Floating Words


  • (Kyo Machiko and Ganjiro Nakamura in Floating Weeds directed by Ozu Yasujiro)

    Finally saw Early Summer and Floating Weeds.

    Ozu Early Summer Yasujiro Ozu and “Early Summer”.

    Setsuko Hara (right, from the photo above) was Ozu’s muse and Susan Sontag’s favorite Japanese actress.
    (Both Ozu and Setsuko Hara remained single, Ozu was most likely gay and Setsuko was Garbo like, read more about her here, The Enigma of the ‘Eternal Virgin’.)

    Hara Setsuko doll or droll.

    Contrary to received opinion, Yasujirô Ozu does sometimes move his camera. And when he does ­ as is usually the case when filmmakers do something in an exceptional way (i.e., Mizoguchi’s rare close-ups) ­ it is wonderful, because it is fully motivated, even if not strictly necessary. (From Rouge, Miguel Marias)

    Move your mouse and animate the film stills.

    TV film critic Roger Ebert was selected to do a commentary for “Floating Weeds’ Criterion DVD collection. It was a case of floating words by constantly repeating the few things he knew about Ozu.

    Floating Weeds Floating Weeds Yasujiro Ozu (image source)

    Speaking of words, we might explore and learn a few catchy
    Japanese phrases, (onomatopoetic) and play on last names of a film master and a famous Japanese actress.

    Japanese Sound effects and what they mean

    Ozu Ozu – means nervous, diffident, sheepish

    Hara Hara – uneasy feeling, thrilling, scary

    Hiso Hiso – whispering, hiding something like Cheney and his oil gang.

    Butsu Butsu – mumble (Bush talk), erupting pimples

    Bu Bu/Bou Bou – grumble, complain, pig sound (Bush talk)

    Bera Bera – glib, jabber, Roger Ebert film talk, floating words – including Hara hara (scary) and Ozu Ozu (insecure feeling) –

    Pera Pera – fluent like Takeshi Kaneshiro who speaks in Mandarin, Japanese, Cantonese and Tawaian dialect

    Waku Waku or Doki Doki– happy excitement