September 28th Log

WHAT DID THE LADY FORGET?
1937, Yasujiro Ozu, Japan
Repeat Viewing, DVD

What Did the Lady Forget is a joy of a film from Ozu. His earliest influence as a filmmaker was from the West and while this is evident in much of his earliest silent films it may be most prominent in this early talkie. The film is a social satire of the upper class and it even mixes in elements of screwball comedy. The great German-American filmmaker Ernst Lubitsch (known for his "Lubitsch touch') seems to be an influence here. Ultimately this is Ozu at his most lighthearted and charming. This film does not express the human condition as powerfully as his previous film (his first talkie The Only Son). What Did the Lady Forget is a wonderful comedy highlight by terrific performances. This may not be the most significant film Ozu made, but it is among his most endlessly watchable and endearing comedies.

>> More on What Did the Lady Forget? @ A2P Cinema's Yasujiro Ozu website HERE

>>> A scene from What Did the Lady Forget?:




GRACIE
2007, Davis Guggenheim, United States
1st Viewing, DVD

Gracie moves along at a fast pace, quickly giving us everything we expect and have seen before. If your invest the time into the story and characters you will probably be moved and inspired by its ending even though you know it before the film even begins. The film is said to be loosely based on the life of Elisabeth Shue growing up and she co-stars as Gracie’s mother in the film, which is directed by Shue’s real-life husband Davis Guggenheim. Unfortunately the filmmaking is far from personal, despite the fact the filming location were shot at Shue’s home town. The performances are fine and the sense of family loss is occasionally well observed but nothing more the formulaic and the film centers itself to much around the predictability of the climatic game.