When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

In the same vein as Hollywood films which attempt to educate the public on social issue (e.g. *Philadelphia* (gays with AIDS), *The Accused* (rape); *Days of Wine and Roses* (alcoholism), etc.) In this case the subject is the life of a bar hostess in Japan. Like Vera Drake, Nights of Cabiria and Story of Women, this film has a strong lead performance. (PSI: 87)

Combines a muted drama similar to Ozu with an urban "cool" and noir narration from New Wave Cinema. Very touching, understated film. Naruse seems to understand his characters better than most directors, making their motivations and emotions immediately clear even when his direction and storytelling are often quiet and subtle. A film that I wouldn't want to watch often, but succeeds brilliantly at what it aims to be.

I found it to be nicely nuanced, overall it's a really good film but Naruse hasn't grabbed me all too much yet even if I still have a lot to discover. There are some great moments here but in the end it's also maybe a bit too plain for me even if I can't say it fails in any department.

good movie

This is the 1000th film I ranked, because it's special.

In my first sampling of Naruse, everything acclaimed of Mizoguchi is in true form. I need more.

A very enjoyable light hearted drama about a hostess who has to decide what direction to choose in life. The plot is a bit meandering but the performances are strong and the way the film manages to depict the seedy world of brothels is quite a feat.

# 739

Interesting. A poignant story.

If I scored this more objectively, I'd rate it a 6/10 or maybe a 7. The subject matter is one of the lesser interesting Japanese topics for me (businessmen mingling with a nightclub hostess), and the score (background music) that plays set a tone I'm not a fan of (which I guess could be called something like meandering, noir-ish night club jazz?). Combine all that with the somewhat unnecessary voice over, and this was a technically good movie that just wasn't my thing.

A sensitive portrayal of the problems of women and the difficult decisions they are often forced to make as a result of their subordinate social position. Naruse uses the life of a middle aged geisha to explore these difficulties and provides what strikes me as a reasonably authentic representation of that world. Takamine communicates her characters burdens and struggles so precisely that even the occasionally overripe dialogue doesn't weaken the force or clarity of her emotional expression.

Very good. Very sad. Notice in first scene cut aways from the faces.

Now let me get this straight. In Japan, men go to bars and pay cute women just to listen to them?! Geez, how pathetic. Why don't they just spring for a full-blown courtesan? This movie is handsomely photographed in b&w and widescreen, but it's still just a rather mundane soap opera, and often a dull one

Naruse a simp. Good movie.

Star Rating: ★★★★1/2

As my first Naruse film this was a great place to begin: wonderfully acted, well scripted, well directed and emotionally deep (with a potential feminist message behind it). Additional praise has to go to the cinematographer and the lighting and production design crews for making the settings that the story takes place in stunning to look at, adding just as much to the quality to the film.

enjoyed it, but wondered why it had to be so "obvious" over the points that should be the shared knowledge of a common culture and that should be written rather tacitly for the viewers -like explanations of the necessities & burdens of a geisha (?) life, in dialogues and voice-over. maybe it was not so obvious at that time, that was the whole point, I don' know (as a total foreigner to it). "Street of Shame" struck a chord with me more.

lindo

My first experience with Naruse. His nuanced characters have been described as exhibiting "enlightened stoicism", which couldn't be more appropriate for the conclusion of the film and the Mama character. Cinematography is good and purposefully doesn't stand out, which works. I appreciated most, perhaps, the clear, yet modern sense of right and wrong Naruse is playing with here. I need to see more Naruse.

A moving slice-of-Japanese-life film that explores the major choice faced by most thirty-year old geisha: leave and get married, or buy a bar of her own. The story mostly revolves around the geisha's customers, many of whom love her and are ready to propose, but she takes her time in deciding (hence, it's a little bit slow in parts). Interesting social commentary of the difficulties faced by this particular business.

A very good movie: excellent acting, constructed well, intriguing and nuanced characters, a refreshing sense of honesty. But I have to say, although I like his work, it hasn't grabbed me like Kurosawa or Mizoguchi, or possibly even Ozu. I've enjoyed Naruse's films a lot, but have no compulsion to revisit them... even though part of me recognizes that there's more to be gained from them.

This didn't get the attention I should have given it.

Há 60 anos estreava no Japão. O meu maior erro ao assistir esse filme foi ter Mizoguchi pairando na cabeça o tempo todo, pois este é o mestre por excelência das japonesas trabalhando na noite, mas o Naruse faz uma obra-prima com outra verve, porém não menos melancólico, mas que não deve nada em majestade do mais puro cinema. BlurayRip no MakingOff.