Twenty-Four Eyes

About the Production of the Movie:
Twenty-four eyes (二十四の瞳, Nijushi no Hitomi) is a 1954 black-and-white film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. It is based on the 1952 novel of the same name written by Sakae Tsuboi.


Plot:
Oishi-sensei is a teacher who takes over another teacher's place after she gets married. She becomes the teacher of a class of twelve 1st graders, and ultimately plays the role of a second mother figure. This movie follows the life of all the characters, showing what happens to each of them as they grow older in a period of time where war was imminent. 


Themes/Important Details:


War
"Don't see, hear, or talk. We teachers have a duty, we prepare our students to serve the nation." (Principal to Oishi-sensei)

During the warring state of time, teachers in Japan were supposed to encourage students, especially males, to support the war and to do their share in helping their country win. For females, this meant giving encouragement to the males. For males, this meant getting ready to sacrifice their lives to fight. While most teachers did their jobs, Oishi-sensei was the only character in this movie who did not support the notion of war. She was against it, but could not speak much about being against it as it would make her look like a communist. Most of the male students grew up to become soldiers, but many of them ended up dying as a result. Takeichi and Nita were some of the students who had died in war. Sonki had survived the war, but was blind as a result. Kic-chan was the only one who had led a "normal happy" life as a fisherman. As Oishi-sensei had mentioned, war was a reason why so many good people had died.

*Oishi-sensei's first son was named Daikichi. His name could mean "great luck". Oishi-sensei had mentioned Takeichi to Daikichi, and how Takeichi had decided to go off to war but unfortunately died. Perhaps Oishi-sensei named her son "great luck" so that he would be lucky not to be drafted into war.

Communism
Anyone who looked suspicious and might have been a communist was arrested and interrogated. It was seen as being against the country, or being unpatriotic. In this movie, one teacher (Kataoka-sensei) was arrested simply due to suspicion of being a communist. He was let go after there was a lack of evidence. Oishi-sensei had received a book that was anti-war and supported communism, and she had shared some of the written essays with her class. It was noted that the principal quickly burned the book and reprimanded Oishi-sensei on doing so. He later on also scolds her for asking her class about communists and capitalists. Such talk was considered taboo.

Gender
It was noted that most of the personal problems that appeared in this movie belonged to the girls. Matsue lost her mother and her baby sister and was separated from her father when she was adopted by someone else, forcing her to quit school. She became a waitress in a restaurant. Fujiko was a poor girl who had to leave school due to money problems and moved away. Masuno gave up her love for music and left school, and ended up working in her family's restaurant. Another girl had promised her mother that she would give up school so that she would be able to go on the class field trip. Kotoe went to Osaka to become a maid for her mother's sake, but ended up contracting tuberculosis and was forced to come back home. She was shunned by her family and ended up dying due to the disease. 

While the children were writing about their future, it was noted how dark the future was for the females. The males all wanted to become soldiers, but the females had a variety of thoughts. Fujiko was not able to write anything and considered herself to not even have a future, as she was very poor. One girl had mentioned that she wished she was born a boy instead of a girl. Another mentioned that if women were jobless, they would have no future and would not be able to survive. It was almost as if it was bad luck to be born a girl. Out of the three children Oishi-sensei ended up having, she lost her only girl child, Yatsue, who fell out of a tree. 

Compared to the girls, it seemed as most of the boys were able to continue their schooling. One boy had ended up leaving school to become a pawnbroker's assistant in Osaka, but was able to go to night-school while learning. Misako was one girl who had managed to continue schooling, and had a beautiful wedding at the end. Sanae also managed to become a school teacher after graduating from college.

Music:
The song about the crows was often sung by Oishi-sensei and her students. At the end of the movie, there are only seven students left out of the original twelve. One part of the lyrics, "Mother crow why do you sing so sadly? Because she left a child of seven in the mountain," seems to be symbolic. Oishi-sensei spent one year as their teacher, and if you add up each remaining student's year, then it comes to be the total of seven years as mentioned in the song.

Towards the end, the children were singing a song about a "glow of the fire in the village", which meant that villages were on fire. Many of the children songs sung contained dark themes.

Questions:

1. Why do you think it was mostly the girls who had so many problems with staying in school?
2. Do you think there was a correlation between staying in school and happiness?
3. Before Matsue had left school, she had mentioned wanting a lily-designed lunch box, and there was a closeup of the lunch box after Oishi-sensei bought one for her. What do you think was the purpose of the lily? (The white lily symbolizes purity/chastity)
4. When the boys were sailing off to war, what do you think was the meaning of the ribbons that were held by the soldiers and their loved ones?
5. Why do you think almost all the boys wanted to become soldiers?
6. What was the purpose of the bike?

Floating Clouds (1955)

Floating Clouds

Floating Clouds (浮雲, Ukigumo) is a black-and-white Japanese film directed by Mikio Naruse in 1955. This film is based on a novel with the same title written by Fumiko Hayashi in 1951.

Casting

Yukiko Koda: Hideko Takamine

Kengo Tomioka: Masayuki Mori

Sei Mukai: Mariko Okada

Sugio Iba: Isao Yamagata

Kuniko Tomioka: Chieko Nakakita

Seikichi Mukai: Daisuke Kato

Plot

The film starts with Yukiko Koda's return to Japan from French Indochina, specifically Da Lat, Vietnam. In Da Lat, she worked as a secretary for the forestry office. She falls in love with Tomioka, who is a married man. When they come back to Japan, situations change, and Tomioka goes back to his wife, who has been waiting for him the entire time. However, Tomioka visits Yukiko and continues to have an affair with her. Even when he is with her, he still plays around with other women. In the end, Yukiko follows Tomioka to Yaku-shima, and meets a tragic ending.

War

First thing that comes to mind, when watching this film, is war. The film's background is after Japan's defeat in the war. People come back to Japan from abroad, such as Borneo and Da Lat (Vietnam). Many things are changed, and people have harder time to move on in their lives due to the poor economy, and also because of their mentality of being empty and aloof from the reality. In my opinion, this also affects the emotional stability, which is shown clearly in this film through main characters, Tomioka and Yukiko. For instance, it is quite apparent that Yukiko is mentally unstable, given that she always looks for someone to depend on. When Tomioka is back with his wife, Yukiko meets an American soldier and has a very superficial relationship with him, showing how Yukiko had to have someone to depend on, for the one she used to depend on is gone. It is also shown in Tomioka's state of mind; it is actually shown in the movie through Tomioka's wife's lines, saying how even though Tomioka is physically back in Japan, he seems as if he is still away from home. If the person who lives with him feels that way, I think it is quite clear in how Tomioka could not settle back in Japan well. Additionally, the unstable economy and country's situation directly influences families in many ways, and this is shown through unstable relationships, such as affairs. For example, Tomioka's marriage becomes unstable as their household becomes unfortunate due to financial reasons (and, of course, I also believe that it is Tomioka's tendency to play with so many women, too). Even after his wife dies and he gets back with Yukiko, he still turns his eyes around to other women. This shows that Tomioka is unstable in both psychological and financial terms. Not only Tomioka, but Yukiko also moves around place to place, and never settles down. This is shown in the film through "life transition" scenes, such as Yukiko moving in with Sugio Iba at the temple, where she is not emotionally attached, yet financially fulfilled. This shows how the war created the unstable state in people's minds. Thus, they are always "floating" around like "clouds."

Flashback

During the film, you can see many flashback scenes. I would even say that the movie is focused more on the flashback scenes, rather than what is portrayed in the present time. They are mostly Yukiko and Tomioka's happy time spent together in Da Lat, Vietnam, during the war time, where they could have exploration in jungles, yet it is seen more as a romantic getaway. In my opinion, these flashback scenes show how Yukiko and Tomioka never actually "returned" to Japan. That is, although they are physically back in Japan, they never mentally returned. They are always reminiscing the old times in Da Lat and how happy they were, forgetting all the reality problems, especially marriage and other responsibilities they have in their actual lives.Therefore, whenever Tomioka and Yukiko meet up, they think of the happy and romantic days back in Da Lat, trying to get away from the reality, in effort to hide away from their responsibilities.
After Yukiko dies, the last flashback scene appears, in which Yukiko looks very free and happy. From this scene, I thought that Yukiko could not go through Japan's loss on the war, and her only escape was now gone that she did not have any more reason to cling on to her life. Although she had Tomioka with her at the end, this was still very different from their times in Da Lat. After watching the film, I thought how Yukiko tried to "own" Tomioka, believing that her happy and lovely times will come back to her life, even in Japan, yet the reality was different from her ideal, worsening her physical conditions.

Clothing Style

Yukiko's clothes are very diverse, and it clearly shows her financial situation and the general environment she is in. Her clothing style in Da Lat is very westernized and fancy. However, back in Japan, she wears old clothes with fewer patterns, showing how it's less stylish; it also shows that not only Yukiko, but many people don't have time or money to afford luxurious clothes. However, when she goes into a relationship with an American solider, her style changes again, along with her hairstyle. I think she changed her style to live up to her new lover's standards, and to look attractive to him. Everything changes yet again, when the American solider leaves and she gets back with Tomioka. Unfortunately, her poor financial status does not let her to buy pretty clothes and what not. These conditions change when she parts with Tomioka and goes to Iba at the temple. She is now well off and is dressed in better clothes. All these descriptions, however, I think shows her personality. There is a saying that one's wardrobe shows his or her personality. This applies very well to Yukiko's case. Yukiko always tries to cover up her secrets or other emotions through clothing that matches the situations. Also, the variety in clothes shows how she does not know where to settle down. This again leads back to my opinion that she is mentally unstable.

Music

In this film, music was well used to describe the atmosphere of each scene, and also emphasize the characters' emotions. For example, when the scene shows Yukiko in Da Lat, the music is rather exotic; it is different from a traditional Japanese style music. This can be compared easily when the scene suddenly changes back to a poor room Yukiko is in Tokyo after the return. Through these musical elements, it makes easier for audiences to understand and feel what kind of situations they are going through. 

Discussion Questions (Presentation)

• If you speak Japanese, do you think the translation of the film is fair?
• Who do you think is the "floating cloud"?
• Do you think Yukiko is naive for following Tomioka til the end?
• Do you think Tomioka sincerely loves Yukiko?
• Why is Tomioka so popular among women?

Stella Dallas

         The film Stella Dallas (1937) is a film based on the novel by Olive Higgins Prouty. There are many melodramatic elements of this film. To begin with, we will start with a synopsis.

          Stella Martin, the main character, grows up in a very poor family and shows her desire to reach a higher social level that is only possible marriage. Stella meets a wealthy man, Stephen Dallas, after reading about his misfortune in the newspaper and setting up a “chance encounter” with him when she goes to bring her brother lunch at work. Eventually Stephen and Stella marry and have a daughter, Laurel. Stephen takes a job in New York and asks Stella to move with him, but she refuses for fear of losing her recently achieved high status and friends such as Ed Mudd. Laurel stays with Stella and visits her father on occasion. Stephen then runs into his ex-fiancé, Helen Morrison, and her three boys at a local shop in New York. The two rekindle their romance and Stephen moves in with her. Stella realizes that she can never give Laurel the things she would need to achieve the status of young lady that Helen Morrison and Stephen Dallas can provide her. She decides to send Laurel to live with them, and when Laurel realizes this, she returns home only to find that Stella has decided to “move away with Ed Mudd- a man who has since turned into a poor drunk.” Laurel returns to her father and Helen’s and eventually marries a young gentleman. The film ends with Stella watching Laurel’s wedding through a window outside the house in the pouring rain. She walks away with a smile on her face.
            Some melodramatic themes that we see in this film are family relationships and conflicts, and the focus on wealth and social class. In terms of family relationships, Stella marries Stephen Dallas in order to achieve his social status. We see that Ed Munn, whom Stella believes can help her achieve an even higher level of social status, plays an important role in the film. At first, Ed seems as an instrument that Stella will be able to use to her advantage. Ultimately, Ed turns out to be a drunk who seems to hold Stella back from moving up in the modern society- something that she only seems to realize it is too late. We also see the importance of the mother daughter relationship that has often been used to create a connection with female audiences. Stella and Laurel have an innate relationship and love for one another- one that almost nothing can break through. This creates a lot of space for conflict. We also see the relationship between Stephen and Stella fall apart and the relationship between Stephen and Helen blossom. Helen is not portrayed as a villain, surprisingly, but rather as one of the only characters who can actually see through Stella's act. She is almost a comforting character, and we see even Stella turn to her in her time of need.

            From the beginning, the audience can see the importance that Stella places on wealth and social status. She seems obsessed with it. We see that this obsession eventually leads to the downfall of her marriage and life in general. For instance, when Stephen has a lawyer request a divorce from Stella, she concludes that it is about money and that she will give Laurel all of the fancy and expensive things that she wants. Stella goes over the top and does not see that the world’s version of high class has become far more modern and less in your face. She fails miserably at the new high class. We also see Helen Morrison as the perfect form of this new high class.

           Another important conflict that we see is the conflict between roles. Linda Williams refers to this conflict between roles in Stella Dallas as the conflict between “womanly desire and motherly duty” (Williams 1984). This conflict surrounds the majority of the plot. Stella dreams of being a good mother and tries her hardest to be one, however ultimately Stella’s desire to be part of the superior group in society is the downfall of her ability to also be a good mother. Stella seems to be using Laurel as a way to make up for her inferiority by giving Laurel everything that she would desire and that would make her a high-class young lady. Stella seems as though she sees Laurel as “her double” (Williams 1984). As Williams also points out in her chapter "Something Else Besides a Mother", “in these films it is quite remarkable how frequently the self-sacrificing mother must make her sacrifice that of the connection to her children- either for her or their own good.” Stella makes this sacrifice when she realizes that she cannot give Laurel what she needs. By asking Helen Morrison to have Laurel live with her and Stephen Dallas, Stella is doing what she feels is in the best interest of the child. Helen Morrison can provide Laurel everything that Stella wishes she could but has realized she cannot.

One interesting part is when Stella and Laurel are in bunk beds after the scene at the country club where Stella is dressed excessively and elaborately and all of Laurel’s friends make fun of her. Stella hears Laurel’s friends while they are laying in bed and knows that she is holding Laurel back. Laurel, who is on the top bunk, comes down to the bottom bunk where her mother is and climbs into bed with her. In a way, this could represent Stella holding Laurel at a certain lower level (the lower bunk) and Laurel always coming back to where Stella remains.

The ending of the film is especially dramatic, with Stella watching her daughter reach the status and marriage that she never had but always desired. From the outside of the house, Stella watches her only child get married, without Laurel's knowledge, and then walks away slowly in the rain, smiling, as if things in life have finally worked out for the one person she has always loved.

Shina no yoru / China Nights

Historical Context:

Shina no yoru or China Nights, a Japanese film released in 1940 by the Manchurian Film Company, is best known as a piece of wartime propaganda. It is set in Shanghai, China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. This war took place from 1937-1941 and was fought between China and Japan. It is known as the largest Asian war in the 20^th century, where Japanese imperialist policy aimed to dominate China politically and militarily and to secure its raw material reserves and other economic resources. During this time period, cinematic excursions into China increased. Shina no yoru is appealing because its melodramatic framework uses emotional persuasion to advance a political cause. Furthermore, its settings, especially the hotel and Manchurian battle space, was considered "exotic" at the time.

Main Characters:
-Keiran, a Chinese orphan played by a Japanese actress; the film's "heroine"
-Mr. Hase, a Japanese soldier who ends up taking in Keiran and marrying her; the film's "hero"
-Toshiko, a model of the “modern 1940 woman”
-The hotel "mom"

Historical Relationships:

Naomi Ginoza argues in Dissonance to Affinity: An Ideological Analysis of Japanese Cinema in the 1930s that Mr. Hase’s compassionate and friendly personality is an allusion to “wakyo gaiko” (diplomacy of peace and cooperation) initiated under Foreign Minister Hirota Koki. I am not so sure that I agree with this argument. I do think that Mr. Hase is benevolent from the fact that he takes Keiran in off the streets, but his physical violence towards her and his mentality that he owns her would not signal to me that he is supposed to represent Japan’s “friendly” diplomacy towards China in the mid-1930s. I saw his character as more complex and problematic than Ginoza describes and if anything I would argue that he represents more of the “bully” side of Japan than the “friend” side during this time period.

Ginoza also argues that Shina no yoru makes an effort to achieve political mediation via femininity. Again, I am not so sure that I agree with this argument. Yes, it is true that Keiran, a woman, transforms from an anti-Japanese orphan to a supportive Japanese wife, but is this really political mediation? And yes Toshiko is supportive of Keiran and Mr. Hase’s relationship, but again is this really political mediation? I would have liked to have seen more grappling with what the raw issues between China and Japan were rather than just seeing generic anger from a Chinese individual go away due to a relationship with a Japanese “hero.” 

Themes:
Fluidity of cultural identity/masquerade: Yamaguchi Yoshiko/Ri Koran, a Japanese actress/singer, plays Keiran, a Chinese orphan. I liked that this actress/singer represents how culture is fluid and not a static category, but I did not like how she “passed” as a “dirty” Chinese woman and then turned into a well-put together Japanese woman. Her character almost seemed to present the fantasy of a China that desired Japan.

Repetition of speech: Keiran consistently repeats herself in short phrases. I believe that this repetition of speech aids in the pressure that builds throughout the film.

Death: Near the end of the film, a soldier announces to Keiran that Mr. Hase has died in battle. Even though she does not believe that he is dead, it almost seems as though she is ready to commit suicide in the last scene when she enters the water neck deep. However, Mr. Hase ends up living after-all and “saves” Keiran. The film ends with them reunited and the viewer assumes that they live happily ever after. This ending is quite different from some of the works we have read/watched recently. Even though the film does end happily, I do not think that it takes away from the melodramatic essence of the story.  There are also a few other scenes that grapple with the theme of death to include the shoot-out scene where we think Mr. Hase may have been shot and the cemetery scene where Keiran is visiting her deceased brother. 

 Community gossip: There are several scenes where people in the hotel are gossiping about Mr. Hase and Keiran. This reminded me of Far From Heaven where the women in the community would gossip about Raymond and Mrs. Whitaker. I believe that this type of community gossiping intensifies the characters that they are gossiping about actions.

Transformation: Keiran transforms from a Chinese orphan to a loyal Japanese wife. This transformation is not just on an internal or legal level; it also happens physically since she takes a bath and receives beautiful clothing and jewelry.

Patriotism: When Mr. Hase is called off to war, there seems to be much more of a sense of pride and obligation than a sense of worry or resentment on both Mr. Hase and Keiran’s part. It’s clear that Keiran is sad about the situation but she seems to understand how important it is for Mr. Hase to leave.

Physical aggression:  When watching Golden Demon, we discussed how the threat of physical aggression was certainly there but never really advanced to more than pushing around. However, in Shina no yoru there is clear scenes of physical aggression especially the scene where Mr. Hase slaps Keiran across her face. I think that this physical aggression adds to the shock value and subsequently melodramatic aspect of the film.

 Timing: Timing is an important element of melodrama. There are several places in the story where timing seems to create the question of “wait, how did/ why did that happen?” For example, Mr. Hase is called to war right after he gets married to Keiran.  Additionally, after the segment of battle where the ship is burning down, it quickly switches to the hotel. Furthermore, after the shoot out scene it switches to Mr. Hase and Keiran walking in the park exchanging "corny" comments such as "I didn't think there could be such happiness in the world." These quick plot shifts and scene changes certainly initiates that thought in the viewer that this story is “so melodramatic.”

Questionability of truth: At the beginning of the story, it is unclear whether Keiran is honest when she says she does not speak Japanese. This questionability of truth adds to the tension between characters and subsequently the pressure within the story.

Songs:

“Shina no yoru," sung by Watanabe Hamako, became one of the most famous Tairiku melodies. This song also became popular among American soldiers based in Japan and Korea after WWII. However, they couldn’t pronounce the song title so it came to be known as “She Ain’t Got No Yoyo.”

Discussion Questions:

1. Did you like the ending?

2. Did you view the film as propaganda?

3. How do you feel about the “wait, how did/why did that happen?” moments?

4. Does the film achieve reconciliation?

5. How did you feel about the physical aggression?

6. How did you feel about the language?

7. Opinions on Keiran as strong or desperate?

8. Opinions on cultural “counterfeiting”?

9. Were there any elements of feminism in the film?

10. How did you feel about the songs?

母の曲 (Haha no Kyoku) Mother's Music: The Japanese Version of Stella Dallas

Haha no Kyoku (Mother's Music) The Japanese Stella Dallas 

           The Japanese version of Stella Dallas is both similar yet different from the American version.  In this post I will focus more on the Japanese version but will refer to the American version at certain points.  The film Mother's Music surrounds a family: the mother (Haruko), father (Junkichi), and daughter (Keiko).  Junkichi was raised in a wealthy family and had a girlfriend (Kanae) who was a pianist.  However, as soon as Junkichi's father dies, their family goes bankrupt and Junkichi and Kanae separate to pursue their careers; especially since Junkichi is now poor.  Afterwards, he returns back to his hometown to a hot spring hotel to recover.  In the hotel there is a maid named Haruko who cares for him with sincere love and eventually they get married.  Together they have a child named Keiko with musical talent, grace, and high society qualities.  The film surrounds Haruko's inability to become a woman of high society hindering her daughter Keiko's future life, Junkichi's wish for his wife to be more high class for the sake of his daughter, and Keiko's immense love for her mother despite her flaws.  Throughout the story Haruko is laughed at and scorned by other mothers and eventually, Junkichi reunites with Kanae by chance and they get married.  Many things take place where Keiko decides to live with her mother separately unhappy by her father's marriage but Haruko sees that Kanae is the "ideal mother" for Keiko and decides to give Kanae and Junkichi custody of Keiko for her daughter's sake.  Keiko opposes this and returns home to find Haruko and her old acquaintance, Ryusaku of low class named Kunisaku drinking and acting shameful.  This situation was planned by Haruko to force her daughter to stay with Kanae and leave her.  Keiko is sad and surprised by her mother's act and as planned leaves.  Since then Haruko watches Keiko from afar in the shadows as she becomes a pianist like Kanae and eventually engaged.  On the wedding day, Haruko watches as her daughter leaves married in a beautiful wedding dress.  As the car with the married couple drives away, Haruko walks on to the street to watch the couple drive away and gets hit by a passing car.  She okay after the hit and the film ends with her standing back up again and smiling.

            There are many melodramatic themes and points in this film such as social class, class mobility, family relationships and marriage conflicts. Social class is a large melodramatic theme in the film Mother’s Music.  The mother Haruko jumps from being a maid at a hotel to the wife of a wealthy upper class man.  She feels a lot of pressure as the wife and even when she has Keiko there is even more pressure on becoming the ideal mother.  At the school’s mothers meeting in the beginning of the film, Haruko barely socializes with the other mothers in fear of saying something wrong.  The other mothers ask in the middle of the meeting what Haruko was like when she was young in school and she replies that she has always loved love stories and they all laugh at her.  When Junkichi goes to Berlin for a business trip, Haruko mentions how she will make efforts to educate herself and belong to high society.  She becomes licensed in flower arrangement, learns English, reading and writing.  However even so when the husband returns, he is even more cultured and high in class.  Then the father and Keiko go watch a pianist perform together.  Haruko cannot seem to impress him despite all of her efforts and feels as if she cannot keep up with her own daughter and husband.  There is a moment where Ryusaku (low class) comes to visit the house and is lying on tatami floor.  Suddenly the headmaster of the school who came to visit Haruko comes in and finds Haruko and her friend together. This is very suspicious and even more so because of the friend’s low class.  A mother also spots Haruko walking with her friend and a rumor is started leading to Keiko’s birthday party celebration without friends. 

            Another melodramatic theme in this move is family relationships.  The father marries a lower class woman; however as soon as he is reunited with Kanae the pianist, the two have a relationship again and plan on getting married as soon as Junkichi divorces Haruko.  This is a sad turn of events because not only does he love Kanae his ex-girlfriend but his purpose is also to find a “better” mother for Keiko who can help nurture her into the high class society instead of bringing her down like her mother Haruko.  This is very sad, heart wrenching and angers the audience.  Haruko worked hard to make herself educated yet she cannot seem to enter the same level as everyone else.  In addition, Keiko loves Haruko despite her uneducated but Haruko is determined that Kanae is the ideal mother; therefore, she creates a situation where she drinks with Ryusaku and then Keiko finding it appalling leaves the house and decides to stay with Kanae and her father.  Of course, Haruko did not want Keiko to leave but it was for her own good and this was very melodramatic.  This movie is definitely one that can connect with the hearts of mothers and women from all around the world.  This film Mother’s Music can be considered ninjobon, which is intended for women because women can identify with this mother daughter drama. 

            Another melodramatic point of this movie is the ending.  In the end of the movie, Haruko stands and watches Keiko leave in her wedding gown with her husband.  As the car drives away, Haruko walks after it slowly and then is struck by a car.  Compared to the American version, Stella walks away happy and with tears but is not struck by a car?  With this add extra to the Japanese version, it puts more pity on Haruko then ever before even though she does not get injured.  It is even worse because the last scene is raining and the weather is awful.

            A big difference that I would like to note between the American and Japanese version is their titles: American version’s title (Stella Dallas) and Japanese title (Mother’s Music).  The reason the Japanese version’s title is Mother’s Music is because Haruko has composed her own and daughter’s life.  This is how the mother wanted the movie to play out.  She wanted Keiko to have Kanae as her mother and grow up to be successful, happy, and marry a great person.  In the end, she is happy and proud of her success despite the tragedy of it all to the audience.

Presentation:

Themes or Topics to Discuss:

-Social class/mobility

-Family relationships

-Female viewer oriented

-Train-Stella and Laurel’separation

-Train Scene

-Birthday Scene

-Wedding Scene

Characters:

Japanese	American
Ine Hatano	Stella
Junji Hatano	Stephen
Keiko Hatano	Laurel
Ryusaku	Ed Munn
Kaoru Fujinami	Helen
Mothers	Mothers
Headmaster

Differences:

Japanese	Similarities	American
Ine works at a hot spring hotel -Does not like to socialize -Very quiet	Both poor background	Stella is daughter of a mill factory worker -Loves to socialize- flirty -Loud
Keiko: musical talent in piano, becomes a professional pianist	Both gracious and high class, get married	Laurel: tennis and horseback riding
Kaoru single but successful professional pianist	Both become the “mother”	Helen: widow with 3 sons
Ryusaku: Ine ends up living with him, and they support each other after she divorces husband.	Low class and takes part in portraying both characters as low class	Ed Munn: He is used as a way to get Laurel to return to Helen’s house.  Pretend to have marriage with Stella.

Difference between American and Japanese culture!

Questions:

-In the film Stella Dallas, Helen and Laurel becoming mother and daughter.  What do you think of this relationship?

-Do you think that Stella’s decision to have Helen raise Laurel the right way to go?

-What do you think of Stephen (husband)?

       -He initially told Stella to be herself and not a fake as in a high class woman, but in the end, he really wanted her to have more etiquette and be more proper.

-What do you think of the title Mother’s Music of the Japanese version for Stella Dallas?     

      -Does the title make sense and fit with the movie?

         -Does the father and daughter each have their own “musical compositions?”

-In the end of the movie Stella walks away happy and crying, while in the Japanese version Haruko walks toward the car that is far down the road smiling and then gets hit by a car but survives.  What do you think of this addition to the ending?  Does it make it more melodramatic?

- What are you feelings toward Helen who not only marries Stephen taking him away from Stella but also becomes mother of Stella?  Is she good or bad?

-Japanese version more melodramatic? 

Japanese Noh Theater

Japanese Noh and Global Theaters

The Japanese Noh performance by David Crandall and other members of Theatre Nohgaku was absolutely amazing and I enjoyed it very much.  In addition, the discussion with Boston University professor Carrie Preston was enlightening and I learned so much about Noh theatre in Japan and it’s influence around the world. 

At the beginning of this performance and the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, David Crandall and the members of Nohgaku started off with a Noh performance about a story of a young lord who meets a diver at a beach and they have a short relationship leading to a son.  However, because of the lord’s high status their relationship will not allow the lord to bring her back to his home and make her his bride.  Eventually he leaves her and she lives alone with the son.  One day there is a jewel sent to the lord’s family but is dropped into the sea and lands in the dragon place deep underwater.  The lord wants to retrieve this jewel at all cost and returns to the diver to ask her to get the jewel back.  The diver knowing this is a task that will sacrifice her life asks the lord to promise her that he will take the son and raise him as his own.  The lord promises and she dives into the water to steal the jewel from the dragon palace. 

The Noh performance by David Crandall is about her retrieval of the jewel from the dragon palace and her suicide in order to successfully return the jewel to the lord.  The dragon’s palace is dangerous and highly guarded. Once the diver invaded the palace, she was able to leave with the jewel but being followed she was forced to stab herself because they will not chase her once she is dead.  She then sends a signal to the lord and son of her body with the jewel and dies in a swirl of scarlet in the ocean. 

This initial Noh performance was for the audience including myself, confusing and we could not understand nor interpret the Noh chants and movements taking place.  However afterwards, they performed an English version of the same story and explained and discussed the movements, the chants, and the purpose of the tools.   It was as if a light bulb had struck everyone and we understood the rest of the performance!  In the English version, there were phrases such as “thrusting forward through blooming waves” throughout the chant that were very melodramatic and yet aesthetic.  The end of the performance with the diver “swirling in scarlet” was devastating yet so beautiful.  The chants when translated in English were very detailed about setting such as Old Man Goriot and Washington Square and there were very beautiful aesthetic phrases that were also sad and sometimes gruesome at the same time.

There were many interesting points throughout the Noh performance.  The Nohgaku members described how the speaking is formalized, expressive, and stylized.  The chants come from deep in the chest within and contain much emotion.  The dynamic singing in the Noh performances known as tsuyogi is both powerful and exciting since tsuyoi does mean strong.  Each school teaches different styles of Noh and David Crandal apart from the others was taught at a different school and it was interesting to see the different movements used when both schools performed their own version of the play mentioned above. 

There are different instruments used in the Noh performance, in particular 4 main ones.  The first is a lacquered flute that is usually resting in a lacquered case.  The flute is commonly played by a dead person in the performance thus it has a sleeve inside that purposely makes it out of tune.  When Mr. Crandall played a short song with the flute for us, it was obvious that the sleeve inside it made the flute sound more, airy, windy, eerie, shrill, lonely and even dead-like.  The second instrument used is a small hourglass drum.  The drum is usually made of cowhide that enjoys humid environments and can have a variety of tones.  The strings attached to the drums are loose and when squeezed, it changes the pitch.  The drum also has a partner, the third instrument a larger hourglass drum.  This drum is made of horsehide and likes dry weather, has one sound, and the strings are tight.  It makes a shot gun-like sound and is painful to play with the bare hand.  It makes patterned beats with the small drum.  The fourth instrument is the taiko drum.  The drum is used in some plays but not s commonly as the others.  It has a barrel body and is beat with sticks instead of hands.  All the drums have a drum call/sound attached to them by the user (the user screams out a sound while playing).  The drum calls can tell you what beat you are on, a form of communication between drummers, and can effect the mood of the play such as higher calls for higher tension or slower quieter calls for a quieter performance.  The fan also can be considered a tool that acts as a sword, shield, scooping up jewelry, etc.  It is an extension of the actor.

As I mentioned before, the big hourglass drum in particular is painful to play.  The Nohgaku performers mention how in fact, Noh performance is in general a form of torture the sitting position with folded legs and the feet tucked underneath is harsh and it hurts.  Musicians and some performers must sit in this position for up to an hour long! 

The movement in Noh performances is interesting.  The body weight is forward on the balls of the feet.  The feet barely separated from the ground besides the occasional stomps.  The feet slide on the floor for several reasons.  One of which is safety since the stage is a high rise and when wearing a mask, the user’s view is limited.  In addition the feet stay on the ground to harness the energy from the earth to go through the body during the performance and be expended through the mask.  The Noh movements are repetitive and stylized and 90% of them have no meaning in particular.  The Noh actors perform those movements with specific masks, the other actors chant, the music plays and from there the audience can make a meaning behind the movements and that is the best part of Noh theatre! The audience is the one who must interpret and put together everything they see, hear, and feel and make a meaning for themselves. 

In addition to movement, the Noh masks were really interesting.  Each mask can convey not only one emotion but multiple ones depending on the audience's interpretation of the actor’s movements.   The mouths of the facemasks are usually slightly open to create the emotion of crying, anger, happiness, and more.   The emotion that the audience perceives depends on the actor’s movements.  The special trait of the masks is that they can transmit emotion through wood.  The mask that usually has a closed mouth is a tengu mask that is a non-human character.  Masks are usually not work eye to eye but a bit higher on the face because it looks better. 

When putting on a mask or removing it, the actor must always sit politely.  This is respect for the Noh craft as well as their props and pieces.  It is also putting value into what they are doing and helps them understand what step they are on in the performance.  There are many Noh plays in Japan as well as foreign ones.  There is a performance that David Crandall did with his members called At the Hox Well where the main character was an Irish old man.  There are also many others around the world.

After watching the Noh performance and listening to the discussion, I realized that Noh theatre is very melodramatic.  Most plays are tragic and very sad and the performances are filled with many gestures.  Gestures are an important part and even though they are repetitive they can be interpreted in many ways by the audience to express meaning.  The music is also important for setting the tone and the flute with it’s eerie sound adds to the melodramatic effect.  There are also themes of social class such as the first story mentioned, and death, and the aesthetic beauty of death.  The chants of the plays are very detailed, beautiful, and highly descriptive and the audience can feel the emotion emanating from the actors.  I am very glad to have been able to watch this Noh performance because I have a better understanding of its traditions and background.  If I  were to go to Japan and watch a Noh theatre, I would not have as much understand and appreciation for the actors as I do now with the knowledge that I have.