Description

Told alternately from the vantage point of a two-year-old boy and his fretting first-time parents, this bright and simple story defines the joys of life in the way the lovable toddler endlessly investigates the world.Looking through little Taro's eyes, we understand the fascination with climbing stairs and the mysteries of the man on the moon.Only Taro's aged grandmother, whose doting ways come into conflict with her daughter-in-law's child-rearing rules, grasps life as zealously as the boy does.Ichikawa's sweet and funny family portrait touchingly illustrates both the impact of the generation gap and the strength of familial bonds. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Pleasant
Cute look at a young couple raising a toddler. Can they agree on how to parent him? Are they neglectful, over-anxious or just simply typical? What will moving in with grandma entail? How might the boy perceive the adults' actions and what might explain some of his? From renowned director Kon Ichikawa. Had to have had at least a minor influence on the Look Who's Talking trilogy, this, to my knowledge, the first film where a not-yet-talking child's "thoughts" are relayed. Pleasant, wholesome... ... Read more

Reviews (2)

"Camp"--the pursuit of style
If film is about the pursuit of style, Ichikawa Kon does the best. From one scene to another, Kon demonstrates that the pleasure of movie does not lie in "content," but the stylish movement.

Kon experiments this philosophy in his other films, such as "The Tokyo Olympiad" (a documentary of the Tokyo Olympics in 1964) and "The Makioka Sisters."

It's truly a shame that this VHS version is out of print. Someone MUST release this film on DVD.

Entertaining
The greatest difficulty for the viewer is in deciding how to take this film. The story at its most basic is this: a kabuki actor famed for playing women finds the three men who drove his father to madness and his mother to suicide. Bent on revenge he takes advantage of the love of the daughter of one of these men and turns the men against eachother until, in the end all three are dead as is the daughter. Having never wanted to have taken this revenge and grieved at the death of the daughter, the actor leaves and is never seen again. However we are not meant to be emotionally rapt through all of this. There is a backing cast of wacky and sometimes noble characters, mostly theives, that bring a great bit of light humour into the mix. As it is, we must take it as neither drama nor comedy, but something approximating both. It is no masterpiece of cinema, but it ends up being a very enjoyable film to watch. The lighting and cinematographical technique used throughout is very impressive. It creates a dramatic setting similar to the stage on kabuki company performs their fanciful dramas. This film too is another fanciful production. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Two pigheads are stronger than one
During a wedding celebration Mr. Hirayama (Shin Saburi) makes a humorous speech: Bride and bridegroom are already lovers, his own marriage was not a love-match...His own wife smiles and keeps silent. Other jokes are cracked: it seems that only men who are weaker than their wives beget sons - Hirayama has two daughters...

Setsuko (Ineko Arima), the elder one, is of marriageable age, a matter he is prepared to consider. He has, of course, his own conception of her future. The problem is that Setsuko has her own conception too. And so has her younger sister: "I'm going to find a husband by myself. I know many boys!". Other parents worry about their daughters too: Mr. Shotaru (Chishu Ryu), for instance: his daughter left him after a quarrel. She lives with her boyfriend and works in the "Luna-bar". Will Hirayama please inquire after her health? Her father has not the courage to face her...Hirayama's hypochondriac sister is in Tokyo too. She is hunting for a son in law. Her prey: a young doctor. She is so eager to get her daughter Yokiko married, that she is prepared to undergo a complete medical check-up. But Yokiko is smart: she feigns interest only because she thinks the trip is good for her mother's health...Setsuko and Yokiko agree: "Parents should stop acting as matchmakers". They promise to help each other. The Hirayamas make an excursion with their daughters, probably the last one before Setsuko's marriage. They remember the war. Hirayama hated it, but his wife misses the feeling of fellowship. He decided to speed up Setsuko's marriage...

...Not speedy enough: Next morning, a good-looking young man asks for his daughter's hand. He is in a hurry since he has been transfered to Hiroshima. Originally, Setsuko intended to break the news gently to her father...Hirayama grills his daughter, but she is determined to take the responsibility for her life in her own hands. Hirayama goes to the "Luna-bar" with one of his employees. This young man is well-known in this bar, and the presence of his boss pains him. Shotaru's daughter is happy with her boyfriend. She quarreled with her father because "Only his view counts". Hirayama is able to bring about a reconciliation. But he remains stubborn vis a vis his own daughter. He does not trust her: "Do you have an affair?". Yokiko pounces upon her uncle with a problem: She's in love. But her mother is against her suitor because it's not the one she selected. Since Hirayama does not think highly of his sister, he sides with his niece - and walks into her trap - her story was just fabricated; She hurries to the phone to tell Setsuko that her father consents in her marriage...Hirayama is sulking. He still opposes the marriage he did not arrange himself, and, since he cannot prevent it, he refuses to attend it. He is forced to accept congratulations and listen to his younger daughter's stories how much in love Setsuko and her intended are. Setsuko pretends that she does not mind marrying without her father's blessing, but secretly she cries. At last, Hirayama, still grumpy, agrees to be present. "For what do you need me?" Parents want to have a say...but one cannot live always in the past. When Yokiko visits her uncle again he is able to laugh at her act. She reveals that her mother only pretends to find her a husband: She is afraid to let her daughter go...Hirayama gives her the advice to take her future in her own hands because: "When children are happy, their parents are happy too". He has a bad conscience, because he did not smile once during the wedding. And now his daughter lives in Hiroshima. At last his sister has a good idea: Take the next train!

Another Ozu, another delight. My first one was love at the first sight, my fourth one is already an old acquaintance. No dissolves, the camera looks up to the faces (this makes sense, since the Japanese sit on the floor, except when they sit on the barstool, of course). The faces are familiar, and so is the scenery...Ozu's films offer intriguing insights into the fast socio-cultural changes of post-war Japan. He describes perhaps better than any other director the impact of american lifestyle on a tradition-conscious society. His protagonists are everyday's heroes, not the artistically superelevated figures of Shakespeare's plays or american westerns. I know: Kurosawa's light dazzles. But Ozu's warms.

Entertaining film
Although Equinox Flower may not be in the same league as Ozu's Tokyo Story or Late Spring, it is still a very entertaining movie. The plot centers around the Hirayama family. The father, played by Shin Saburi, seems to enjoy saying one thing, but doing another. At a wedding reception, he praises the bride and groom for choosing to marry out of love. But in his own home, the father is busy preparing an "arranged marriage" for his elder daughter. You'll no doubt smile and shake your head at his behavior.

This movie is noteworthy because of the appearance of actress Fujiko Yamamoto who earlier gained fame as the first Miss Japan. She plays a friend of Hirayama's elder daughter. There are also a few cultural jokes in this film that Western viewers may miss. In one scene, an intrusive guest named Mrs. Sasaki heads to the bathroom at the Hirayama home. She sees an upside-down broom and turns it rightside-up. In the old Japan, an upside-down broom indicated the homeowners didn't want visitors that day.

This is probably one of Ozu's funniest films, though I wouldn't necessarily label it a comedy. The story of the father is told with a sense of compassion. Rather than condemning him, Ozu allows us to watch as the ol' man slowly comes to the realization that the world around him is changing and that maybe he needs to change as well.

Start your Ozu experience with Equinox Flower
Equinox Flower was my first Ozu film. Now I have seen many of his films,but I think I was very lucky starting with this film. Equinox Flower is a bitter sweet comedy. It is not so serious as his best film Tokyo Story. It is relaxing and enjoyable. And you can learn the extreme beauty of Japanese way of life. Everything on the screen is neatly arranged and the colors are so beautiful.
Ozu had a very good taste for deep red color. He always wanted to put something red among the props. Look at Yamamoto,Fujiko's beautiful green color kimono. All the colors are not so bright and very gentle to your eyes.
Naniwa,Chieko is the funniest character in this film. Saburi,Shin played a typical Japanese gentleman here,and Yamamoto Fujiko proved to be one of the best comedienne in those days

Ozu's first color film.
Ozu's first color film is a carefully told epic about family struggles and the clash of different traditions and cultures. Being one of his trademarks, Ozu uses long shots and almost never close-ups. The rhythm of the film flows calmly and steady.

Along with Ozu's "Tokyo Story", "Equinox Flower" is one of the most precious films of world cinema and a stunning work of art that offers such great sympathy for its characters. Surely not to be missed !

ozu's first color film
as with every other major cinematic advancement ozu held out against color as long as he possibly could but his use of color in "equinox flower" and later films is just as inventive and seemingly effortless as in his black and white compositions. the director's color scheme shows up surprisingly well in this solid vhs transfer from the folks at new yorker films, whose reliability in terms of picture quality for their videos is sometimes questionable. as for the film itself the plot is a variation on the usual ozu schpiel about marriage and its consequences. the focus is, as always, more on character than plot and the film is has many well-drawn characters. "equinox flower" is highly enjoyable and certainly one of ozu's less demanding films. however, in this case it's a bit more of a curse than a blessing: in the end the film feels somewhat slight and it's not nearly as profound or memorable as ozu's best work. though i wouldnt recommend that anyone go out of their way to dig it up it's most definitely worth a look. ... Read more