This shamefully neglected 1947 Japanese film will probably never be seen by most people. I was fortunate enough to catch it at a current Japanese film retrospective at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It does not appear to be available on video. This is a shame, because it is much better than many better known Japanese films. It concerns a family that was a member of the Japanese nobility. During the forced democratization that occurred during the post-WWII occupation, they are forced to give up not only their titles but most of their wealth and property as well. The film superbly illustrates the role of status in individual identity and the extent to which loss of status can cause identity to disintegrate. It reminds me somewhat of Renoir's "Grand Illusion," which is also about the passing of the old order. It forced us to ask whether the existence of a nobility was any worse than the piratic capitalists who followed them. See this if you can!
Review of Anjô-ke no butôkai
