Japanese Girls at the Harbor (1933) User Reviews

A great 'unknown' director

[insomnia · 8/10 · 2 September 2008]

Hiroshi Shimizu is not a name that springs instantly to mind when one thinks of Japanese film directors. Although Shimizu was a contemporary of Yasujiro Ozu, both having worked at Shochiku Studios, it is Ozu whose body of work is the better known. While not for one moment does this take away from Ozu's reputation as a great film director, it does not mean that Shimizu was not also a director of equal stature. Ozu said: "I can't shoot films like Shimizu." And the great Kenji Mizoguchi once said: "People like me and Ozu get films made by hard work, but Shimizu is a genius" Shimizu made some sublime films in a career that spanned the years 1924 to 1959. A four-disc box set of Shimizu's films is now available. Films included are "Mr. Thank You", "Ornamental Hairpin", "The Masseurs and a Woman" and "Japanese Girls at The Harbour", all with English subtitles. A few days ago I watched Shimizu's 1933 silent film, "Japanese Girls at The Harbour." Set in the port city of Yokohama, two girls, Sunako and Dora who attend a Christian school, pledge to be friends. But when a youth named Henry appears on his motorcycle and offers to take Sunako for a ride, we know that this friendship won't last and that the lives of both girls will change in ways they are barely able to comprehend, and can do little to change. "Japanese Girls at The Harbour." is a microcosm, a snapshot if you will, of Japanese society of the early 1930s, at a time when the old way of life in Japan was about to crumble before the more tempting, faster-paced life of the West. It is clear from this collection that Hiroshi Shimizu was the equal of, if not as good as, Japanese directors like Ozu and Mizoguchi in holding up a bright shining mirror to the minutiae of Japanese life.

Beautiful

[ebiros2 · 8/10 · 17 July 2009]

Although the movie was made in 1933, the visuals are shockingly contemporary. In some ways the streets are cleaner and in better order than the streets of present day Yokohama. Aren't we supposed to be evolving ? I don't see any sign of that in terms of beauty of the city and the behavior of the people in this movie.

I don't know much about the film's director, but I understand that he's supposed to be one of the greats of early Japanese cinema. I can see that. There's sharpness, and vivid quality to every scene. It's almost breath taking.

Some things changes while others remain timeless. I got to reevaluate my life's value after watching this movie. So many things that I thought were important now looks silly. The people in this movie have already lived it.

Great movie to put your life into perspective, and behold at how advanced it was in 1933. With a little change in clothing and furniture, it's exactly like the life we live today.

The director of this movie had an impeccable taste.

Sometimes hard to follow

[zetes · 6/10 · 22 March 2009]

This story involves two girls, Dora and Sunako, who are best friends in Yokohama. They vow never to separate, but along enters a man (with the Western name Henry). Sunako goes for him, but he's a bad guy, a gangster and a philanderer. She eventually catches him with another woman, and does something rash. In her shame, Sunako runs away only to become a geisha. Later she meets up with Dora and Henry again, now married to each other and feeling guilty for what became of Sunako. Japanese Girls at the Harbor is often a very pretty film, but I sometimes found it to be poorly made. The first half is especially confusing with Shimizu's gimmicky editing. And the transition between the big event of the first half and the second half of the film is never quite clear. I had initially thought I was confused because I watched it tired, but I watched most of the first half over again and still found it hard to put together. Plus, whenever characters who aren't one of the main three enter the film, it's always hard to understand who they are. The second half of the film is much stronger than the first, but I would still complain that Henry and Dora are never especially interesting characters. My attention was focused entirely on Sunako, and I found it hard to concentrate when she wasn't around. This is the earliest film in the Eclipse Travels with Hiroshi Shimizu box set (and the only silent film), and I've read at least one review of the set that claims that it's the weakest. Looking at the better aspects of the film, it's clear that Shimizu is a talented director. I'm confident that the other films will be better. I definitely do not recommend starting with this film if you're just renting them. Skip it all together, or at least come back to it later.

excellent Japanese classic of the 30's

[cynthiahost · 11 August 2011]

Due to the cost of talkie equipment and the sound systems of the theater , Japan was late in it's conversion to sound. In spite of this , this film was great. It was very visual and it ran the normal speed of sound films, without the stripe. 18 frames. It seems I was able to pay more attention to the characters. Michiko Oikawa was good as the tragic Sunako, who ends up getting jealous at another women,Ranko Sawa, who plays Sheridan, taking her boy friend away ,Henry,played by Ureo Agawa,ends up shooting her and takes off to the big city and becomes a prostitute , Disguise as Giesha girl.Her best friend , whom were both school mates at a,Japanese Christian school,Dora played by Yukiko Inoue, ends up marrying Henry.Sunako now roommates with a starving artist,Tatsuo Saito playing Miura, Sunako works with another women at a bordello Masumi, played by Yumeku Aizome. Henry is still in love with her but he is now marry to Dora. He tries to beg her to get out of the business but as she stated later on in the movie Henry is the last hope for a decent life. Dora even aware of Her best Friend Sunako and Henry are still in love.What Sunako is not aware of is that Sheridan lives down the next apartment doing the same job as she. Dora invites Sunako to her house a lot. This drives Henry to depression that he gets drunk even though Dora is expecting a baby. Sunako realizes that she been visiting too much of Dora and decides to search for Henry and gets them back together. She discovers Sheridan , who is dying of some sexually transmittable disease, in the next apartment, She asks her to get out of the business before it's too late. Her fellow companion Masumi was just busted.She decides to get out of the business and her painter boyfriend goes with her out of Yokohama. In spite of no sound this was excellent

Dramatic!

[net_orders · 7/10 · 29 July 2016]

Viewed on DVD. Restoration = one (1) star. A "three hankie" rough cut movie and excellent historic film with inter-titles instead of subtitles (since it's silent). Restoration is in evidence, but cutting artifacts (between shots) remain in this version (was the original source material a rough-cut version?). These artifacts occur between EVERY scene and are MAJOR distractions. Directing/editing is often startling and usually first rate. Acting is hammy and more appropriate for live theater than a movie theater. It circles back to what was considered normal when photo plays emerged in the first decade of the 20th century. Makeup (ranging from over-the-top to essentially none) does not help matters. Indoor sets are minimal if not down right primitive. A major plot point (involving firing a gun in a church) remains unclear as to just what happened. A fundamental directing flaw/oversight. The piano score (for this version) is distinctive and highly imaginative. Rather unusual for a silent film not accompanied by an orchestra, the score is written to integrate with rather than distract from what's on the screen. There is no happy ending in evidence for any character--tragedy city big time! WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

Another Japanese tearjerker from Shochiku...

[AlsExGal · 6/10 · 12 May 2023]

...this time from director Hiroshi Shimizu. Sunako (Michiko Oikawa) is a teenage girl in the port city of Yokohama. When she discovers that her older boyfriend is seeing another woman, Sunako commits a terrible act and leaves the city. After years of drifting about, she returns to Yokohama as a bar hostess and reconnects with her old boyfriend, who has married Sunako's former best friend in the interim. Heartbreak naturally ensues.

Director Shimizu indulges in a number of camera tricks, like rapid tracking shots, fast-edit zoom ins, and having characters dissolve likes ghosts when leaving a scene. While many of these gimmicks are eye-catching, they don't do anything to add to the meager, routine plot. A distinct lack of characterization in the script makes discerning who's who a chore for the film's first half hour, which is bad in a one hour movie. The coastal scenery and some decent performances from Shochiku regulars save this from being a loss, though. (

Excellent

[crossbow0106 · 10/10 · 11 April 2009]

I just watched this film and it is brilliant. The story is about two schoolgirls, Sunako (an amazing Michiko Oikawa) and Dora (Yukiko Inoue) who both like Henry, who drives a motorcycle. He spends time with Sunako, but then its found out Henry has been spending time with the somewhat vampish Yoko. Sunako confronts him, then her and violence is the result. Sunako flees and becomes a prostitute, while Dora marries Henry. Sunako comes back to Yokohama and meets her former friends Dora and Henry, and wants to get out of the world she has made for herself. This film is completely silent, no music track. It is available with English subtitles, being part of a recent domestic release by Criterion films. This film has elements of lust, love, betrayal, hopelessness and regret. It lasts almost 72 minutes, but for me it could have gone on for another forty minutes and I wouldn't have minded. The relationships of the characters are simply told and rather than many fade outs which the director Mr. Shimizu used in "Masseurs And The Woman" he favors tight editing here, with little camera tricks. The story may be simply told but it is fascinating. Michiko Oikawa is so good as Sunako, her expressions are perfect and how you feel about her changes often. I don't find it difficult to follow at all. It has elements of Kenji Mizoguchi's style, but it really is a great film. Buy the box set, even for just this film, though I liked the others in the set. In my opinion, this is the best one in the set and with so many films from Japan criminally lost, this is a grateful find. It really moved me.

When the West meets the East in the 1930's Yokohama

[komagawa · 8/10 · 7 May 2021]

Relationships are a big part of Japanese novels, and movies, more so, in my opinion than in Hollywood, where plot drives the movies for the most part. Shimizu, Hiroshi is an artist. He is an experienced director in showing the auidence rather than telling them the enduring themes he wants to examine in the film. Lonliness and the seeking of fulfillment is one of the themes here. A second one is the technology and wealth of the society in the 1930's, part of the recovery from the Great Depression. Society is going up. Attraction by Japan toward America and Western society is another theme presented here. There is an interesting acting sytle which is partially familiar from Kabuki gestures and part of the new more natural way of behaving in front of a camera here. Shimizu is intgerested in women's lives , in the 3 movies I have watched, this one, Arigato-San, and Boss's Son goes to College. The women havee the stronger roles. Sunako is the featured woman in this movie. She has a longing for some image of happiness, which means finding a husband. She really has found someone who tgruly loves her, but she doesn't find a peace of mind until the end. There are two Japanese actors with English names, Henry, and Dora. Much of the action is in Yokohama, where 3 girls are in a Catholic? School. Shimizu likes port cities. Ports are points of contact with the outside world. The girls wish to leave their situation, but they really can't go very far, only to Kobe (another port city) . There are few chjoices for them to esxpress their potential. Though we don't know what that potential is. Instead we learn only of an emotional lonliness and restlessness. They might be children of the middle-clkass, they are turning away slowly from the traditoinal modes, and look for something to fulfill them in the Western culture...And yet, they don't have tghe means to purchasse the goods of the West. They are on the edge, and this edge is not so comvortable for any of them. I particularly like the scene in the parking lot at the dock of President Asia cruise ship. This is Sunako searching for her boy friend, who chose Yoko for the big Ball. Youth is spent chasing the new consumer cultuere that is in its childhood here. There are many scene compositions which I enjoy Shimiuzu focusing on.

Antiquated and detached...

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 6 September 2010]

The Japanese film industry during the 1930s was quite different from Hollywood. While the American movie producers had switched over to sound by about 1929 (afer the first talking picture in 1927), Japan and much of the world continued making silents for some time. In fact, up until almost 1940, Japanese films were still silents. In addition, some old film techniques (such as the stationary camera used by Ozu up until the 1960s) lingered. I mention all this because I understand the context for 1930s Japanese films and have watched about a dozen or two. However, even compared to these other films, "Minato No Nihon Musume" is a very, very old fashioned film...and I don't see the genius that some other reviewers have mentioned. Technically speaking, the film was very badly dated when it debuted. The biggest problem is the incredibly detached style of storytelling (and yes, I know that this was not all that unusual for Japanese films)--because of this it loses so much of its emotional impact and is dull when the film had a story that NEVER should have been dull. Instead of telling the story in a traditional narrative, the story is laid out in vignettes that are framed with intertitle cards that describe what is about to occur...which was great for 1910....but certainly not the best or most interesting ways to tell any story.

As for the story, it's all about a woman who is used by a jerk named 'Henry' and the consequences (both immediate and long-term). I cannot complain too much that the 'foreigner' Henry clearly is NOT a westerner but a Japanese man. This is because at the same time, Hollywood was featuring the Swede, Warner Oland, as Charlie Chan! In fact, having westerners play Asians was the norm for decades...so Henry's poor casting can be understood in its context. Plus, perhaps no western actors were even readily available for the part. Regardless, the story idea isn't bad...but is just not executed in a way that makes for interesting viewing.