MovieChat Forums > Nijûshi no hitomi (1954) Discussion > Wonderful film, but I can't help but gig...

Wonderful film, but I can't help but giggle...

posted 14 years ago by SeijyuroHiko790
5 replies | jump to latest

The Criterion release has a ridiculous cock-up in the subtitles. During a closing narration I believe the speaker compares spring blossoms to the maturation of the children. Well, the subtitles are supposed to say "ripe blossoms," but instead the first vowel is replaced by another, making the phrase quite lewd (figure it out).

Be that as it may, one of the best ensemble casts I've seen, especially considering most of them are children. A terrifically topical film, I appreciate the different points of view regarding the war. I can't remember whether this was made just after Occupation or if it was still in effect, but to have sentiments in the film as the female protagonist's was great. Plus I love the foreshadowing when the kids' first teacher says something like "you're not going to make her cry like you did to me, are you?" or something.

[–] overseer-3 14 years ago

That's the only flaw I saw in the subs for the film which is over 150 minutes long. Give Criterion a break. You should see some other non-Criterion films I sit through with far worse subs and mistakes every other line. This came at the end of the film too so someone typing them out was probably very tired by that time.

[–] zarathustra327 13 years ago

Um... that's not a typo, just an unfortunately named plant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed

[–] EveryWhichWay 12 years ago

I couldn't help laughing out loud at the grown up student's hair cut at the final party. After sitting through quite a serious movie the 'hair cut' came as some much needed comic relief. One wonders if Kinoshita deliberately had the lad's hair fashioned thus to offer a wee bit of humor at the end of so many sobs and tears?

[–] Razzbar 10 years ago

Every period, every culture has different fashions. They all look silly to people outside the culture or time period. When I was a kid, "longhair music" referred to classical music, because the "old people" who played classical music, while the "young and cool" popular musicians had crew cuts.

I thought he looked pretty funny, too. But I wouldn't laugh in his face, if I saw somebody who actually looked like that in Japan in 1946. :)

[–] Razzbar 10 years ago

Well, it might not have been a goof. There's a plant called "rape" or "rapeseed", which is grown for oil. The plants have yellow blossoms, and the fields are spectacular when they're in bloom.

"Strolling in the rapeseed blossoms field of Yokohama town is a lot of fun. From middle to the end of May, a lot of tourists come to see the scenery of all yellow. A lot of photographers come to capture the beauty as well. While the blossoms are in bloom a huge maze of rape blossoms is made in the Oomameda area that is the site of the festival, visitors can enjoy blossoms close up."

Some time ago, somebody in Canada decided it would help sales if they called the oil "canola" instead of "rape". Good move.