My Grading System

A+ = Masterpiece (I hold back on this one.) / A = Great. / A- = Really Good. / B+ = Good. / B = Decent (Serviceable). / B- = Flawed but okay (For those times there's something redeeming about the work). / C+ = Not very good (Skip it). C = Bad. / C- = Awful. / F = Complete Disaster (I hold back on this one too).

Note on Spoilers: I will try to avoid ruining a story by going into too much detail. But if I wish to include some revealing points to my analysis I will try to remember to add a separate spoiler paragraph.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Onna ga kaidan wo agaru toki [When A Woman Ascends The Stairs] (1960)

About an modern Geisha of the post-world war II Japan, this engaging drama with a strong female character focuses on a chaste woman trying to find love while keeping to a promise she made to her husband who died in the war.   I highly recommend this film, especially if you enjoy Japanese films of the 1950s and 60s.  Hideko Takamine invites us into her head with subtle ease; I really found myself caught up with her dilemma and carrying for her.  What is most striking about this film is how timeless it is, it feels contemporary.  I liked how Mikio Naruse frames and paces it.  This is what they call a "lost masterpiece" and I hope more modern audiences discover it.  Grade: A.
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