While the film laments society’s attempts to suppress the past (in the form of the stigma attached to the survivors), it also ridicules the purely reactionary impulse, depicting Shigeko’s later fascination with séances, gravesites and the ghosts of deceased relatives as a morbid fixation. The pastoral surface of this movie conceals — and eventually reveals — a deep concern for the possibility of building a humane future. This is what is at stake in Yasuko’s marriage ambitions, which are more than once framed as hope for familial and generational continuity.
Once raised, Black Rain doesn’t so much frustrate these expectations as ignore (or possibly forget) them; at the exact midpoint, a character recites a funereal Buddhist sutra regarding the transience of all existence, and this cosmic theme takes over from the petty human concerns which dominate the first half. It must be admitted that the film becomes much less compelling after this, though it still contains some well-done scenes, and Shohei Imamura’s sure stylistic hand is at least enough to keep the mind alive.
But Black Rain is perhaps best thought of as a deliberate departure for Imamura; a dry run for his later, better Unagi, which also features a small ensemble cast going about its (considerably more light-hearted) business in the Japanese hinterlands.
Black Rain is not a failure — its general quality and serious intentions are enough to certainly recommend a look — but I’d also hesitate to call it entirely successful.
Animego’s release features superb sound and image quality, a huge step up from the first Region 1 release of this film about ten years ago. They have also included a nifty feature that I’ve never encountered on a DVD before: two sets of English subtitles. One simply translates the dialogue, while the other provides additional short explanations of the etymology of certain Japanese slang terms, place names and other uncommon words as they occur in the dialogue. Useful for students of the language, somewhat distracting if Japanese is all Greek to you (but the explanatory notes are, thankfully, removable).
Also of note is the inclusion of the film’s alternate ending, which, interestingly, and unlike the rest of the film, is shot in color. Assistant director Takashi Miike and actress Yoshiko Tanaka are featured in interviews, while the usual trailers, notes and photo are included as well in this excellent package.
Photos: Animego
© Dan Erdman