Match Cut Directors Consensus - Mikio Naruse

[dreamdead]

Welcome to Mikio Naruse's week.

http://auteurs_production.s3.amazonaw s.com/cast_member_images/1123/mikio-naruse.jpg

Filmography link here:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0621540/#director

[Raiders]

Wife! Be Like a Rose! (1935) 8.5
Floating Clouds (1955) 9.5

[Spinal]

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs - 6.5

[soitgoes...]

Apart from You (1933) - 8.0
Every Night Dreams (1933) - 9.0
Five Men in the Circus (1935) - 5.5
The Actress and the Poet (1935) - 6.5
Three Sisters with Maiden Hearts (1935) - 9.0
Wife! Be Like a Rose! (1935) - 10
The Girl in the Rumor (1935) - 7.0
A Woman's Sorrows (1937) - 7.5
Avalanche (1937) - 8.0
The Whole Family Works (1939) - 6.5
Hideko the Bus Conductress (1941) - 7.5
The Way of Drama (1944) - 5.5
Dancing Girl (1951) - 6.0
Ginza Cosmetics (1951) - 5.0
Repast (1951) - 9.0
Okuni and Gohei (1952) - 5.5
Okaasan (1952) - 8.0
Lightning (1952) - 7.0
Wife (1953) - 6.5
Late Chrysanthemums (1954) - 6.5
Sound of the Mountain (1954) - 9.5
Floating Clouds (1955) - 9.5
A Wife’s Heart (1956) - 6.0
Flowing (1956) - 7.5
Untamed (1957) - 6.5
Anzukko (1958) - 8.5
Summer Clouds (1958) - 7.0
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960) - 8.0
Daughters, Wives and a Mother (1960) - 7.5
Yearning (1964) - 10
The Stranger Within a Woman (1966) - 7.0
Scattered Clouds (1967) - 7.5

I'll try and add some more over the week.

[Derek]

Repast - 7.5
Lightning - 8.5
Sound of the Mountain - 7.0
Late Chrysanthemums - 8.0
Floating Clouds - 9.5
Flowing - 6.5
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs - 9.5
Her Lonely Lane - 8.0
Yearning - 8.5
Scattered Clouds - 9.0

[MacGuffin]

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs - 8.5

Maybe I'll try to become familiar with my MoC set this week.

[Russ]

Ah, one of my favorites.

Every Night Dreams (1933) 8.5
Three Sisters with Maiden Hearts (1935) 8.0
Wife! Be Like a Rose (1935) 8.5
The Girl in the Rumor (1935) 8.0
The Road I Travel with You (1936) 7.0
Learn from Experience, Pt. 1 (1937) 8.5
Learn from Experience, Pt. 2 (1937) 8.0
Avalanche (1937) 5.5
Hideko, the Bus Conductress (1941) 7.5
The Song Lantern (1943) 6.0
Spring Awakens (1947) 9.5
Angry Street (1950) 5.5
Ginza Cosmetics (1951) 6.5
Repast (1951) 7.5
Okuni and Gohei (1952) 6.0
Mother / Okaasan (1952) 9.5
Lightning (1952) 9.0
Sound of the Mountain (1954) 9.0
Floating Clouds (1955) 10.0
Sudden Rain (1956) 9.0
A Wife's Heart (1956) 7.0
Flowing (1956) 9.5
Untamed Woman (1957) 8.0
Little Peach / Anzukko (1958) 7.5
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960) 9.5
A Wanderer's Notebook / Her Lovely Lane (1962) 7.5
Yearning (1964) 10.0

[Weeping_Guitar]

Repast (1951) - 9.5
Okaasan (1952) - 8.5
Lightning (1952) - 8
Older Brother, Younger Sister (1953) - 8
Sound of the Mountain (1954) - 8.5
Late Chrysanthemums (1954) - 7
Floating Clouds (1955) 7.5
Flowing (1956) - 7.5
Untamed (1957) - 7
Summer Clouds (1958) - 8
Daughters, Wives and a Mother (1960) - 7.5
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960) - 8.5
Yearning (1964) - 9
The Stranger Within a Woman (1966) - 7
Scattered Clouds (1967) - 7.5

[Mysterious Dude]

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs - 5.5

[MacGuffin]

*crickets*

[Boner M]

Repast - 7
Sound of the Mountain - 7.5

[Yxklyx]

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs - 5

[MacGuffin]

Fives, seriously?

[B-side]

Floating Clouds - 6

[StanleyK]

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs - 6

[Derek]

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs - 5.5


When a Woman Ascends the Stairs - 5


Floating Clouds - 6


When a Woman Ascends the Stairs - 6

Consider yourselves neg-repped in my mind.

[B-side]

Consider yourselves neg-repped in my mind.

Hey, at least a 6 is a positive rating. Plus, you can't neg-rep me on my birthday, even it is only mentally!:P

[Philosophe_rouge]

Repast 8

[soitgoes...]

Hey, at least a 6 is a positive rating. Plus, you can't neg-rep me on my birthday, even it is only mentally!:P
Happy Birthday! You're still wrong after all these months! Hope the next year brings you better taste! :P

[B-side]

Happy Birthday! You're still wrong after all these months! Hope the next year brings you better taste! :P

God, I hope so, too.:lol:

Thanks.

[Russ]

So, no more votes? :sad:

I noticed one interesting trend: as Derek had pointed out, there were a few voters, who had only seen one Naruse film, and had given rather low scores (in 5-6 range). Yet it all cases, the films in question are generally regarded as some of his masterpieces (by the critical consensus that I've researched).

I feel I was fortunate when I began going through his filmography to have made a conscious effort to start with his lesser-known films (with the exception of Floating Clouds, which was one of the first I saw). I saved most of all the films that critics consider his masterworks for last. I feel like the time I spent going through his "lesser" work may have helped set me up positively for his more popular films, or at least given me a feel for the artist, which may or may not have contributed towards my generous ratings for his later work.

I would encourage folks to not give up on him. I know availability is an issue, but let's hope Criterion continues to address that.

I know one thing: if nothing else, these films led to discovery and appreciation of Hideko Takamine. Just the work she did with Naruse places her in my top three actresses ever. Yes, she's that good.

[MacGuffin]

So, no more votes? :sad:

I'll try.

[Stay Puft]

Wife! Be Like a Rose! - 9

I wanted to watch another before posting ratings, but it probably won't happen, so there it is, the one Naruse film I've seen.

[soitgoes...]

So, no more votes? :sad:

I noticed one interesting trend: as Derek had pointed out, there were a few voters, who had only seen one Naruse film, and had given rather low scores (in 5-6 range). Yet it all cases, the films in question are generally regarded as some of his masterpieces (by the critical consensus that I've researched).

I feel I was fortunate when I began going through his filmography to have made a conscious effort to start with his lesser-known films (with the exception of Floating Clouds, which was one of the first I saw). I saved most of all the films that critics consider his masterworks for last. I feel like the time I spent going through his "lesser" work may have helped set me up positively for his more popular films, or at least given me a feel for the artist, which may or may not have contributed towards my generous ratings for his later work.

I would encourage folks to not give up on him. I know availability is an issue, but let's hope Criterion continues to address that.

I know one thing: if nothing else, these films led to discovery and appreciation of Hideko Takamine. Just the work she did with Naruse places her in my top three actresses ever. Yes, she's that good.
His films are mostly a variation of a theme that he worked on throughout his career. With me I jived with him right away. I've said it before, but he has some similarities to Ozu (my favorite). Whereas Ozu's drama was cross-generational, Naruse dealt with cross-gender problems, both weighing heavily on traditional vs. modern values. They both stayed in the present, rarely if ever diving into period pieces. It's these similarities that really drew me into Naruse's work. I was so ecstatic after watching my first Naruse (Repast). Here was a filmmaker I could immediately relate to because of my love for Ozu, but at the same time he was giving me something totally new and fresh. Where Ozu would pull back by the end of his film to leave you with the feeling that his families will work through their problems, Naruse was never afraid to leave the film on the most pessimistic of notes. Where Ozu utilized a static camera, Naruse's was dynamic (especially in his early work).

I can understand the dislike for both filmmaker's based on a small sample, especially when they are held up to their contemporaries. But when you get deep into their filmographies and you're able to see the totality of their work, that's when they truly become special. Renoir's quote (I think it was him), "A director makes only one movie in his life. Then he breaks it into pieces and makes it again," was the perfect description for Naruse and Ozu.

[origami_mustache]

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs - 8
Floating Clouds - 9
Scattered Clouds - 8

[dreamdead]

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs - 8.5

[dreamdead]

I'll get this calibrated tomorrow, folks. Derek, Russ, WG, and soitgoes just had to make it challenging for me... :lol:

[Llopin]

Hope I'm not too late.

Wife, be like a Rose!- 8
A Working Family - 7.5
Meshi - 8
Lightning - 9
Okaasan - 7
Tsuma - 8
The Sound of the Mountain - 8.5
Floating Clouds - 7.5
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs - 8.5
Scattered Clouds - 9

[soitgoes...]

Dreamdead, to help you out with some duplicates:

Meshi=Repast
Tsuma=Wife

[dreamdead]

Dreamdead, to help you out with some duplicates:


Definitely appreciate the correction before I started tallying.

Results:
Yearning – 9.375 (4)
Floating Clouds – 8.9285 (7)
Wife! Be Like a Rose – 8.8 (5)
Sound of the Mountain – 8.333 (6)
Lightning – 8.3 (5)
Oksaan – 8.25 (4)
Repast – 8.0714 (7)
Scattered Clouds – 7.833 (6)
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs – 7.6667 (12)

Did Not Qualify:
Spring Awakens (1947) - 9.5 (1)
Sudden Rain (1956) - 9.0 (1)
Every Night Dreams – 8.75 (2)
Three Sisters with Maiden Hearts – 8.5 (2)
Learn from Experience, Pt. 1 (1937) - 8.5 (1)
Learn from Experience, Pt. 2 (1937) - 8.0 (1)
Anzukko – 8 (2)
Older Brother, Younger Sister – 8 (1)
Apart from You – 8 (1)
Her Lonely Lane – 7.75 (2)
Summer Clouds – 7.5 (2)
Hideko, the Bus Conductress – 7.5 (2)
Daughter, Wives and a Mother – 7.5 (2)
A Woman’s Sorrows – 7.5 (1)
The Girl in the Rumor – 7.5 (2)
Wife – 7.25 (2)
Late Chrysanthemums – 7.1667 (3)
Untamed – 7.1667 (3)
The Road I Travel with You – 7 (1)
Stranger within a Woman – 7 (1)
Flowing – 7 (2)
A Working Family – 7 (2)
Avalanche – 6.75 (2)
A Wife’s Heart – 6.5 (2)
The Actress and the Poet – 6.5 (1)
Wife – 6.5 (1)
The Song Lantern – 6 (1)
Dancing Girl – 6 (1)
Okuni and Gohei – 5.75 (2)
Ginza Cosmetics – 5.75 (2)
Angry Street (1950) - 5.5 (1)
Five Men in the Circus – 5.5 (1)
The Wife of Drama – 5.5 (1)

Most viewed: soitgoes
Definitely not a part of Match-Cut’s Asian Cult: Mikio Naruse

[Llopin]

I think it's pretty remarkable that his most well known work outside Japan (When a Woman Ascends the Stairs) has been chosen as his lesser work. It's both disturbing and amusing, I guess it speaks for the director's quality.

[Russ]

I'm just glad that Yearning snagged 11th place (between Los Olvidados and The Godfather) in our Directors Hall of Fame list. Such a fantastic movie. It's the one Naruse film that everyone should see.

[soitgoes...]

I think it's pretty remarkable that his most well known work outside Japan (When a Woman Ascends the Stairs) has been chosen as his lesser work. It's both disturbing and amusing, I guess it speaks for the director's quality.
It's in direct correlation with what Russ said earlier in the thread. Since it's the only Naruse with a Region 1 release (sad), it's the best, and only in most cases, chance for someone to jump into his vast canon. Three mediocre ratings pulled down the whole score. Films like Yearning and Floating Clouds take more effort to track down, and it seems they are watched by those who have seen multiple Naruse films (the exception is Brightside who single handedly kept Floating Clouds out of the HoF :evil:). Which in a way is my fault since I recommended it to him. ;)

Still I have to say I'm impressed that he had 9 films qualify.

[Boner M]

Halfway through Flowing right now and guiltily bored out of my mind. Will re-attempt tomorrow and feel like a bad cinephile for the meantime.

[baby doll]

I guess it's never too late...

Flunky, Work Hard! (1931) 6
No Blood Relation (1932) 4
Apart From You (1933) 7
Every Night Dreams (1933) 8
Street Without End (1934) 6
The Actress and the Poet (1935) 4
Wife, Be Like a Rose! (1935) 10
The Girl in the Rumour (1935) 8
Morning's Tree-Lined Street (1936) 9
Hideko, the Bus Conductress (1941) 5
Repast (1951) 9
Lightning (1952) 9
Mother (1952) 8
Older Brother, Younger Sister (1953) 6
Wife (1953) 6
Late Chrysanthemums (1954) 7
The Sound of the Mountain (1954) 8
Floating Clouds (1955) 9
Flowing (1956) 4
Sudden Rain (1956) 9
A Wife's Heart (1956) 6
Daughter, Wife, Mother (1960) 5
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960) 10
A Wanderer's Notebook (aka, Her Lonely Lane) (1962) 4
Yearning (1964) 9
The Stranger Within a Woman (1966) 7
Scattered Clouds (1967) 6