The Masseurs and a Woman

A quick, gentle comedy/drama/romance about a pack of blind masseurs working in a winter resort village, and their interactions with a woman from Tokyo and the other spa guests. It moves along effortlessly, and sucks you in with its light humor, emotional tones, and charming characterizations. The cinematography is excellent as well, with figures approaching or receding from the viewer, the camera gliding along corridors, and some intriguing cuts.

Sweet, whimsical and slightly melancholic. I loved the characters and the breezy nature of the movie. The direction was solid and the story light-hearted if fairly episodic. The blind masseurs were a riot and the comedic parts were charming.

Some excellent cinematography elevates this pleasant but otherwise insubstantial film.

Controversial opinion: Shimizu is better than early Ozu.

This is a somewhat charming film featuring a sweet young boy and a blind man at an Asian spa. It really paints a picture of what such places were like at the time - the film dates from 1938. It's not at all laugh out loud funny but it has some pleasant moments, I'd say. Its somewhat thoughtful and a nice enough watch. If your interested in it as a period piece, knowing its a black and white film with some pretty quiet scenes/moments, then yes, I'd recommend it

Restrained but still sentimental tale of failed encounters. An unusual setting but we don't learn very much about this world or its people. Even though it's only from 1938, still somehow the images that are intended to be affecting come across as already being rather clichéd.

Star Rating: ★★★

Ships passing in the night. The camera tracks, the river flows, shuffling feet are captured in close-up. Evocative of the easy-going tranquility of the countryside, of lonely souls and brief encounters, and a delicate mix of humorous and bittersweet tones.

Having seen the remake first and just a few days after this, it's hard to consider them as separate films. What I enjoyed more from this one is the pace, it was more of short glimpses into the lives of the people at the springs. The uncle and his nephew, however, just didn't seem to fit as well as the remake, and the comedic scenes weren't as funny (Fuku hitting his head on the light, the aftermath of the fight, etc).

There is a lot of familiarity of Hiroshi Shimizu other works like my favorites Mr. Thank You (1936) and Children in the Wind (1937) with the rural atmosphere and simple folks and their simple pleasures in life. The gimmick here is that we follow two blind traveling masseurs and see the world through their eyes. I didn't get the same satisfaction from this as the movies mentioned, but there's still a lot of charm. Not the most essential of Shimizu films, but definitely one worth watching.