Kurosawa and Teshigahara FIlms

The Bad Sleep Well (1960) - Kurosawa. A young executive hunts down his fathers killer. Despite the plot summary and title, this was one slow, long movie. Some excellent direction as usual, but not engaging. Rating **

137. Drunken Angel (1948) Kurosawa. Set in the back alley's and swamps of newly built Tokyo, the movie follows a cynical, alcoholic doctor and his relationship with an ill, young gangster. The movie starts out strong but loses energy as the story switches focus from the doctor to the gangster and his rivals. Shimura is magnetic as the jaded doctor and the story should stayed on him. The setting, cinephotography, and characters are excellent - but the story/script isn't that interesting and many of the conversations seem repetitive. Other negatives: the knife fight at the end is poorly staged & Mifune overacts. Some great moments but overall just average. Rating **1/2

168. High Low (1963) - Kurosawa. Crime story with some subtle implications. A Japanese businessman named Gondo is about to take control of the company he's worked in for years when he's told his son's been kidnapped. It turns out the chauffeur's son by kidnapped by mistake but they still want the ransom. Does he pay, if so he's financially ruined, if not, he will be reviled. Which will he choose? That's the first half of the film, the second half is a deliberate police search for the kidnapper/murderer and how a case is built that will take him to the gallows. Excellent acting and directing. Rating ***

131. Women in the Dunes (1964) Teshigahara. Allegorical, fantasy about a Professor of Entomology who visits a isolated village and ends up trapped in a sand-pit with a widow who spends her time shoveling sand away from her shack. The movie is gripping and well acted. The images are striking, and the movie lets us decide for ourselves what it all means. Rating ***1/2

133. The Face of Another (1966) Teshigahara. SF story of a man a businessman whose lost his facial features in an accident and then gets a "new face" through experimental plastic surgery. There's also a subplot about a beautiful girl whose face is disfigured on one side. An interesting, low-key movie that raises questions of identity and the importance of appearance. However, the characters are un-engaging and the movie quickly becomes just a cerebral exercise. Pluses include the acting and many striking images, including the talking skull. Flaws include: too much time spent before the operation, the whiny/unlikable central character, and the static, talky nature of the film. Too many scenes with the Doctor and the lead just talking, and talking and talking.Rating **1/2

134. Twenty-four Eyes (1954). Story of Japanese Elementary teacher in a small Japanese village. We follow her and 12 of her students from 1928-1945. As they grow older, the problems grow in complexity, and WWII intrudes in the last part of the film. Hideko Takamine is luminous as "Miss Oishi" and the child actors are believable and likable. The plot is simple but well done and the story has none of excesses you'd expect from a Hollywood production. Cons: The movie is too long at 156 minutes. Rating ***