It has been more than 50 years since the advent of floating grass. But looking at it today, you can still see relish, which is naturally the master's skill. The exaggerated dramatic plot can naturally bring the audience into the play, but it is also a kind of coercion, and Ozu's films are long and distant, giving people a little more aftertaste for thinking.
Before the troupe came to the island, there was a foreshadowing of the local people's response. Afterwards, there was also the contact between the troupe actors and the locals when they distributed advertisements. It felt like Ozu was more interested in how people would react to it than the mission to tell a story. The arrival of the troupe, and the reflection of the living beings of the islanders, seems to be an unexpected gain.
In people's different reactions, not only people's different personalities are portrayed, but also interest often arises in them. This kind of fun is the most interesting embellishment in Ozu's movies. Sometimes after watching the movie, the aftertaste that makes people laugh is often the transitions that have nothing to do with the main plot of these people who are not the protagonists.
It is naturally easier to attract the audience with plot conflicts, but it is due to the master's skill to lay out the perception of life and even life attitude through some details. Compared with the films that disappeared after being excited at the time, Ozu's films left a faint echo in the heaven and earth amid the laughter and scolding of ordinary people. This echo often has a unique vitality.
A character like a fool can be very popular today, pay attention to ordinary people, pay attention to the ordinary life, and the bright spots in the ordinary, so as to think about life and discover the real existence, which can often be found in the spare time of Ozu's films - to others It's extravagance, but it's a hall of elegance here. Although it won't steal the limelight of the protagonist, its status is not bad at all - this coincides with the theme of focusing on ordinary people today. It is not an exaggeration to say that the meaning of common folk dramas can be seen more clearly today.
There are always two kinds of movies, one that focuses on heroes and one that focuses on ordinary people. In Akira Kurosawa, even if the protagonist is ordinary, he is often heroic and can only be admired and not played with. Later, the shadow warriors can be regarded as the vindication of ordinary people. Although the wretched spirit can still shine, the master was too late at that time, and Ozu has been in his film career, and he is not tired of exploring ordinary people. Sorrow, old age, sickness and death. It actually takes a lot of courage. Because it is common, it is easy to see flaws if it is not performed well, and the difficulty in representing modern, contemporary and urban themes is often too close. The famous saying "I only make tofu" is a kind of generalization and a kind of humility. In fact, it is not easy to make tofu well, and it has been done for decades, and the people who do it are not tired of it. people don't get bored.
When we first arrived on the island, there was a hut, and several islanders were chatting and laughing loudly. Then the actor advertised that in the tavern, the ugly waitress and the beautiful woman in kimono were treated differently. The coy waitress and the beautiful woman in kimono are a contrast, and the different attitudes of the troupe members towards them have a comedic effect. This is a very real life, and in this scene, the effect of making people laugh naturally also has the sadness of life. But the director's presentation did not make people feel sad, haha laughed. The so-called master of comedy, his comedy is often "tearful laughter". In this small scene, why not. Although the ugly waitress is flattering in every possible way, she only provokes disdain, while facing the beautiful woman in kimono, she flatters again and again for the members of the troupe. Extremely concise scenes, extremely simple characters, extremely coherent performances, and extremely quick contrasts, and tell the truth of life. In such a small dojo, writing a big article, and in several small dojos, working together to make a masterpiece, makes the charm of the movie so endless.
In several of Ozu's films, there is often a sense of calmness, but this is not monotonous, for the constant interspersed embellishment of comedy effects. This is by no means contemptuous like some cross talk actors, or deliberately trying to scratch your armpits, but in ordinary scenes of life, even in the conversation between people, in the dialogue It appeared naturally. Although the expressions and movements are not exaggerated, there is not a lot of funny elements in them.
In laughter, what is often seen is the weakness of human nature, a smile can be ignored, but some are just gentle and compassionate. It's just that the ordinary people around you have made some mistakes that you don't agree with. It seems that it is inevitable for you and me, so that laughter, whether it is the characters in the movie or ours, don't have to care. Therefore, in Ozu's films, the ugly is not avoided, but there is a clever solution, unified in his philosophy or aesthetics, what makes people feel is a kind of kindness.
And this kind of human feeling is often drifting away in modern life. So when people look at Ozu, it seems to be trivial. The parents are short-lived, marrying daughters and marrying women, children are long in love, mothers-in-law, but they also feel that this is something that the director cannot give up, that he cherishes very much, and that it is eternally connected and timeless. .
"Floating Grass" is about the arrival of a troupe on the island. The arrival of the troupe will naturally break the peaceful life of the island. Not to mention that the troupe leader is also an old lover with the owner of the snack bar on the island, and they have one child together. The proprietress played by Haruko Sugimura is also an ideal woman. She has never complained about the head of the group. Although she raised the sons of the two alone, she has no title and no fixed source of income. She can only support herself. But she is always like a spring breeze. In contrast, the head's lover concentrates on the shortcomings of women, and is careful and tricky. Ozu's generosity lies in the fact that even if the head's lover repeatedly touches the head's bottom line, in the end, the two of them still embark on the train to the future hand in hand. So even if there are shortcomings, just accept it helplessly, after all, this is all out of love.
Life is like a gurgling water. Even if it seems to be calm, there will actually be whirlpools and dangerous shoals. Ozu, who is always obsessed with this stream, pays close attention to every passage of it, although he frowns from time to time. He always laughed, but in the end, he just squinted his eyes and continued to watch. For him, this slowly moving stream might have a thrilling beauty. Or, it is the constant attention to itself. Also full of fun. All things are one, all things are with me.
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