Hana

"Hana" (Flower, 1941) was the fourth feature film by director Yoshimura Kozaburo, who after the war would direct several important pictures. This is a wartime effort, that greatly resembles the house style of the studio that made it, which is Shochiku. Yoshimura got his start as an assistant director to Shimazu Yasujiro, from whose style this early effort does not significantly differ.

Tanaka Kinuyo plays a woman who teaches other young women the important art of flower arrangement. She loves her job, and also supports her loved ones. Tanaka gets to know one of her students better and is also introduced to her handsome dentist brother. Though the film is very dialogue-driven, there is enough to keep it interesting for the fans of Shochiku's usual output. We get romance, a "will they / won't they" narrative, talk of marriage, some tragedy, and some soul-searching. The film runs a total of two hours, which gives time for character development, though I guess it could have been narrowed down a little. Lots of regular Shochiku actors drop by, even if their roles are smaller.

Yoshimura's early film, penned by pre-war Ozu collaborator Ikeda Tadao, is not greatly ambitious, but nevertheless a well made Shochiku product for female audiences. The symbolism of the flowers in "Flower" is also not too hard to grasp. Tanaka is great in the leading role, as she always is.