Product Details

• Actors: Ganjirô Nakamura, Machiko Kyô, Haruko Sugimura, Ayako Wakao, Hiroshi Kawaguchi
• Directors: Yasujirô Ozu
• Writers: Yasujirô Ozu, Kôgo Noda
• Producers: Masaichi Nagata
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Subtitles: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Homevision
• VHS Release Date: June 6, 2000
• Run Time: 119 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302969670
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,822 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Yasujiro Ozu's eloquently simple films capture the lives of Japanese middle-class families with a warmth and humanity that is especially appealing to Western audiences. Floating Weeds tells the story of an aging actor who is reunited with his former lover and their illegitimate son. The actor's current mistress, enraged by his waning attention, spins an elaborate web of deceit that leads to heartbreak for them all. A stirring visual poem, Floating Weeds beautifully details the joy and pain of everyday life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Quiet, Usual Ozu Masterpiece, July 17, 2003

By 

Max Hurst (Richardson, Tx United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Floating Weeds [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I have only really discovered Ozu in the last year or so and in my mid-- life it is like entering a bright new world. I have recently watched Floating Weeds for the second time (having ordered it on video). The first time I thought it an unusual film- though not one of his best. I have now completely revised this opinion and consider it a supreme masterpiece. Ozu astonishes with a quiet directness I find moving , completely absorbing and exhilarating to watch. I realize the theatre troup which comes into the town, contstructs its little Kabuki world and then fades into nothing is a perfect vehicle and symbol for what Ozu is consistently portraying in all his little plays: the transient , troubling beauty of the world . The transient troubling little dramas af human relationships.The imagery in all Ozu's films(but somehow epsecially this one) make me see images as I did in childhood : a turned corner on a side street, a scene of a harbor at dusk, a slightly surprised look on the face of middle-aged woman. Many of these movies were filmed when I was a child but I believe there is more than a kind odd 1950's familiarity. There is a kind of direct , unfettered appeal to sensations it is almost difficult to name. Something immediately
innocent and guileless in ourselves. Something always,already seeing and awake. The more I watch Ozu the more I see this and nowhere more than in this film. I kept chuckling at little, scene after little scene. Tiny little nuanced moments I kept rewinding to see if I'd really seen . Anyone who hasn't seen this film: Don't just watch it once.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Ozu's best, June 22, 2002

By 

High Sierra (Northern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Floating Weeds [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie is actually a re-make of a silent film (Story of Floating Weeds) Ozu directed in the 1930's. The 1959 version has both sound and color. It was a collaboration between two studios, Shochiku (Ozu's film company) and Daiei. This was a rare chance for Ozu to work with Daiei's great cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa, the man who filmed such classics as Ugetsu and Rashomon. The Daiei studio also provided some of the leading ladies of their time, Machiko Kyo and Ayako Wakao.

The acting in this movie is first-rate and the cinematography is lyrical and beautiful. Pay attention to the rich colors in this film, especially the reds. The movie tells the story of a failing troupe of Kabuki players who drift (like floating weeds) into a fishing village for their next (and ultimately last) set of performances. As the movie progresses, we learn more about the characters and their many personality flaws. But these flaws only serve to make the characters more endearing, perhaps because we can see a little of ourselves and the people we know.

Many Westerners will prefer other Ozu films like Tokyo Story or Late Spring. But make no mistake; Floating Weeds is one of Ozu's best. The acting, story-telling and cinematography in this movie all combine to create a movie classic.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quietly Powerful, Beautiful Filmmaking!!!, July 4, 2000

By 

Bertin Ramirez "justareviewer" (San Ysidro, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Floating Weeds [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The films of Yasujiro Ozu always has a silent poignancy that has been unmatched in cinema. He is the creator of his own cinematic 'style'. It consists of low camera angles, no close-ups, no camera movement, the camera stays still. Probably the most quietly precise director of foreign cinema, he is know as the most 'Japanese' director of Japan's filmmakers. In this film he tells the story of an acting troupe who come to a small fishing town. To reveal more of the plot would be to deny you the dramatic impact of the film. While certainly not a technical marvel, it's raw power to move us remains untouched, and even more because of Ozu's direction. As we see the film evolve we feel him slowly coming toward us, but he doesn't creep at us, he puts his friendly hand on our shoulder and makes us feel comfortable. This film is a perfect introduction into Ozu's work, but also stands well by itself. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 9!