Popular reviews

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  Review by Arsaib Gilbert ★★★★★

  Alhough Ginza Cosmetics (Ginza keshô) is derived from a story by Inoue Tomoichirô, this nuanced psychological portrait of a woman, largely rendered in a humble, slice-of-life mode, a Naruse specialty, could easily be mistaken for a Hayashi Fumiko adaptation, the author whose temperament suited Naruse the most (and whose work is responsible for some of his greatest films).

  In fact, that wouldn't be entirely incorrect. Naruse once admitted to also taking cues from a Hayashi story that he had in mind while at Shochiku, which, along with his and the screenwriter's personal experiences of the Ginza, helped form the basis of the story. It deals with the daily trials and tribulations of a middle-aged bar hostess, a single mother, who…

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  Review by VonBergundy ★★★★ 6

  A quietly affecting slice of life film for Naruse, fully steeped in the working class of struggles of post-war Japan. Aging bar hostess and single mother, Yukiko, navigates financial uncertainty and growing invisibility, as she searches for love and purpose in an unfeeling world. She is the little star, unseen by the impersonal and passing naked eyes, but a light just as bright as any other to those who care to look through the telescope.

  There's no huge revelations or forced drama happening here- just a few more days of life and experience building upon a life full of days that will continue to build one day at a time. We don't know exactly where Yukiko's story goes from here, but we know that, every day, she will try.

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  Review by Moresbi ★★★★

  "All men are animals."

  "Ginza keshô" aka "Ginza Cosmetics" was another little "gem" from master Naruse, IMO.

  Leave it to Naruse to make something beautiful and enjoyable from the simple and ordinary days of a Geisha with some more complex and worthy intricacies that come from simple and human interactions.

  The masterful Kinuyo Tanaka leads the way in this one with yet another solid role/performance (neat character too). The neat and adorable Kyôko Kagawa is also around.

  Very much the usual shooting and soundtrack (amiss for stretches, with all the nifty dialogues) MO from master Naruse.
  There's some very neat writing to enjoy here... the events just flow in a very effective way. By the way, poor kid!

  The ending was quite (bitter)sweet... depending on the characters, IMO.

  Might be somewhat less notable than other Naruse's works but it's still very enjoyable and solid... "just" another very neat production along the way.

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  Review by Grant McLanaghan

  Middle-aged Yukiko (Kinuyo Tanaka) works as a hostess at a bar in Ginza, a busy part of Tokyo, where all kinds of people go to eat, drink and be merry.

  As the story unfolds, we see how men try to take advantage of women like this good-natured single mother. who seeks to be amenable but doesn’t appreciate it when people cross the line. As a friend of hers says, “All men are animals.” A bit harsh, perhaps but essentially true.

  When Kyosuke (Yûji Hori) a young, small-town fellow visits the city, Yukiko is saddled with showing him around – but soon she’s won over and delighted by his genuineness and intelligence, which awakens something within her.

  One feels sad for…

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  Review by ZombAid ★★★★½

  "Love" is a necessity to
  survive harsh times

  A beautiful Lady just out of her prime and having a Son, while working in the Red-Light-District as the only income that can secure some stability for both of them. Finding a man is hard after the War. Finding a good man: nearly impossible. The long nights in the Ginza-district sure take their toll on those poor, tortured souls that long for some recognition and respect in a world that just tries to get out of the rubble and agony, that endured for so long.

  Yes, Mikio Naruse (Rank 5✪) is one of my "new" favorite Directors! He's just another one of those people who can make me sob like a little…

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  Review by Grillo ★★★★½

  Naruse's main characters are always the ones who can "take it" until they find out there is no such thing, life takes its toll and lost chances go by like the turning of the clock. (determined by what side of the war you grew up on) The older generation sends their dreams off with the younger and in this film you see her endure her regret.

  The difference here between pre-war and post-war Naruse being that Naruse's material world has taken over the world. With the rebuilding of a post-war Japan everything now has its price and eventually money equals affection.

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  Review by Filipe Furtado ★★★★

  Ginza Cosmetics combines the extreme emotional stakes of Tanaka’s misery with Naruse’s seemly plotless collection of careful delineated momenta from around her life with some impressive results. When you notice what seems to be going nowhere fast just arrives with acstrong punch, a Naruse specialty that feels very suited to this movie’s subject matter.

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  Review by Avirup ★★★½

  76/100

  A quiet and well-observed depiction of the life a bar hostess in postwar Japan. Slice of life approach works pretty nicely for it and it flows extremely well. Tanaka has another great performance and there are few lovely moments. This film is generally considered as a turning point for Naruse and it's easy to see why.

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  Review by Shea ★★★½

  Prompted me to look up the origin of the pinky promise.

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  Review by trolleyfreak ★★★★½

  A film where nothing really happens but, in fact, everything happens...

  In what can be viewed as a precursor to the much more renowned When A Woman Ascends The Stairs, Mikio Naruse's beautiful picture portrays the day-to-day struggles of a small group of characters striving to make their way through life in post-War Tokyo's Ginza district but mainly focusing on Kinuyo Tanaka's aging bar hostess whose travails are presented in such a muted tone.

  However, the accumulation of the small and seemingly inconsequential 'details' that are presented to the audience have a near-miraculous drip-drip effect, and this is part of Naruse's (and Tanaka's, for that matter) genius: by the end I was deeply moved and emotionally drained.

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  Review by PUNQ ★★½

  To me the characters were stronger than your average Mikio Naruse domestic drama. But it was another script with a rather thin plot. Sure, there is a story there, but anything good was simply the characters interacting, and not so much where they were going with this. Kinuyo Tanaka was the rock of Ginza keshô.

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  Review by Puffin ★★★★ 3

  Casual, humble, quiet between-the-cracks filmmaking from Mikio Naruse seeing the gentleness and tragedy of episodic existence. Earns its comparisons to Italy's Neorealism by way of the war as this often unspoken backdrop and haunted context that seems to recreate everything in its image. Even the simpler stories come across as unsettled when forced to face the concrete shadows of conflict.