Kobayashi Masaki has made some absolutely essential, must-see classics, but not all his works are equally well-known, and not all are equal in terms of quality, either. This 1954 picture is definitely not one of the man's most celebrated endeavors; how might it hold up compared to its brethren? There is perhaps a reason 'Somewhere under the broad sky' is less renowned - it's a fine film, truly, but not necessarily particularly striking. Even as drama persists the overall tone is very light to the point of diminishing it, observed in the dialogue, the course of events such as it is, Kobayashi's direction, and at length the acting. There's much to appreciate here, and it's worthwhile on its own merits, but maybe not anything special that especially demands to be seen.
There's one scene in the third act that's so dippy it wouldn't be out of place coming from P. G. Wodehouse writing Madeline Bassett. Elsewhere, as the narrative leans on mundane, common ideas like "life is hard" and "the relationship between a woman and the family she has married into," the feature is maudlin and almost kind of questionable as it feels like a contemporary U. S. TV sitcom, or at most a TV family drama of the sort that seemingly proliferated in the 80s and early 90s (one of the many curses of Reaganism). While I don't actually doubt the intent, the sum total nevertheless arguably comes across as less than fully earnest, and it's rather as if Kobayashi and writer Kusuda Yoshiko actively forsook heartier, solemn drama lest they run afoul of cultural norms or some censor's board. (It's not an unreasonable conjecture, seeing as the Allied occupation of Japan following World War II had only ended a couple years before this was released.) There's "lighthearted," and then there's "so light that it may float away on a mild breeze."
Still, it's not as if the title isn't duly well made just as it is. Exceedingly gentle as it may be as written and realized, there are still worthwhile ideas herein: the owner of a local liquor store that just gets by, the young woman struggling to find her place in her husband's family, the sister who is ashamed of her disability, the empathetic young brother who has his head in the clouds, the terse mother-in-law, the values of a society in flux, and so on. The plot rather exists on a plateau, but it's not undeserving, and there is just enough sense of story in the characters and their relationships, and each scene in turn, to keep us interested. In much the same vein the cast do give admirable performances befitting the material, not least Sada Keiji and Kuga Yoshiko, and certainly others including Ishihama Akira and Urabe Kumeko. With splendid cinematography, lovely filming locations, and excellent production design and art direction - not to mention fetching costume design, hair, and makeup - the movie is easy on the eyes, and everyone who contributed behind the scenes did a fine job.
It's debatable at best if all this is enough to earn a specific recommendation; adequately satisfying as 'Somewhere under the broad sky' is,' it does not leave a lasting impression of the type that will have one speak enthusiastically of it to their fellows. Yet not every film needs to be a revelation, or a spellbinding tour de force; sometimes it really is enough to simply Be, and operate on a smaller and less momentous scale. We can discuss the finer points of this flick, but it really is good all told; "less than riveting" does not mean "bad." There's hardly any need to go out of one's way for it, but provided one is receptive to softer fare of this variety, it's still worth checking out on a quiet day if one has the opportunity. And that's perfectly okay.
