THE MASSEURS AND THE WOMAN d: Hiroshi Shimizu
Anma to onna / The Masseurs and a Woman (1938)
Direction and screenplay: Hiroshi Shimizu
Cast: Shin Tokudaiji, Shinichi Himori, Mieko Takamine
The usual 1930s Japanese film preoccupations with societal roles are explored in writer-director Hiroshi Shimizu’s moving Anma to onna / The Masseurs and a Woman (1938). Whereas contemporaries such as Yasujiro Ozu and Kenji Mizoguchi frequently examined the effects of a changing world upon traditional families or acceptable female behavior, Shimizu takes a less direct approach in this beguiling piece. His protagonist is not an overwhelmed father or a fallen woman, but a blind masseur on the fringes of conventional society. Through this main character and his interactions at a rural mountain retreat, Shimizu offers a broader insight into those marginalized [...]
by Doug Johnson | July 31, 2009
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Tags: Classic Movies, Film Reviews, Hiroshi Shimizu, Mieko Takamine, Shin Tokudaiji, Shinichi Himori, Socially Conscious Movies, The Masseurs and a Woman
