozu's film, "Tokyo Story" about a year ago: "As with every great work, the film has its own unique perfection in style, rhythm, details, and artist's vision - but Tokyo Story is very universal in its appeal, simply put, it is for every parent, every son or daughter - for everyone. It was made 50 years ago in Japan, about people who lived far away, but it is also about all of us, our families, our problems, our guilt and our search for love and meaning. Ozu's film does not require one to be a movie buff or to try to solve complex symbolism to appreciate and love it. It brings smiles because it is a comedy (for at least the first 2/3) and sadness with a high drama of the last 1/3 of the film."

I feel absolutely the same about "Floating Weeds". The film is quiet and deceptively simple but its simplicity reminded me the words of Michelangelo Buanorotti. When asked how he created the perfect statues from the shapeless marble lumps, he answered, "It is very simple, you just cut off all unnecessary pieces".

Ozu's films are perfect - they touch us with rare warmth, soft enveloping tenderness and power of human emotions not necessarily with striking visual or sound effects. "Floating Weeds" is a remake of earlier silent black and white Ozu's film "The Story of Floating Weeds". The story is simple: an aging, traveling actor who is the manager of a kabuki troupe returns to a remote village where he secretly meets his former lover and her 19 year old illegitimate son, to whom he is known as "uncle." The older man finds happiness in communicating with his son who turned to be a fine young man. His current mistress, filled with jealousy because of his attachment to his secret family, hires a young beautiful girl, the member of a troupe to seduce a boy. Something in this story attracted Ozu so much that he remade the film twenty five years later.

"Floating Weeds" is a beautiful color film and it is the first color Ozu's film for me. The colors are bright and fresh, tender and kind - they match the director's style perfectly. The delightful music by Kojun Saito reminds me of Nina Rota music in Fellini's films - nostalgic, innocent and rhythmic.