Susumu Hani

  • Susumu Hani – Yôsei no uta AKA Mio (1972)

    1971-1980DocumentaryDramaJapanSusumu Hani
    Yôsei no uta (1972)
    Yôsei no uta (1972)

    Susumu Hani’s six-year-old daughter Mio plays an orphaned Japanese girl who, for some reason, ends up in Sardinia. She starts going to school, quickly learns Italian, and befriends a boy named Raphael. One of Hani’s stranger concepts for a film, made enjoyable by the great naturalistic acting that’s found in most of his work.Read More »

  • Susumu Hani – Furyo shonen AKA Bad Boys (1961)

    1961-1970ArthouseClassicsJapanSusumu Hani

    Quote:
    Susumu Hani’s first feature was this gritty pseudo docudrama of juvenile delinquency based upon a collection of papers, ‘Wings That Couldn’t Fly’, written by the inmates of a boy’s prison. The film follows a young man who drifts into petty crime, is arrested, imprisoned, reformed and released. True stories of other inmates are interwoven into his experience to create a startling document of crime and punishment.Read More »

  • Susumu Hani – Kanojo to kare AKA She and He (1963)

    1961-1970ArthouseClassicsJapanSusumu Hani

    Quote:
    One of Hani’s recurring themes was the status of women in modern society. His first attempt at the subject was this Antonioniesque melodrama set in a sterile high rise complex. A woman resident becomes discontent with the empty life she and her husband are leading. They encounter a street beggar who lives in poverty with his dog and a blind orphan. The woman becomes fascinated by the beggar’s world and pursues a friendship which leads to terrible discord and a tragedy.Read More »

  • Susumu Hani – Gozenchu no jikanwari AKA The Morning Schedule (1972)

    1971-1980ArthouseAsianJapanSusumu Hani

    Hani’s subsequent work, Morning Schedule , combines his interest in contemporary youth with his continued interest in modern women. The story deals with two high school girls who decide to take a trip together. The fiction feature, which is narrated, was filmed in 8mm and each of the major actors was allowed to shoot part of the film. Further, the audience is informed of who is shooting, thereby acknowledging the filmmaker within the context of the work. The use of 8mm is not new for Hani. More than half of his fourth film was originally shot in 8mm. Likewise, the use of a narrator dates back to A Full Life. Throughout his career, Hani has concerned himself with people who have difficulty in communicating with one another. His documentaries, narratives on social problems, and dramas on emerging women have established his reputation as one of the foremost psychologists of the Japanese cinema.Read More »

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