Film Review
Yasujirô Ozu's obsession with western culture, specifically
American crime films of the late 1920s, early 1930s, is powerfully
reflected in
Dragnet Girl,
the last of three gangster-themed films he made for Shochiku
studio. There is scarcely a single reference to contemporary
Japanese culture in the film, and yet western accoutrements abound,
from posters of American and European films to the familiar gangster
garb of trenchcoats and fedoras. Throughout, the signage is in
English, the mannerisms are more overtly Occidental then Oriental, and
the boxing club, jazz club and record shop settings imbue the film with
an unmistakable aura of western decadence.
Stylistically, the film is as close to 1930s Hollywood as Ozu ever got,
and the influence of such directors as Josef von Sternberg can be felt
throughout the film, particularly in the claustrophobic nocturnal
sequences in which the expressionistic lighting brings a seductive
thrill of its own. Sternberg's
Underworld
(1927) is on obvious point of reference, although Ozu doesn't slavishly
follow the American model but instead imposes his own mark on his
stylish, lovingly composed pastiche. For a director who is
renowned for static camera set ups, Ozu shows a surprising addiction to
camera movement in this film, making this one of the most fluid and
visual exciting of his silent films. Here, Ozu uses camera
movement to alter the perspective within a scene (inviting the
spectator perhaps to alter his or her mental viewpoint), to emphasise
order (the regimented uniformity of the typing pool) and chaos (the
result of a brawl), and also (most ingeniously) to provide a seamless
transition between scenes.
Plotwise,
Dragnet Girl is
virtually identical to Ozu's first gangster film,
Walk Cheerfully (1930).
In both films, the central intrigue is concerned with the redemption of
a hardened gangster figure, but
Dragnet
Girl offers an interesting and quite unexpected twist.
Here it is not, as we might think, the good girl (Kazuko) who turns the
hoodlum from a life of crime, but rather the bad girl, his sly, vampish
moll (Tokiko). The tone of the film is also much darker than in
Walk Cheerfully, with none of the
comic interplay which is evident in that earlier film. Ozu
eschews comedy and focuses much more on character, introducing some
intense and moving moments of conflict as Tokiko struggles desperately
to redeem her beloved Jyoji (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Alain
Delon in his gangster roles of the 1960s and 70s).
Tokiko is by far the most interesting character in the film. Not
only does she drive much of the plot, she is the only character who
manages to rise above the familiar Hollywood archetype. From the
moment we first meet her, a seemingly innocent office typist being
seduced by her employer, we sense there is more to her than meets the
eye. Sure enough, she turns out to be an underworld babe who
frequents gangster haunts as she tags alongside the town's most
respected hood. When she pulls a gun on someone, which she does
with alarming regularity, we know she is more than capable of pulling
the trigger (and she does). Just when we think we have pinned
Tokiko down she surprises us, as she sets about making a reformed
character of the man she loves. This melodramatic volte-face
would be pretty hard to swallow were it not for the fact that Ozu gave
the role of this enterprising female to one of Japan's most capable
actresses, Kinuyo Tanaka. Although Tanaka appeared in a number of
Ozu's early films, she is far better known for her subsequent work with
director Kenji Mizoguchi, most notably
Miss
Oyu (1951) and
The Life of Oharu (1952).
She also became a successful film director in her own right, Japan's
second woman filmmaker (after Sakane Tazuko).
© James Travers 2013
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Yasujirô Ozu film:
Passing Fancy (1933)
Film Synopsis
By day, Tokiko leads a respectable life, working as an office typist
for a large corporation. By night, she drops her pretence of
respectability and becomes the mistress of a small time hoodlum,
Jyoji. Hiroshi, a young student, is in awe of Jyoji and is
honoured when he is allowed to join his gang. When she
hears of this, his sister Kazuko confronts Jyoji and begs him not to
draw Hiroshi into a life of crime. Jyoji is moved by Kazuko's
appeal and begins to take a liking to her. Realising that she may
be about to lose her man to another, more virtuous woman, Tokiko scares
Kazuko off at gunpoint and then sets about trying to redeem Jyoji
herself. She urges him to give up his criminal exploits and start
a new life with her. Eventually, Jyoji agrees, but first they
must undertake one last crime...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.