Toronto Silent Film Festival continues with a tribute to Master Japanese Director Mikio Naruse
Live accompaniment by Tania Gill
“In the West Mikio Naruse is the least well known of the big four directors of Japan’s golden age of cinema. Yasujiro Ozu, Akira Kurosawa and Kenji Mizoguchi have all become touch points for their meticulous style and/ or their heroic narratives. Naruse is probably best known, like Mizoguchi, for his “women’s films”, often cautionary tales of women in Japanese society, but in his early silent works Naruse was a much more diverse and dynamic filmmaker. I hope that the double bill of ‘Flunky, Work Hard!’ And ‘Apart From You’ will introduce audiences to the Naruse who wasn’t afraid to laugh, to experiment, and to shift his eye beyond the plight of Japanese women in early 20th century to all members of society.”-programmer Chris MaGee
Apart From You 1933
A clash of generations confronting a changing world contrasts the life an aging geisha, Kikue, working to support her rebellious teenage son who is ashamed of her profession, with the youthful Terugiko, a woman who harbours deep bitterness toward her family for pushing her into a profession she considers humiliating. As with all Naruse films, the camera movement and expressive editing follow closely the development of the relationships between these three giving it balance and maturity.
Preceded by: Flunky, Work Hard! 1931 Japan
Mikio Naruse’s earliest extant film is the rare work by the director not to center around female characters. It is a charming, breezy short concerning an insurance salesman and his scrappy son, whose constant fights with the other boys put his father’s livelihood in jeopardy.
Introduced by Chris MaGee
The programme is co-presented by the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre
Mikio Naruse’s earliest extant film is the rare work by the director not to center around female characters. It is a charming, breezy short concerning an insurance salesman and his scrappy son, whose constant fights with the other boys put his father’s livelihood in jeopardy.
Introduced by Chris MaGee
The programme is co-presented by the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre
The programme is supported by a grant from the Japan Foundation (Toronto)
Make it part of your Festival Pass or Saturday Pass or just enjoy the films. Festival runs April 14-16
