The Funeral (Japan, 1984) 124 min color DIR-SCR: Juzo Itami. PROD: Seigo Hosogoe. MUSIC: Jôji Yuasa. DOP: Yonezô Maeda. CAST: Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto, Kin Sugai, Asao Sano, Hideji Otaki. (New Yorker Films)
The first feature by Juzo Itami as a director (after spending two decades as an actor) is an interesting work on one of life’s two certainties—death. (Life’s other certainty, taxes, is the focus of his next feature, A Taxing Woman.) This project meticulously documents the Japanese customs surrounding funeral ceremonies, right from the person’s fatal heart attack to his relatives departing the crematorium. It is a sophisticated, stylish satire (with even elements of pseudo-documentary!) where, in tribute to Itami’s skill, we can laugh at the clumsy ways in which people behave while dealing with death. These awkward moments are so human – laughter often arises unexpectedly at inappropriate times. On the other hand, this film also satirizes the age-old Japanese customs of honouring the deceased, which the new order just blankly accepts. (Although film was a hit in Japan, Itami’s works often struck a nerve in his homeland- he was attacked shortly after the premiere of his 1992 film, Minbo, about the yakuza.) One fellow has a hard time maintaining his kneeling, cross-legged position, and falls on his face during the ceremony! Further adding to the outrage, there is a moment that the ghost of Buñuel would have endorsed. During the funeral, one married couple who cannot keep their hands off of one another quickly sneak into the bushes for some sodomy!
Originally published in “Short Takes”, Vol. #1, Issue #11. This column, which randomly collected capsule reviews of films, for once had a theme: all the movies were previously broadcast on Jay Scott’s Film International program.
Greg Woods
Greg Woods has been a film enthusiast since his teens, and began his writing "career" at the same time- prolific in capsule reviews of everything he had watched, first on index cards, then those hardcover dollar store black journals, then an old Mac IIsi. He founded The Eclectic Screening Room in 2001, as a portal to share his film love with the world, and find some like-minded enthusiasts along the way. In addition to having worked in the film industry for over two decades, he has been a co-programmer of films at Trash Palace, and a programmer/co-founder of the Toronto Film Noir Syndicate. He has also written for Broken Pencil, CU-Confidential, Micro-Film, and is currently working on his first novel. His secret desire is for someone to interview him for a podcast or a DVD extra.