+- Forums (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum)
+-- Forum: Doom Arts (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/forumdisplay.php?fid=6)
+--- Forum: Doom Streaming (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/forumdisplay.php?fid=21)
+---- Forum: Criterion (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/forumdisplay.php?fid=37)
+---- Thread: Black River (1957) by Masaki Kobayashi (/showthread.php?tid=7121)
Black River (1957) by Masaki Kobayashi - cranefly - 07-17-2022
Post-war Japan is an economic mess, marked by horrible living conditions and few job opportunities. Some people steal supplies from a nearby army base just to get by. Into this backdrop a love triangle plays out between a university student, a nice young lady, and a thug.
The thug is played by Tatsuya Nakadai in his first starring role. You know, The Human Condition guy. The guy who was Toshiro Mifune's foil in several of his movies. Anyway, he sure hits the ground running career-wise. I hesitated to watch this, thinking it would be too depressing. I suppose it is, but also mesmerizing. What a love triangle. Full of tension and suspense, tragic in unpredictable ways.
BTW, this is by the director of The Human Condition. In some ways it could be viewed as a warm-up for that epic trilogy. Still, I found it to have a distinctly different feel.
Oh, the slaps! Like The Human Condition, this one has shocking slap-downs that are clearly not faked. Director Kobayashi does slaps like no one else. Not that I'm saying this is a selling point. Just a trademark
I'm going to recommend this one to myself.
=============
COMMENTS
=============
Hey, Cranefly, thanks for the heads-up! But I've already seen it.
--Cranefly