Fûzen no tomoshibi

Like the title of my review states, this movie is an unusual mixture of suspense and humor. It works but it took me a while to get in tune with it. The title of he movie and the opening scenes make it seem like it's going to be a straight forward suspense movie. Three thugs meet in the city and wander out to the suburbs to scope out an isolated house which they have heard has a lot of money stashed in it. They are waiting for the house to mostly empty out so they can sneak in and hopefully keep the killing down to a minimum. Unbeknownst to them, however, they have picked the wrong day for the job as the house ends up being besieged by bill collectors, repair men, potential boarders and money grubbing relatives. Then there is the mysterious man claiming to be an old friend of the family...The movie ends up being a domestic comedy, filled with venal characters who can't stand each other but who have to pretend to get along for various reasons. Kudos to the beautiful Hideko Takamine who transforms herself into a frumpy hausfrau chafing under her domineering mother-in-law. This movie isn't a world classic, but is definitely worth seeing.

Three street toughs -- well, two and Shinji Tanaka, who's hanging around the railroad station, trying to get to his hometown, whom they threaten into helping them -- are going to rob a suburban house. It will be an easy job. Once the husband goes to work, it will be a housewife (Hideko Takamine) and her old mother-in-law (Akiko Tamura). If they make any trouble, well, hoods have knives.

Except that while they watch the house, the kid stays home, Hideko's sisters visit, and a brother-in-law and tatami repairmen and the whole place is as busy as.... well, what's Japanese for Grand Central Station? And everyone bickers, and schemes and shouts. There the hoods are, waiting for the opportunity that seems like it will never come in Keisuke Kinoshita's black comedy about life among the working poor.

Its rhythms remain odd to me, but the concerns of everyone -- ill-tempered, penny-pinching grandma, oppressed Hideko, her self-centered, marginal sisters (including Toshiko Kobayashi, with whom Miss Takamine worked so well in the two "Carmen" films), even the three hoods, all have real issues, which they all try to deal with in unattractive ways. The constant boil of incidents and wondering what ugly, funny thing these characters would do next kept me interested all the way through.

I watched this movie curious to see what it was.

It starts with 3 criminals that plan to make a robbery in a house to get the old mothers fortune. And then we wait for a long time for them to move because people go in and out of the house at the same time.

Main part of what the movie is about is the poor couple there have won a prize in a contest and all their family come to get a share of the prize money.

In my opinion there are a few funny things in the movie but not enough to justify spending the time it takes. If you are into family conflicts in a bit funny way then it may be a movie for you.

This is a treat if you are a fan of films from the fifties or sixties.

Set over the course of one day, a lower middle-class family living in the countryside, one sunny day receives good news: the father has won a newspaper competition. THe prize - an expensive camera. But as the news spread 'cross town, an ensemble of variouscharacters descend upon the house seeking part or whole of the loot.

It is generically a comedy, but, as the title suggests, there is a sense of sinister forboding maintained right 'til the end. In fact, the film quickly shifts gears - light comedy, crime-thriller, melodrama to slapstick.

The acting is what holds the film together. The ensemble cast are mesmerising - nobody misses a beat. The direction too, which often opts for show don't tell approach ensures an interesting viewing experience.

Finally, it is not very long. So, even if you are not charmed by this modest feature as I was, know that it will only thieve a fraction of your afternoon.