Judith F. Rosenberg on Piano

This program highlights the early comic work of two great directors, Yasujiro Ozu and Mikio Naruse. Based on the O. Henry story "The Ransom of Red Chief," Ozu's A Straightforward Boy (Tokkan Kozo, 1929, 18 mins, Courtesy National Film Center, Tokyo) is a delightful portrait of an irrepressible child. Following his popular success as the lead in this film, child actor Tomio Aoki changed his professional name to Tokkan Kozo, the name of his character. Fighting Friends - Japanese Style (Wasei kenka tomodachi, 1929, 14 mins, Courtesy National Film Center, Tokyo) demonstrates Ozu's fondness for Hollywood cinema: a story of friendship, romance, and mistaken identity, it was inspired by an American comedy series that starred Wallace Beery and Raymond Hatton. The version shown here is considerably shorter than the original and has been restored from a reedited 9.5mm print. Flunky, Work Hard (Koshiben ganbare, a.k.a. Little Man, Do Your Best, 1931, 38 mins, 16mm, Courtesy The Japan Foundation, permission Shochiku) is Naruse's earliest surviving film. This working-class comedy depicts the tribulations of an insurance salesman; although the story follows genre conventions, the film's use of rapid montage reveals Naruse's commitment to stylized cinematic expression.