Humanity and Paper Balloons is one of the earliest Japanese Toho movies, off the top of my head I believe either the 3rd or 4th.
It is set in the slums of Japan during a time of great poverty and tells the intertwined tales of hairdresser who keeps getting in trouble with the local criminals for arranging gambling nights and the son of a samurai who falls afoul of the same people.
The characters are light hearted and make for a sweet little movie, but it's overtones are very bleak as you'd likely expect.
Though much of the film is hard to appreciate due to this being a very different world we live in, it's remarkably made for it's time and has a hard hitting finale that stays with you.
Hardly groundbreaking and with very mixed tones, but a likeable piece regardless.
The Good:
Very memorable visuals
Great finale
The Bad:
Very mixed tones
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
Mens dancing in 1930's Japan needs to catch on in the west!
I can't take people seriously with those haircuts!
It is set in the slums of Japan during a time of great poverty and tells the intertwined tales of hairdresser who keeps getting in trouble with the local criminals for arranging gambling nights and the son of a samurai who falls afoul of the same people.
The characters are light hearted and make for a sweet little movie, but it's overtones are very bleak as you'd likely expect.
Though much of the film is hard to appreciate due to this being a very different world we live in, it's remarkably made for it's time and has a hard hitting finale that stays with you.
Hardly groundbreaking and with very mixed tones, but a likeable piece regardless.
The Good:
Very memorable visuals
Great finale
The Bad:
Very mixed tones
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
Mens dancing in 1930's Japan needs to catch on in the west!
I can't take people seriously with those haircuts!