Hideko Takamine
RIP. A week late, but she’s apparently not known enough here to make this newsworthy–still nothing from the New York Times. My entry point into classical Japanese cinema (non-Kurusawa) was Ozu. Unfortunately (and taking nothing away from Setsuko Hara), Takamine appeared in Ozu’s more forgettable films (Tokyo Chorus, Munekata Sisters), so I didn’t really think much about her until I turned to Mikio Naruse, an utterly brilliant director who has been almost entirely overshadowed by Ozu, due to a number of superficial similarities in their work. Nasure wisely cast her has the lead (and gave her virtually no direction) in some some of his best work.
Three of her performances stand out as particularly memorable. First, her lead roles in Kageshita’s somewhat overrated, overly sentimental Twenty-Four Eyes. With a lesser actress in the lead role, the sentimentality would have overwhelmed the entire film. She provided a depth to the personal and emotional growth of the central character that was largely responsible for saving the film from itself.
The other two that stand out are two of Naruse’s masterworks, Floating Clouds (a film that desperately cries out for the Criterion treatment) and When a Woman Ascends the Stairs. The characters aren’t noticably similar (the former is a study in post-war Ennui, the latter a study in practical if doomed determination to control one’s own fate), but they’re both made all the more memorable through her remarkable performances On When A Women Ascends The Stairs, I’ll quote The Siren, who describes her better than I could:
It was the ideal introduction to Takamine’s qualities. In most great women’s pictures, the misfortunes of love, of just being a woman, descend like nightfall, and if the actress plays only the pain she will surely become a chore, and the film like seeing a kitten kicked around the room. Takamine’s weariness is everywhere in this movie, and those stairs she climbs to the bar might as well be K2 in terms of the odds arrayed against her. But the primary impression of Takamine as Keiko is courage. This woman gathers herself like a battle-hardened soldier, the sole remaining goal being the next sunrise.
If I described the plot of that movie in detail, it would sound gratuitously abusive of its lead character. It’s a testiment to both Naruse and Takamine that it never quite feels that way. Takamine’s Mama-san’s relationship with her own emotional life–at arms length from it, largely but crucially not entirely in control of it–is a tightrope Takamine walks perfectly, and it’s absolutely necessary for the film to work.
She played the lead role in twelve of Naruse’s films, of which I’ve only seen the above two. If they’re anywhere near as good as the obove two, I really hope Criterion or someone gets to work on some more releases soon.
See also David Hudson’s excellent post for more–h/t Glenn Kenny.
(And if anyone’s actually seen Kobayashi’s The Human Condition, let me know in comments if it’s worth the substantial investment of time…)
Criterion is getting to Naruse–the Eclipse series has a box of silent Naruse coming out this spring.
Also, I tried getting through The Human Condition but didn’t make it very far. I feel ashamed about this, but it’s really freaking long.
Yeah, I know Takamine Hideko, Naruse, and Ozu. Very sad, and sad I didn’t notice. Thank you for this post.
Lightning is excellent Naruse. I love Floating Clouds but Woman Ascends the Stairs didn’t work for me as well as the Mizoguchi Geishas.
Tokyo Chorus was the TCM silent last night. Shocked the heck out of me that they chose that one, but overjoyed.
When the Naruse retrospective came to Seattle, I was intentionally targeting the Hara films, as I didn’t yet appreciate Takamine. So I focused on Hara films (Repast and Thunder of the Mountain) as well as Late Chrysanthemums, which seemed to have a bigger reputation as a classic. (It was actually probably my least favorite, but still very good.) Of course, now I really regret not seeing every film in that program–especially lightning. It was difficult as there was some bizarre antiquated Japanese law that prevented some of them from being shown more than one night per year in a given city.
Look, Takamine was terrific in Woman Ascends, but I didn’t feel the unremitting harshness of the night cinematography and story suited Naruse, as far as I know him. There was no room for subtlety and irony in the direction. A little awkward and shapeless. Still 7-8/10, and I am in the minority here.
One of the others, Ozu or Mizo, said Naruse is like a calm sunny river with fatal undercurrents.
Find Lightning. It is a “woman’s film” but it is a perfect “woman’s film.” It is not as ambitious or as weighty as other films, but what it sets out to do it accomplishes with panache. Tight.
And it is a third type for Takamine, dignified, independent, a little scared, a little shy but standing tall and looking forward. Of course, smart.
More than Repast or Thunder I finished this with a “wow.”
I’m a bit of a philistine when it comes to film criticism, so I’m very reluctant to go there. But since there is a question about The Human Condition, I’ll say that, as a historian of Japan, I think it is a great film. But it really helps to be watching it with two historical contexts in mind, one being the prewar and wartime years it depicts and the other being the time in which it was made (and in which the novel, on which it was based, was written). To see the postwar wrestling with prewar fantasies and wartime conduct is powerful stuff. I’m teaching a class on the Japanese Empire right now and The Human Condition will occupy a portion of my students’ time. If observing a shift in historical consciousness isn’t your thing, then the film may not work for you.
Isn’t the Human Condition based on a 6 volume novel?
The Human Condition is absolutely worth it. I used to work for a company called Films, Inc. and we distributed it in 16mm. I took home the first two parts and watched it one weekend in my tiny apartment in cinemascope and couldn’t wait to catch part three on the following weekend (we could only take home two films at a time.
I own the DVD and believe that is the perfect format to watch it. Masaki Kobayashi was an effin’ brilliant director and is my favorite Japanese director. Nobody attacked the hidebound sense of tradition better than him, especially in The Human Condition, Samurai Rebellion and Hara Kiri, all three of which are not to be missed.
I was going to recommend the Siren’s blog when I saw the title here, but I see you already appreciate her great writing on film.
Alan and Randy Paul, thanks: you’re strengthening my reserve to commit to it. “Subtle shift in consciousness over time” is very much my thing, it’s got actors I love, Kobayashi is great…
Actually, Bob, that quote is from Kurosawa
link.
I’d be interested in SEK’s (and everyone else’s) views of Millenium Actress.
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FWIW, I saw The Human Condition theatrically last year (in three parts during a two-week stretch), with only the vaguest sense of historical context and a working knowledge of Japanese film history that was only marginally less vague, and I thought it was fantastic.
But I will say that some patience is required during Part I. It’s the most obvious and didactic of the three parts, and if that’s irritating to you, the temptation to cut bait might be strong. Stick it out, though.
Thank you so much for the link, and thank you even more for adding another tribute to Takamine. When I did a list of 20 favorite actresses a couple of years ago, I added her without hesitation based solely on the few films I’d seen. She was magnificent.
The NYT has her obit today.