Search - Twenty-Four Eyes on DVD

Exeptional film- wonderful music

Andreas Gregoriades | Cyprus | 09/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the most representative films of the Japanese cinema of the 50s in which some important questions about the correctness of the war were expressed in a subdue and yet deep meaningful way.
Set on a small island off the coast of Japan in a costal village this is the story of a teacher and her 12 students from the late 20s to the late 40s.
The teacher gained the love and respect of her students not only because of her abilities as a teacher but also as a companion in the lives of her students either in happiness or sorrow.
She was able to represent in her thoughts and simple comments the doubts about the war, the value of life and the wisdom of peace.
This film has also shown the living conditions of the prewar Japan.
The backdrop of this remote rural countryside on a small island gave the director all the characters that he needed to create a film that became an honor to the hard working farmers and fishermen, a praise to poverty and dignity, an eulogy to simple things and their beauty.
Shot in Black and White with exceptional artistic abilities this film is able to show the colours of the countryside either these were the vivid green of the rice fields or the bright yellows of the rape flowers or the show white blossom of the cherry trees.
The role of the teacher is played exceptionally well by Hideko Takamine while the roles of the children were perfectly performed by local children.
One of the most important points of this film is the music.
Most of the songs sang in this film are today classics in their own right.
In most occasions related to schools and children, one can hear the same songs played again and again.
It is this very special music that accompanied this wonderful film that will add more emotions and in few cases tears in the eyes of the viewer.
A film that one must see again and again.


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Excellent old film, but technical problems with this edition

wild-one | Washington State, USA | 12/03/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A young woman takes her first teaching job in a very poor island village in Japan's Inland Sea. The story spans sixteen years (beginning in 1928), covering both the teacher's life and that of her her students, whom she taught in the First and Sixth Grades, as well as the Manchurian War, WWII, and its aftermath. A real tear-jerker, though there may be some moments were those unfamiliar with Japanese customs may not understand the actions and reactions of some of the characters.

I first saw this film in Japan, while on tour. We were had several hours travel to Hiroshima, and because there were many teachers in the group, our tour leader played it on the bus' video player. Needless to say, between this film and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, it made for a very somber day.

My main complaint about the DVD edition is that the subtitles are very poorly done. The timing is off, there are several misspellings, and odd character fonts appear... the subtitles in the original version on video tape was much better, both in translation and execution."