<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.19019"></HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Many thanks, Maria, for your informative
remarks.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I can imagine this film being 'sold' to the censors on the
idea of demonstrating how buses are running normally throughout the length and
breadth of Japan. It's more usual for filmmakers to
evade censors by setting a contemporary story in the past. This has
the feel of a story of the near past, only pretending to be in the
present.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Roger</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=tkarsavina@yahoo.com href="mailto:tkarsavina@yahoo.com">Maria Jose
Gonzalez</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
href="mailto:KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu">KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, February 28, 2011 2:45
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Hideko the Bus
Conductor</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=top>Thanks to the wonders of (lowers voice) youtube,I have
just watched Hideko in four installments.
<DIV>It is rather shocking to read -and I had to check the book- that
Russell says that Hideko and Sonoda have saved the company when clearly
the boss has just sold everything.</DIV>
<DIV>To further increase the irony of the situation,the film ends with a
lonely bus heading forward in an empty landscape.It is not the first
time I read wrong versions of a plot (Audie Bock comes to mind).</DIV>
<DIV>Regarding the carrot,it might well be Julien Duvivier's "Poil de
carotte" titled simply "Ninjin" in Japan (a remake of another from
1925).It is quite likely that Naruse admired Duvivier,as many other film
directors did/do.Who knows!</DIV>
<DIV>Both carrots and "gobo" (burdock root) are tubers but there is an
expression relative to "pulling gobo" when you want to remove somebody
who is sitting down and it makes sense Hideko uses this to refer to the
driver.</DIV>
<DIV>A very interesting moment in the film is when the school girls sing
one of the songs appearing in "Shirobara Sakedo".This recycling of songs
in interwar films,even when they're separated by a number of years,is
certainly very attractive and connects films and stories.</DIV>
<DIV>That in 1941 a bunch of girls sing this very modern song from a
very "modan" film couldn't be further apart from the Japanese
nationalism raiding the capital which seems a very distant world.I also
beg to differ with Russell when she says that it is clear in the film
that Japan is at war...Just a look at the clothing reveals the
opposite.And when she mentions Hideko's single woman attire,she omits
the fact that we don't see a single mompei,that there are women in
yukata (Takamine herself and the woman at the ryokan who,by the way,adds
a very subtle touch of sensuality with her slight movements),that the
radio serves not to communicate war bulletins or news from Manchuria but
to learn proper standard Japanese and listen to a tour of the
capital.</DIV>
<DIV>A lazy boss who seems to be corrupt,two faithful workers,a farming
mother to whom Takamine brings a kimono as a present-if I remember
correctly-,the usual travellers in otherwise quiet settings.To an
audience at war,this must have felt like a much needed respite and some
or many were probably able to read a little more into Naruse's indirect
remarks.</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><BR><BR>--- On <B>Mon, 28/2/11, Maria Jose Gonzalez
<I><tkarsavina@yahoo.com></I></B> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><BR>From:
Maria Jose Gonzalez <tkarsavina@yahoo.com><BR>Subject: Re:
Hideko the Bus Conductor<BR>To:
KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu<BR>Date: Monday, 28 February, 2011,
1:28 PM<BR><BR>
<DIV id=yiv1986030900>
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=top>Oh! What a fascinating train (or should I say
bus) of thought!
<DIV>I don't have much time to elaborate on this now but a quick
search confirms that "O-koma-san",the story on which Naruse's
Hideko is based,was published in 1941.</DIV>
<DIV>However,I was leafing through Volume 7 of Ibuse's
"Collected Works" (in my possession because of Arigato-san) and
I found a short story titled "Tosa Bus",in which he talks about
a conductress,dating from 1939.</DIV>
<DIV>Moreover,in this story the narrator tells about how he has
often been scolded by both driver and conductress on many
occasions.On one of them,the writer asks the driver to stop
along the way in a place with no bus stop (a regular practice
all the same).</DIV>
<DIV>However,the driver gets very angry at him and says:</DIV>
<DIV>"You fool (the original is "Aho"),haven't you heard about
the gasoline restrictions?</DIV>
<DIV> If you want to get off here,wait until the next stop
and then walk.</DIV>
<DIV>And if it is a pee you want,put up with it!".</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>The story then describes the nice conductress and how she
talks to the passengers and marvelling on the landscape.</DIV>
<DIV>I don't have the "Okosama" story on which supposedly Hideko
is based but Tosa Bus is certainly its origin.It refers as well
to a rural area .</DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Another interesting aspect of having a film about buses at
this time can be linked to one of Japan's most popular slogans
in 1940 and relative to the "Shin Taisei Undo" (New Structure
Movement) which was pushing Japan towards militarism through an
intellectual base.</DIV>
<DIV>The slogan,listed as one of the most popular phrases of
that year,was "Basu ni nori okure na!" (Do not miss the bus!")
where the bus stands for Germany,demanding that "Japan seize
this momentum and enact the Tripartite Act with Germany and
Italy" (Kazuo Yagami's "Konoe Fumitaro and the failure of peace
in Japan").</DIV>
<DIV>Naruse's audience was thus very much aware of the imagery a
bus could conjure up so yes,this idyllic rural comedy could have
been transgressing ideas of national policy in the form of a
much needed comedy with Deko-chan,the girl of the moment,at a
time when Japan was getting deep into the war.At this point,we
have a myriad of interpretation possibilities opening before
us...</DIV>
<DIV>A bus going nowhere?</DIV>
<DIV>Ways to save a bus?</DIV>
<DIV>Competition between buses?</DIV>
<DIV>And if we compare this bus with Shimizu's,we have a topic
for a dissertation.</DIV>
<DIV>There's loads more but no time now.</DIV>
<DIV>;-)</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Maria-Jose Gonzalez</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><BR><BR>--- On <B>Mon, 28/2/11, Roger Macy
<I><macyroger@yahoo.co.uk></I></B> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><BR>From:
Roger Macy <macyroger@yahoo.co.uk><BR>Subject: Hideko
the Bus Conductor<BR>To: "KineJapan"
<KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu><BR>Date: Monday, 28
February, 2011, 10:19 AM<BR><BR>
<DIV id=yiv1986030900>
<STYLE></STYLE>
<DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 6pt"
class=yiv1986030900MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'">Dear Kinejapaners,
</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 6pt"
class=yiv1986030900MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'">I wonder if some of you
could help me understand a few things about Naruse's 1941
film, <I>Hideko<SPAN> </SPAN>no sashō-san</I>
.<SPAN> </SPAN>Actually, the reason I had ferreted out a
copy of this film was something I came across in <I>Asia</I>
magazine ('the journal of the American Asiatic Society') for
August 1940 by Stafford Cripps (p399-401). [He was a Labour
ex-minister, would soon be appointed by Churchill as
ambassador to Moscow and was later Chancellor of the
Exchequer.<SPAN> </SPAN>He had just visited China and
Japan] :-</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 12pt 0cm 0pt"
class=yiv1986030900MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'" lang=EN-US>"The lack of
gasoline supplies was obvious in the buses converted to use
water-gas and the almost complete absence of private cars on
the streets.<SPAN> </SPAN>While I was in Tokyo a
committee of the Diet was discussing the breakdown of rural
bus transport and the appropriate Minister solemnly explained
to them that this was really a blessing in disguise, since the
Japanese were tending to become lazy and it would do them good
to walk instead of travelling in buses !"</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 0pt"
class=yiv1986030900MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'">It made me wonder whether
the Takamine/ Naruse film, made immediately after this, was
quite the innocent rural idyll that I had read
about.<SPAN> </SPAN>It certainly didn't matter for my
Takamine obit. for <I>The Independent</I>, which was long
filed - it appeared this week, tinkered, and all eleven words
about her war-time filmography were cut. <A
href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/hideko-takamine-japanese-actress-whose-film-career-spanned-half-a-century-2221668.html"
rel=nofollow target=_blank><FONT
color=#800080>http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/hideko-takamine-japanese-actress-whose-film-career-spanned-half-a-century-2221668.html</FONT></A>
<SPAN> </SPAN>So this is just for anyone who's
interested.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 0pt"
class=yiv1986030900MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'">In this deeply rural
location, there's a shortage of passengers but not of
fuel.<SPAN> </SPAN>Neither bus that we see, has been
converted, and one bus overtakes its rival to get to the
customers first.<SPAN> </SPAN>No-one, except the
industrious Deko-chan has to walk anywhere.<SPAN>
</SPAN>But is this supposed to be in the now?<SPAN>
</SPAN><SPAN> </SPAN>Unless Cripps and the Transport
Minister made it all up, isn't this referring to a
'then'?<SPAN> </SPAN>I think the script carefully hedges
its bets here - although if anyone could unpack this sentence
of Audie Bock (undated Film Center 'Naruse' Catalog), I'd
appreciate it: "The story is of course largely
autobiographical on the part of Ibuse" [Ibuse
Masuji].<SPAN> </SPAN>I presume she means the part of
the writer, Ikawa, in the story.<SPAN> </SPAN>But had
Ibuse already published this story ?</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 0pt"
class=yiv1986030900MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'">Catherine Russell is helpful
and insightful as ever, particularly about Takamine's persona
in the closing shots.<SPAN> </SPAN>But Catherine reads
the film's end, as others do, as "Okoma and Sonoda have
triumphed over their indolent, corrupt boss to save the
company".<SPAN> </SPAN>I thought - but the disc I
obtained is <U>terrible</U>, so I would be happy to be
corrected - that we had just previously cut back to the office
and learnt that the boss had sold the bus, sacked the staff
and was closing the office tomorrow.<SPAN>
</SPAN><SPAN> </SPAN>We could hope that the new owner
might judge that Deko-chan had more mileage in her than that
bone-shaker of a bus and include her in the deal, but we
shouldn't count on it.<SPAN> </SPAN>Which would make the
pure optimism of the closing shot not only
poignant<SPAN> </SPAN>but religious, a point that
Catherine observes about these wartime films a little
earlier.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 0pt"
class=yiv1986030900MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'">And my final question - In
the scene just before this, Deko-chan is teasing her
driver-colleague, that the departed writer, Ikawa, had likened
him to a 'ninjin' in a French film.<SPAN> </SPAN>One
could argue that reference to a French film in late 1941 was
also referring back to a previous period.<SPAN>
</SPAN>But what French film is this with a carrot - oriental
or occidental ?</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 0pt"
class=yiv1986030900MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 0pt"
class=yiv1986030900MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'">Any suggestions or
corrections appreciated,</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 0pt"
class=yiv1986030900MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'">Roger</SPAN></P></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>