Furusato (1972)

35K
Share
Copy the link

Furusato: Directed by Yôji Yamada. With Hisashi Igawa, Chieko Baishô, Chishû Ryû, Gin Maeda. On a beautiful island in Seto Inner Sea, Seichi and Minko make their living by transporting rocks to construction sites by boat. They cherish the deepest affection for this piece of land they call home, and the simple life they lead. But rapid industrial growth makes it all but impossible to continue their chosen living style, and they are forced to leave their beloved hometown in search of a brighter future. But their hometown lingers on their hearts, and they dream of a time when they may once again return.

“Itu0026#39;s a bit risky to give an unqualified thumbs up to any film — there are pros out there who could slice me and dice me and serve me for lunch. Nevertheless, this time Iu0026#39;m playing it straight. This was one of the greatest films in my experience.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI saw it once, probably in 1973, on impulse. I had seen and immediately appreciated the Samurai genre in the Japanese theater (since converted into a 5 or 6 plex ordinary commercial theatre) in San Francisco. The then-newer sword films, in color, were especially impressive. Seems to me u0026quot;Divau0026quot; owes a lot to those movies, in terms of beautiful scenes, but it didnu0026#39;t really compare. Maybe u0026quot;Un Coeur en Hiveru0026quot; is a better example. Anyhow, I found myself quite sympathetic to the Japanese feeling and aesthetic, so I would often drop in, willing to see anything that theatre was screening.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Home from the Seau0026quot; is not anything to do with Samurai or swords, no physical violence. It is a u0026quot;simpleu0026quot; story of a contemporary familyu0026#39;s livelihood, and a change in circumstances that industry and society imposed on them, destroying that way of life. The familyu0026#39;s responses to the change were what made this film great (not that the cinematic craft wasnu0026#39;t superb!)”

Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *