The first five films by Japanese director Keisuke Kinoshita, collected here in this set from Criterion's Eclipse line of bare-bones releases (aside from liner notes), offer a rare glimpse into Japanese movies that were made during World War II—a time when filmmakers were required to promote the military effort. Port of Flowers (1943) centers on two con-men who try to bilk the inhabitants of a small island, until the declaration of war ignites their sense of patriotic duty. Port of Flowers is a relatively light and amiable film, conveying a warm sense of community and purpose, but the propaganda becomes more insistent in The Living Magoroku (1943), which promotes the need for agricultural production, and Jubilation Street (1944), which follows the inhabitants of a Tokyo thoroughfare who are forced to relocate. Kinoshita's wartime productions culminate in Army (1944), which serves up nationalistic zeal with such blind fervor that it borders on political cartoon. Throughout these films, however, Kinoshita remains sensitive to the emotions of his characters, such as the fears and anxieties of a mother sending her son off to battle in Army, a tack that infuriated military censors, who forbade Kinoshita from making another picture until after the surrender. With Morning for the Osone Family (1946), Kinoshita finally offers a scathing indictment of Japan's nationalism in an intimate story of a family torn apart by the conflict and a militaristic uncle whose hypocrisy is revealed in Japan's defeat. Some scenes are heavily damaged with wear, scratches, and missing frames, but it's a small miracle that these films survived at all. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)
Kinoshita and World War II
Criterion, 5 discs, 412 min., in Japanese w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $69.95 Volume 30, Issue 2
Kinoshita and World War II
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