Classic Japanese Cinema Discussion Thread

Mikio Naruse   was an inspiring filmmaker of the highest order, who produced and directed over 80 films spanning the tumultuous decades 1930 to 1967.  He crafted primarily shomin-geki (working-class drama), films with female protagonists, that have a focus on family and the clash of traditional and modern Japanese culture. 
Naruse's films are characterized by his masterly composition, simple screenplays, with minimal dialogue, unobtrusive camera work, and low-key production design. Deliberately slow and leisurely paced, asking you to listen quietly & carefully.  His style magnifies the drama highlighting in his characters their psychological nuances seen in every glance, every gesture and movement.

Akira Kurosawa  worked as an assistant to Naruse before he became a director and remained a close friend, his eloquent appraisal,  is a beautiful tribute...

“Naruse’s method consists of building one very brief shot on top of the other, but when you look at them all spliced together in the final film, they give the impression of a single long take. The flow is so magnificent that the splices are invisible. This flow of short shots looks calm and ordinary at first glance then reveals itself to be like a deep river with a quiet surface disguising a fast-raging current underneath. The sureness of his hand in this was without comparison.”

 Naruse’s last three films have a distinct shift in tone,  uncharacteristic for Naruse they have been described as neo-noir, absorbing cynical tales, superbly filmed, wonderful dark melodrama surprisingly little known.. Highly Recommended
Onna no naka ni iru tanin ,The Stranger Within a Woman (1966)
Hikinige , Hit and Run (1966)  pictured  Excellent 10/10
Midaregumo , Scattered Clouds (1967)