Japan
1934
86 minutes
Black and White
1.33:1
Japanese
In 1959, Yasujiro Ozu remade his 1934 silent classic A Story of Floating Weeds in color with the celebrated cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa (Rashomon, Ugetsu). Setting his later version in a seaside location, Ozu otherwise preserves the details of his elegantly simple plot wherein an aging actor returns to a small town with his troupe and reunites with his former lover and illegitimate son, a scenario that enrages his current mistress and results in heartbreak for all. Together, the films offer a unique glimpse into the evolution of one of cinema’s greatest directors. A Story of Floating Weeds reveals Ozu in the midst of developing his mode of expression; Floating Weeds reveals his distinct style at its pinnacle. In each, the director captures the joy and sadness in everyday life.
| Kihachi | Takeshi Sakamoto |
| Otsune | Choko Iida |
| Shinkichi | Koji (Hideo) Mitsui |
| Otaka | Rieko Yagumo |
| Otoki | Yoshiko Tsubouchi |
| Tomibo | Tokkan Kozo |
| His father | Reiko Tani |
| Director | Yasujiro Ozu |
| Story by | "James Maki" |
| Script (after the American film The Barker) by | Tadao Ikeda |
| Cinematography | Hideo Mohara |
| Art direction | Toshio Hamada |
| Lighting by | Toshimichi Nakajima |
| Editing | Hideo Mohara |
| Cinematography assistants | Yuhara Atsuta and Masao Irie |
Disc One: A Story of Floating Weeds
Disc Two: Floating Weeds
Donald Richie recently came through the United States on his eighty-fifth-birthday tour, and along the way he stopped in Berkeley for a conversation with longtime friend, Telluride codirector, and Mishima producer Tom Luddy. Those who have heard Donald’s Criterion interviews and commentaries...
“Floating weeds, drifting down the leisurely river of our lives,” has long been a favored metaphor in Japanese prose and poetry. This plant, the ukigusa (duckweed in English), floating aimlessly, carried by stronger currents, is seen as emblematic of our own journey. And sometimes this identity...
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