I Flunked, But...
| I Flunked, But... | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Yasujirō Ozu |
| Screenplay by | Akira Fushimi, Yasujirō Ozu |
| Starring | Tatsuo Saitō |
| Cinematography | Hideo Shigehara |
| Edited by | Hideo Shigehara |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 65 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Languages | Silent film Japanese intertitles |
I Flunked, But... is a 1930 Japanese black and white silent film directed by Yasujirō Ozu. I Flunked, But... represented the first major role acted by Ozu's longtime collaborator Chishu Ryu.[1]
Premise
[edit]The film is one of several Ozu directed around this time dealing with student life.[2] The plot somewhat inverts that of Ozu's earlier film I Graduated, But....[2] The film follows Takahashi, a college student, and his 4 roommates and 4 other friends.[2] Takahashi and his 4 friends intend to cheat on a test by writing notes on Takahashi's shirt.[2][3] But the landlady sends the shirt to the laundry and Takahashi and his friends fail the test.[2][3] Takahashi's roommates pass the test and graduate but can't find jobs and end up wishing they were back in school like Takahashi and his friends, who had to return to school.[2]
Reception
[edit]Film critic David Bordwell noted influences on the film from Harold Lloyd and Ernst Lubitsch.[2] A Kinema Jumpo critic criticized for lacking the "social bite" of some of Ozu's earlier films.[2]
Analysis
[edit]Takahashi has a poster of Robert Milton's 1929 American film Charming Sinners hanging on his bedroom wall.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Richie, Donald (1974). Ozu. California Press. pp. 209–210. ISBN 0520032772.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bordwell, David (1988). Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema. Princeton University Press. pp. 202–205. ISBN 0691055165.
- ^ a b "I Flunked But…, 1930". Strictly Film School. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ^ Geist, Kathe (2023). Ozu: A Closer Look. Hong Kong University Press. p. 35. ISBN 9789888754175.