Review of Violence at Noon (1966) by Walter M — 12 Apr 2009

[font=Century Gothic]In "Violence at Noon," Shino(Saeda Kawaguchi), a maid, is attacked and raped by Eisuke(Kei Sato) who is from her home village and according to him once saved her life. Once the police arrive, Shino surprisingly does not give him up, despite Eisuke being the nefarious High Noon Assailant and killing her employer. Instead, she writes Matsuko(Akiko Koyama), a schoolteacher and Eisuke's wife, asking what to do next.[/font].

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[font=Century Gothic]"Violence at Noon" is a beautifully photographed, well-edited and potentially provocative movie that simply left me cold. None of these characters can escape their past with Matsuko literally being haunted by the ghost of Genji(Rokko Toura) who once had a chance to pursue a successful political career before committing suicide. In fact, starting with Matsuko's parents after a flood destroys their farm, there is much talk of suicide in the movie, but little of the accompanying hopelessness which would normally lead to such a drastic and ultimate action. Yes, being lonely can be a hard thing to endure but it is not the end of the world by any means.[/font].