Somewhere Under the Broad Sky (Kono hiroi sora no dokoka ni)
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Written by Yoshiko Kusuda
Japan/1954
Sochiku Ofuna
First viewing/Hulu
[box] “Happiness [is] only real when shared” ― Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild quoted from Tolstoy[/box]
This is a story tracing the growth and change of a family. I liked it but Kobayashi would not come into his own until he started filming more powerful material.
Our family, the Moritas, has a liquor store business and lives above the shop. The story begins with Mother Morita chatting with a customer. Both ladies are complaining about their daughters-in-law. They think one big problem is that both their sons married for love. As time progresses, we see that the Morita daughter-in-law Hiroko and the son Ryoichi are deeply in love and that Hiroko in fact makes a lot of mistakes when she is left in charge of the business and does not do her share of the housework. For Hiroko’s part, she feels excluded from the family and can feel her mother-in-law’s animosity. The plot follows Hiroko’s trajectory as she becomes a full-fledged member of the family.
Another plot line follows the Morita daughter Yasuko’s story. She is 28 years-old, was left lame by an air raid and was dumped by her fiance thereafter. Her handicap is as much a psychological handicap as a physical one. She is quite certain that she will never marry, is very jealous of Hiroko, and spends most of her time brooding. With the help of her younger brother, she learns to live and love again.
This movie has some wonderful moments as when various characters talk about or interact with the sky. It is well acted and shot. Kobayashi reveals himself to be a competent director but not the master he would later become. The film does drag somewhat. I kept thinking it would end and then it would go on to pick up another sub-plot.
This complete film with English sub-titles is currently available on YouTube.
