Sunday November 15, 7pm, SIFF Cinema, Seattle
Stranded on the platform of a crowded railway station, a man recalls his youth in a series of flashbacks: A young girl escapes a life of servitude, then sacrifices herself for the boy she loves. Prized for her beauty, Osen (Isuzu Yamada) is the chattel of an unscrupulous and cold-hearted crime lord. She rescues Sokuchi (Daijirô Natsukawa) from death and resolves to support his dream of becoming a doctor.
Adapted from Kyoka Izumi's original story, The Downfall of Osen (1935) is a rare surviving silent feature from the legendary career of Japanese director Kenji Mizoguchi. Yamada shines like a melancholy jewel in the deep, dark, low-angle settings of the inveterate filmmaker and emerging master. The use of benshi narration, a fascinating device intended to "update" silent film with a spoken word and effects soundtrack, creates an observational distancing between the characters and audience, which heightens theatrical qualities of the performance.
Stranded on the platform of a crowded railway station, a man recalls his youth in a series of flashbacks: A young girl escapes a life of servitude, then sacrifices herself for the boy she loves. Prized for her beauty, Osen (Isuzu Yamada) is the chattel of an unscrupulous and cold-hearted crime lord. She rescues Sokuchi (Daijirô Natsukawa) from death and resolves to support his dream of becoming a doctor.
Adapted from Kyoka Izumi's original story, The Downfall of Osen (1935) is a rare surviving silent feature from the legendary career of Japanese director Kenji Mizoguchi. Yamada shines like a melancholy jewel in the deep, dark, low-angle settings of the inveterate filmmaker and emerging master. The use of benshi narration, a fascinating device intended to "update" silent film with a spoken word and effects soundtrack, creates an observational distancing between the characters and audience, which heightens theatrical qualities of the performance.