As an old woman composed her memoir of her early days as a domestic helper in Tokyo during the Second World War, her grandnephew discovered a long hidden secret which could change his outlook of life. The Little House is a great movie. It is warm and sad but fun. It scores on all counts: plot, script, acting and artistic direction.
Nostalgically weaving in historic facts of the Sino-Japanese War in the 1930s to 40s, it is enjoyable while educational. I particularly like it contrasting grandaunt's memories with contemporary interpretation of facts so the audience can see both side of the same coin. The film starts with Taki (Haru Kuroki), a teenager from the snow-ridden Northeast Japan arriving at Tokyo to work as a domestic helper in 1936. While she lived comfortably and works hard at the Hirai family in the little house, Japan invaded China and started the Nanking massacre. But in Taki's sheltered life in the little house under the red tiles, her employer Mrs Tokiko Hirai (Takako Matsu)'s love life caused the young woman great turbulence and struggle.
The artistic direction is excellent: to make it authentic, educational and nostalgic, the director Yoji Yamada throws in ration, marketing, manufacturing, black market of donkatsu (fried pork chop), omiai (match making), domestic helper, polio, new year celebration etc. to contrast between old and modern times, as well as war and peace time which makes the movie experience very enjoyable.
But that's probably the original ideas of the novel writer Kyoko Nakajima who told the audience at a Hong Kong Book Fair seminar that she wanted to depict life in Tokyo during the war.
The script and plot is what drive the movie. Looking at a well off family from the perspective of a loyal and industrious young domestic helper, we get a certain kind of objectivity while understanding the emotions of the various characters. We followed Taki into the Hirai family and learnt early on that a good helper's job is to keep the master's family intact.
Obviously it is an anti-war movie where the author and director present through ordinary people's lives: Mr Hirai (Takataro Kataoka) and his colleagues from a toy company were more concerned with making and selling toys to Asia than understanding why Japan entered the war. The women are more interested in the butter sale which was set up to celebrate the capture of Nanking. There is a certain kind of parallel irony both in the war and how it affected ordinary lives. Very interesting contrast of historic events and their interpretation among laymen. In the core of all these, beautiful housewife Tokiko and her husband's young colleague Itakura (Hidetaka Yoshioka) found they had more in common such as music and movies and he offered more protection than her husband could.
In the award-winning novel based on which this movie is made, the much older Mr Hirai is Tokiko's second husband. No wonder I kept wondering why this couple got married in the first place. It is also very possible that they did not have intimacy in their marriage.
Therefore it became natural that Tokiko and Itakura felt for each other. But in those days, people tended to repress their feelings and oblige to social norms. Little Taki felt her mistress' affection for her handsome lover but also heard gossips from other people. She could not directly warn her master or mistress and could only bottle herself up. But the tension cannot be held when she knew the mistress is going to see her lover before he left for the war. She made an executive decision that could cause sadness and perhaps regrets on all parties.
In her little but powerful way, Taki probably changed the fate of the couple but she kept the integrity of the Hirai family, who lived in a house she herself loved so much that she considered it her home and was reluctant to marry off herself.
What is amazing is that she kept this secret all her life. Chieko Baisho made an excellent portrayal of an old lady recounting her glorious and bitter-sweet days. No wonder she said she lived for too long: it was prolonged suffering in keeping a long-held secret; she might feel guilty of destroying a beautiful and genuine love relationship; she might also thought she should be the one who died young because she has no one to love or be loved. She might feel her mistress loved and was loved and deserved to live long to enjoy this love. Even though Taki might think she did the right thing at that time, over the course of her life, she probably gradually realize the consequence of her action and her guilt and regret built up. It resonates so much to real life: we can only make decision based on the current situation and our expectation. But things always happen beyond our control and there always is no turning back and we just have to live with our decision.
I totally enjoy this movie. It offers a glimpse into ordinary Japanese life during the WWII and portrays the absurdity of war as it ruins business, family and peaceful life. Comparing to Natsume Soseki's Sorekara, Tokiko and Itakura are braver in pursuing their love. I wonder how their affairs would evolve if there had not been a war. Even Tokiko's son seems to like Itakura.
The direction and tempo is smooth. All the cast are excellent. Haru Kuroki is low-key yet powerful. Takako simply glows in her beautiful and slightly spoiled character.
The Eternal Zero, another Japanese movie to condemn war, is shown around the same time but I like the Little House much more. There are more layers, more human, more sincerity, much better acting and much better script. Must see.
Nostalgically weaving in historic facts of the Sino-Japanese War in the 1930s to 40s, it is enjoyable while educational. I particularly like it contrasting grandaunt's memories with contemporary interpretation of facts so the audience can see both side of the same coin. The film starts with Taki (Haru Kuroki), a teenager from the snow-ridden Northeast Japan arriving at Tokyo to work as a domestic helper in 1936. While she lived comfortably and works hard at the Hirai family in the little house, Japan invaded China and started the Nanking massacre. But in Taki's sheltered life in the little house under the red tiles, her employer Mrs Tokiko Hirai (Takako Matsu)'s love life caused the young woman great turbulence and struggle.
The artistic direction is excellent: to make it authentic, educational and nostalgic, the director Yoji Yamada throws in ration, marketing, manufacturing, black market of donkatsu (fried pork chop), omiai (match making), domestic helper, polio, new year celebration etc. to contrast between old and modern times, as well as war and peace time which makes the movie experience very enjoyable.
But that's probably the original ideas of the novel writer Kyoko Nakajima who told the audience at a Hong Kong Book Fair seminar that she wanted to depict life in Tokyo during the war.
The script and plot is what drive the movie. Looking at a well off family from the perspective of a loyal and industrious young domestic helper, we get a certain kind of objectivity while understanding the emotions of the various characters. We followed Taki into the Hirai family and learnt early on that a good helper's job is to keep the master's family intact.
Obviously it is an anti-war movie where the author and director present through ordinary people's lives: Mr Hirai (Takataro Kataoka) and his colleagues from a toy company were more concerned with making and selling toys to Asia than understanding why Japan entered the war. The women are more interested in the butter sale which was set up to celebrate the capture of Nanking. There is a certain kind of parallel irony both in the war and how it affected ordinary lives. Very interesting contrast of historic events and their interpretation among laymen. In the core of all these, beautiful housewife Tokiko and her husband's young colleague Itakura (Hidetaka Yoshioka) found they had more in common such as music and movies and he offered more protection than her husband could.
In the award-winning novel based on which this movie is made, the much older Mr Hirai is Tokiko's second husband. No wonder I kept wondering why this couple got married in the first place. It is also very possible that they did not have intimacy in their marriage.
Therefore it became natural that Tokiko and Itakura felt for each other. But in those days, people tended to repress their feelings and oblige to social norms. Little Taki felt her mistress' affection for her handsome lover but also heard gossips from other people. She could not directly warn her master or mistress and could only bottle herself up. But the tension cannot be held when she knew the mistress is going to see her lover before he left for the war. She made an executive decision that could cause sadness and perhaps regrets on all parties.
In her little but powerful way, Taki probably changed the fate of the couple but she kept the integrity of the Hirai family, who lived in a house she herself loved so much that she considered it her home and was reluctant to marry off herself.
What is amazing is that she kept this secret all her life. Chieko Baisho made an excellent portrayal of an old lady recounting her glorious and bitter-sweet days. No wonder she said she lived for too long: it was prolonged suffering in keeping a long-held secret; she might feel guilty of destroying a beautiful and genuine love relationship; she might also thought she should be the one who died young because she has no one to love or be loved. She might feel her mistress loved and was loved and deserved to live long to enjoy this love. Even though Taki might think she did the right thing at that time, over the course of her life, she probably gradually realize the consequence of her action and her guilt and regret built up. It resonates so much to real life: we can only make decision based on the current situation and our expectation. But things always happen beyond our control and there always is no turning back and we just have to live with our decision.
I totally enjoy this movie. It offers a glimpse into ordinary Japanese life during the WWII and portrays the absurdity of war as it ruins business, family and peaceful life. Comparing to Natsume Soseki's Sorekara, Tokiko and Itakura are braver in pursuing their love. I wonder how their affairs would evolve if there had not been a war. Even Tokiko's son seems to like Itakura.
The direction and tempo is smooth. All the cast are excellent. Haru Kuroki is low-key yet powerful. Takako simply glows in her beautiful and slightly spoiled character.
The Eternal Zero, another Japanese movie to condemn war, is shown around the same time but I like the Little House much more. There are more layers, more human, more sincerity, much better acting and much better script. Must see.
