The Sea Is Watching
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Movie Reviews of The Sea Is Watching
Movie Review: Lyrical portrayal of life in feudal Japan
Summary: 4 Stars
The acclaimed director Akira Kurosawa wrote the screenplay for this lyrical portrayal of the lives of prostitutes in 19th century Edo Japan. Too bad he died before making the movie, leaving it to be made by Kei Kumai. And it shows, for the results are somewhat milder.
The story follows the trials and tribulations of two village prostitutes who ply their trade in a brothel by the sea, O-shin and Kikuno. O-shin is the sentimental one, falling in love with her customers even though her trade itself warns against it. One particular young samurai captures her heart and with him, O-shin dares to dream of a different, more respectable life. Yet, tragedy lies ahead.
Kikuno, on the other hand, is a born cynic - she has two steady customers who are as different as night and day - the older gentleman being kind and generous, and the gangster-type being a jerk who uses Kikuno for his own gain. Yet despite her own troubles, Kikuno is steadfast and dependable, proving her mettle when she subs for her madam.
If you love period movies especially those that focus on other cultures and history, then you'll love this - one truly gains valuable insights into the Japanese culture of the period, and of how women were treated more like commodities, with little worth. Gritty, yet beautiful and powerful.
Movie Review: Slow but not boring
Summary: 4 Stars
This is not a film for fans of epic battles or monumental amounts of gore, nor is it for those with a short attention span. Without giving anything away, the script spends a good 50% of its time developing a very simple, cliché and generally predictable love story. It is during this time that I found myself sitting there wishing I hadn't wasted money on what I felt was a studio's attempt to cash in on the unfinished work of a dead master by producing such a dreadful period piece. However, if you stick to your guns, this trite and contrived story eventually gives way to a larger and more interesting story that had been running underneath the surface, and this one is where the payoff lies.
Would Kurosawa have shot it differently? Almost certainly, but he's dead, so there's no point in arguing about that. The writing is very much in tune with all of his later works however, and I do believe that this film told the story he wanted to tell successfully regardless of who sat behind the camera. The chroma keying at the end was pretty shabbily done, but otherwise I ended up enjoying the film quite a bit despite my initial impressions. It certainly makes that other big-budget Geisha movie look like a steaming pile of something in comparison.
Movie Review: A tale of hope and sorrow, beautifully told....
Summary: 4 Stars
I am not a vetran to subbed films, I however, found this film particularly refreshing compared to some of the trash they insist to put in american movies. The script (from what i could tell according the the subtitles) was intelligent and meaningful. Along with the two refreshing love stories, i found the scenes of the ocean and fields very picturesque.The Romance element was sweet. This film very accuratly depicted the risks one takes in the development of a relationship. The story with the young samurai was tragic, and in many ways realistic. For in the end, the castes, and misinterperated intentions, occur in many ways. The case of the misfortunate man, was equally moving and logical. But beyond this, was the devotion the girls in the teahouse had for each other.
I found some of the scenes (like the milky way scene) too unbelieveable,but only suceeeded to make it more charming. So i deducted the star for lagging on abit where it could have cut some useless scenes. (but who am i to critcize, i cant even spell)
Movie Review: A film about love and Japanese prostitutes: two whores on the roof
Summary: 4 Stars
There are many Japanese plays about the prostitutes and kept women
who many times were sold as "contract" workers until even today?
Here a beautiful young O-Shin falls for a young samurai
and is disappointed, but then falls for an orphan who has a heart of gold?
This film is hard for a westerner to understand as all the Japanese men seem to use these prostitutes, but consider them soiled?
The concept of sin and crime is different to the Japanese: a man defends the women from a thief and kills him in a knife fight, but the assumption is that he has ruined his life and will probably be executed?
The laws are stricter and less fair in Japan, or what?
Women have no real legal rights and are literally sold.
Movie Review: Beautiful Costumes and Interior!
Summary: 4 Stars
I feel relief when I watch movies in my first language. As usual I find some inaccurate translation, but they were minor. The story telling is not bad at all. It's a little cheesy, but that's the way it is in many Japanese dramas.
I really enjoyed the beautiful costumes the girls were wearing. Those Kimonos are pretty! I was also impressed with the scene of storm and flood.