Floating Weeds

Floating Weeds (浮草, Ukikusa) is a 1959 film by Yasujiro Ozu and shot in colour by Kazuo Miyagawa, one of Japan's most highly regarded cinematographers. It is a remake of Ozu's own black-and-white silent film A Story of Floating Weeds (1934). Early on, there is a travelling shot filmed from a ferry as it docks at the harbour. This is the only instance of camera movement in Ozu's six colour films. The film takes place during a hot summer in 1958 at... more

Floating Weeds (浮草, Ukikusa) is a 1959 film by Yasujiro Ozu and shot in colour by Kazuo Miyagawa, one of Japan's most highly regarded cinematographers. It is a remake of Ozu's own black-and-white silent film A Story of Floating Weeds (1934). Early on, there is a travelling shot filmed from a ferry as it docks at the harbour. This is the only instance of camera movement in Ozu's six colour films. The film takes place during a hot summer in 1958 at a seaside town in the Inland Sea. A troupe of travelling theatre arrives by ship, headed by the troupe's lead actor and owner, Komajuro (Ganjiro Nakamura). The rest of the troupe goes around the town to promote their kabuki acts. Komajuro visits his former mistress, Oyoshi, who runs a small eatery in the town. They have a grown-up son Kiyoshi, who now works at the post office as a mail clerk and is saving up to go to the university. However, he does not know who Komajuro is, thinking he is his uncle. Komajuro invites Kiyoshi to go fishing in... less