Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro

Are you better off with him or without him?

In this film, Director Naruse took the viewer behind the scenes of two performers, delving into their professional and personal lives. Jurio and Toyo had been together since training under her mother and must now decide whether to marry and continue on or break up the act.

This was a difficult film for me to rate so I will simply list some pros and cons.

Cons:
Jiro was an egotistical jerk who constantly criticized Toyo's shamisen playing but never reflected critically on his own performance.
Toyo was told repeatedly that as the woman it was her duty to capitulate to Jiro's demands.
If you don't enjoy or have a background in these types of performances, they can be less than enthralling and there are plenty of them. On the converse side if you enjoy them, you are in for a real treat!
There is a lot of bickering between the main couple

Pros:
Toyo rarely capitulated and often defended herself well against Jiro's barbs standing up to him and their manager.
This was a love triangle with real stakes, there was no foregone conclusion who Toyo would eventually end up with.
Toyo truly loved performing and struggled with whether to give it up in an era when being married and continuing to work were not always compatible. I liked that she wasn't ready to jump on the marriage train simply because it was expected of her. She was also willing to do what was necessary once she made up her mind.

As much as I've enjoyed other Naruse films, I can't say that l enjoyed this one. I never liked Jiro, he was self-absorbed and felt the world revolved around him and his "talent". I sympathized with Toyo's plight, especially during the times she was living in. Jiro may have gotten some comeuppance which led to a modicum of personal growth, but it still wasn't enough for me to care about him. I kept wanting to tell Toyo, "Run girl, run for your life!"

The performances were well done, Hasegawa Kazuo and Yamada Isuzu, here in their youth showed why they would go on to have lengthy careers. If you are a fan of either, enjoy the shamisen, a creative love triangle, or are a Naruse fan, this is a film worth checking out. It may not have been captivating, but it had some entertaining moments.


11/5/22

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