Don't worry about the Japanese only; it's silent with no intertitles. It does help to read a bit about it before you watch it though to clarify the plot. Here, for example: http://www.midnighteye.com/features/silentfilm_pt1.shtml
Without the live narrator silent Japanese cinema traditionally used, A Page of Madness is a little difficult to follow, especially the meaning of certain flashbacks. Let's just say I read the synopsis on Wikipedia afterwards and found Teinosuke Kinugasa's early film was a lot deeper than I realized at first viewing. Set in an insane asylum, it is the story of a man who gets a job there to break his wife out, but he may find though the institution is a terrible place, the outside may not be the place for her. The reason for her madness, is hinted at and seems much more awful than the film's synopsis would have it, but you can't trust anything you see. Not only are we often in the inmates' head space, but the third act is made of the man's visions, several alternate takes on what he might do to get her out. A disjointed fever dream, Kinugasa uses editing and camera tricks to create bizarre effects - I really don't think it gets any better than the opening rainstorm sequence, personally - that film makers today could do worse than study and steal from. I saw it on TCM with a pretty great soundtrack too. And intended story be damned, the fact this exists as visuals alone (no interstitial text) means you can lay your own interpretations on it, so if I kind of like some of my own more than Kinusaga's, well, it's part of the experience.
I don't really get the movie. Surrealistic films are just not my genre, notice that I dislike more than I like and when silent with no text to follow the plot closer, even less interesting. Not to say it was all bad, there some really nice visuals uesd and the portrayal of madness through dance and imagery was neat. So I did enjoy parts of it but it could keep my interested or vested all the way through. I will need to read through the link that Book Of Sand provided to understand the plot more.
Very highly recommend this with the Alloy Orchestra score. Unsure how the other scores (or lack thereof) are, but the Alloy one is one of the effective scores I've heard for any movie.
Visually captivating and innovative but nigh indecipherable to me. According to Siskoid over here, there would've been a live narrator during the original screenings. That makes sense because for the life of me I can't tell how I'm supposed to parse out the plot I later read from the images I saw in the film.
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Book of Sand
Don't worry about the Japanese only; it's silent with no intertitles. It does help to read a bit about it before you watch it though to clarify the plot. Here, for example: http://www.midnighteye.com/features/silentfilm_pt1.shtmlNine99
HD version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAjznppBiicMatt Addis
Fun fact: According to my research, as of july 2020 the dancIng girl is still alive believe it or not. She’s 111Siskoid
Without the live narrator silent Japanese cinema traditionally used, A Page of Madness is a little difficult to follow, especially the meaning of certain flashbacks. Let's just say I read the synopsis on Wikipedia afterwards and found Teinosuke Kinugasa's early film was a lot deeper than I realized at first viewing. Set in an insane asylum, it is the story of a man who gets a job there to break his wife out, but he may find though the institution is a terrible place, the outside may not be the place for her. The reason for her madness, is hinted at and seems much more awful than the film's synopsis would have it, but you can't trust anything you see. Not only are we often in the inmates' head space, but the third act is made of the man's visions, several alternate takes on what he might do to get her out. A disjointed fever dream, Kinugasa uses editing and camera tricks to create bizarre effects - I really don't think it gets any better than the opening rainstorm sequence, personally - that film makers today could do worse than study and steal from. I saw it on TCM with a pretty great soundtrack too. And intended story be damned, the fact this exists as visuals alone (no interstitial text) means you can lay your own interpretations on it, so if I kind of like some of my own more than Kinusaga's, well, it's part of the experience.samoan
I don't really get the movie. Surrealistic films are just not my genre, notice that I dislike more than I like and when silent with no text to follow the plot closer, even less interesting. Not to say it was all bad, there some really nice visuals uesd and the portrayal of madness through dance and imagery was neat. So I did enjoy parts of it but it could keep my interested or vested all the way through. I will need to read through the link that Book Of Sand provided to understand the plot more.dpka
78 mins;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aubUkD_2k4
greenhorg
I couldn't follow this at all.Ruthian23
Very highly recommend this with the Alloy Orchestra score. Unsure how the other scores (or lack thereof) are, but the Alloy one is one of the effective scores I've heard for any movie.ucuruju
Visually captivating and innovative but nigh indecipherable to me. According to Siskoid over here, there would've been a live narrator during the original screenings. That makes sense because for the life of me I can't tell how I'm supposed to parse out the plot I later read from the images I saw in the film.boulderman
Eerie. Read the majority of the plot on Wikipedia first, great story. Very goodLimbesdautomne
Crazy editing, flying camera, expressionistic actors... Nice tribute to Murnau's Der letzte Mann and to the avant-garde cinema.Read more in French on La Saveur des goûts amers.
Dieguito
Crazy movie, only for wackos.. Like @Book of Sand said, it's very important to read the reviews.. Just watching it is pointless..