StoryLine: Meoto zenzai 1955 Toyoda Shiros award winner Marital Relations Meoto zenzai, 1955 is one of the directors many adaptations from literary works, this one from a novel by Oda Sakunosuke The film was quite popular with critics, and received both a sequel and a remake in the 1960s I recently viewed another Oda adaptation Firefly Light Hotarubi, 1958, by director Gosho Heinosuke Based on these two films, I seem to have trouble tuning into the correct frequency of the Oda adaptations, as their intended tone continuously escapes me Marital relations could be a nice starring vehicle for actress Awashima Chikage The plot line fits that purpose Awashima plays Choko, a daughter of a working class family, who makes her living as a geisha in the Japan of 19321933 Choko has just hooked up with Ryukichi Morishige Hisaya, the spoiled son of a rich family who leaves his sick wife and teenage daughter to be with her Because the new love interest comes from an upper class, he is not a practical sort, and cant really do any work So Choko returns to her work as a geisha and supports her man, which becomes increasingly difficult when the man starts spending all of her hard earned money There is certain universality to a narrative, where a hooker with a heart of gold meets the prodigal son There could be potential for both drama and comedy, but this never chooses one over the other Comically, the scenario brought to mind Billy Wilders Irma la Douce 1963, but the overall dark atmosphere and desperation of the characters stops this from being funny And for a drama this is really mismatched Awashima is doing her best as Choko, but Morishige Hisaya seems to be from a different film entirely Because of his hair cut, he appeared almost like a Tora san from hell, if Tora san was a cold hearted man who did not care for anybody but himself There is no balance between the two, and the husband is such a piece of work, that the audience isnt rooting for them to stay together Since they arent married, they arent forced to do that either I think there were lots of interesting themes that were under analyzed, such as Chokos troubles being a homewrecker, which are now and again mentioned, but get sidetracked whenever there is a more comedic scene Interestingly, the film features a sequence of amusing domestic violence It is amusing, because its the wife beating up the husband, thats amusing, rightAll in all, this film did not really work for me There are many better ones dealing with similar themes, whether they be comedies or tragedies The duration of two hours did not help the film either
Murder at Blackthorne Manor (2023)
Hayley enjoys creating murder mystery parties at renowned Blackthorne Manor But when the manors owner is found dead, Hayley and her colleague must sort through a house full of suspects to identify the murderer
Safelight (2015)
A teenage boy and girl discover a renewed sense of possibility as they go on a road trip to photograph lighthouses along the California coast
The Matrix (1999)
When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber intelligence
The Love Lottery (1954)
Rex Allerton is a top Hollywood star and an idol of the female population To get away from the pressure of the fans who wont leave him alone, he relocates to a remote Italian village where unanticipated trouble arises when unwittin
Marriage on the Rocks (1965)
A businessmans neglected wife divorces her husband by mistake and marries his best friend by accident
The Juror (2019)
The Juror is about the justification of a court of jurors who discuss an unexpected event
Lisztomania (1975)
Composer and pianist Franz Liszt Roger Daltrey attempts to overcome his hedonistic life style while repeatedly being drawn back into it by the many women in his life and fellow composer Richard Wagner Paul Nicholas
The Plot to Kill Hitler (2023)
The 20th July 1944 Operation Valkyrie is underway Conspirators race to change the course of history forever Will the plot succeed or will Adolf Hitler escape unharmed once again
No Holds Barred (1989)
A TV network boss pits a wrestler called Zeus against a wrestler called Rip in a wrestling match
The Inspection (2022)
A young, gay Black man, rejected by his mother and with few options for his future, decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes to succeed in a system that would cast him aside
LInnocente (1976)
Tullio Hermil is a chauvinist aristocrat who flaunts his mistress to his wife, but when he believes she has been unfaithful, he becomes enamored of her again
Dracula in a Womens Prison (2017)
Ten years after the horrific events of Werewolf in a Womens Prison, the penitentiary has a new warden with a thirst for blood Young American Liz Victoria De Mare travels to the the third world country of Campuna to gather her
Fair Play (2014)
The 1980s in Czechoslovakia The young talented sprinter Anna Judit Bardos is selected for the national team and starts training to qualify for the Olympic Games As a part of the preparation she is placed in a secret medical prog
Socialphobia (2014)
People tend to be intentionally provocative or extremely argumentative over petty matters on twitter A woman who challenges men becomes targeted as a public enemy Young men expose her identity and even show up on her doorstep But