Review of Floating Weeds (1959) by John A — 28 Feb 2010
As film critic Roger Ebert famously said, "Sooner or later, everyone who loves movies comes to Ozu." I, along with many others, was introduced to Ozu through his film "Tokyo Story" which I still consider to be one of my favorite films ever made. "Floating Weeds" is merely a tick behind it.
The film, remade from an even earlier silent film by Ozu, is about a traveling theater group near the end of their line. Funds and energy are at their limits and the leader of the group "coincidentally" winds up in the same town he'd met a women in years previous and had a child with. Not only that, but the child, now a young adult doesn't know who his father is and believes the leader of the group to be his Uncle. Well, the story plays out from here in true Ozu fashion.
The film is simply gorgeous to look at. One of the few Ozu films to be made in color will have you wishing he would've been able to make more. The characters are interesting enough to hold most peoples attention, but this is not for everyone. If you're interested in investigating art-house cinema, Japanese culture, or just love movies, I certainly recommend it. For an extra treat, I recommend a viewing of the Criterion Collection DVD with audio commentary by Roger Ebert himself, very informative...
This review of Floating Weeds (1959) was written by John A on 28 Feb 2010.
Floating Weeds has generally received very positive reviews.
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