| | Twenty-Four Eyes | |
Description
Keisuke Kinoshita's Twenty-Four Eyes - which beat Akira Kurosawa's Seven
Samurai as Kinema Junpo's Best Film of 1954 and won the Golden Globe for Best
Foreign Film in 1955 - is one of Japan's most beloved films. In 1999 it was
picked by Japanese critics as one of the ten best Japanese films of all time.
Both a huge commercial and critical success, this deeply affecting anti-war film
has, according to the critic Sato Tadao, "wrung more tears out of Japanese
audiences than any other post-war film".
Spanning a twenty-year period, Twenty-Four Eyes tells the story of a bright
young teacher, Hisaki Oishi (Hideko Takamine), and the ongoing relationship she
has with her first class of twelve children, charmingly played, at various
stages of their lives, by non-professional local children and young adults. At
first, although the aging schoolmaster (Chishu Ryu) recognizes her talent,
Hisaki is mistrusted by the remote island community, however, soon both children
and adults fall under the spell of this modern, headstrong, city-girl only to
see the impending war irretrievably change their lives for good.
Filming started in 1951 when America was embroiled in the Korean War and
Japanese militarism was again on the rise. Twenty-Four Eyes came to redefine
Japan's national identity with its cry for pacifism and its reverence for the
innocence of youth. As cherished today as it was in 1954, this film is a
sublime, emotionally affecting drama skilfully and gracefully directed by
Keisuke Kinoshita.
Special Features
- Newly restored High Definition transfer
- Production stills gallery
- 24 page booklet with a new essay by Joan Mellen
Technical Details
Region 2
Year 1954
Colour B & W
Languages Japanese - Dolby Digital (1.0) Mono
Subtitles English
Duration 2 hours and 35 minutes (approx)
Genre: Drama
Certificate: PG Parental Guidance
Directed by: Keisuke Kinoshita
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Release Date: 20-02-2006
