Mikio Naruse's Late Chrysanthemums (1954) is a film about 3 former geishas who try to cope with monetary and family issues. Weirdly enough the film offers a great observation on the geisha tradition even though we see none of the activity onscreen. Instead it focuses on the effects of the profession on the three main characters when they are already old.
The characters are clearly and strongly characterized, which makes the film a lot more enjoyable because its focus is on the characters in the end. The narrative is satisfying - even if its methods of exposition (forced bits of dialogue and inner monologues) are a tad awkward, they fit into the context of the film.
Naruse's form functions well although it is not necessarily spectacular. At times it reminded me of Ozu's visual aesthetic due to the low camera positions and actors talking directly at the camera. However the similarities are only superficial - and it's probably better that way. The lighting was a bit hard to judge because the image was quite dark in BFI's DVD release, but it seemed reasonable.
Late Chrysanthemums falls between When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960) and Floating Clouds (1955) in terms of quality: it's a thoroughly solid effort, but nothing more.
Score: 8 out of 10
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