One Last Hoorah: The Ball at the Anjo House (1947)

It’s been awhile since I’ve covered anything earlier than the 1970s. I did the Gosho Heinosuke double feature earlier but it never hurts to return to that classic era of Japanese cinema. With all this out of the way, this is not entirely new territory for me (and this film was referenced in the RICA 3: JUVENILE’S LULLABY review).

A BALL AT THE ANJO HOUSE aka ANJO-KE NO BUTOKAI: In the wake of World War 2 and the American occupation, a new constitution changes everything. The Anjo family was a noble family. They lose their nobility status and money (from a harsh new property tax). The oldest daughter, Atsuko (Hara Setsuko, cinematic legend), tries to manage the family in middle of their final ball as a noble family. Her brother Masahiko (Mori Masayuki, THE IDIOT, 1951), sister Akiko (Aizome Yumeko, DRAGNET GIRL, 1933), and father Tadahiko (Takizama Osamu, KWAIDAN) each collapse under the stress of being forced into a new life as working class. It’s the last 24 hours for the family before seismic changes (vaguely similar to the Julie Dash classic DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST).

Shinkawa (Shimizu Masao)

During the postwar period, Japan was in the middle of cultural and political shift. Americans were everywhere. Cities and lives were destroyed. Their industries and cities were getting rebuilt. The yakuza are on the rise. I love learning about this era. It’s endlessly complex with several different ways to approach it in film. Previously, I covered the salaciously fantastic GATE OF FLESH and the BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY series. I have not covered a postwar film from the postwar era. ANJO HOUSE is not just a look into the life of the former nobility but it directly deals with the new era directly. Everyone was affected not just the poor.

Under the Americans, the Japanese could NOT make historical films that praise their own history and culture, directly address or comment the American presence, mention the atomic bombings, or make samurai films. There were exceptions to the rule though. The screenplay for ANJO HOUSE was penned by the Japanese film titan, Shindo Kaneto. He built a career on pushing limits and a never-ending drive to create. By 1947, he was not paving the way for independent film in Japan but he was figuring ways to work around the new restrictions enforced by the Americans. This isn’t a Hayes Code situation, a film would be banned if it violated a rule and that did happen with Kobayashi’s THE THICK-WALLED ROOM.

Toyama (Kanda Takashi) professing his love for Anjo Akiko (Aizome Yumeko)

Shindo and director Kozaburo Yoshimura (RICA 3: JUVENILE’S LULLABY), crafted brilliant ways to address the current political and social landscape directly and honestly. As I write this, PARASITE has taken the cinematic world by storm. Eat the Rich sentiment is alive and well and not going away anytime soon. I agree with it for the most part, but a film like ANJO HOUSE shows that commenting on class is more than simply saying, “Fuck them.” If a film is going to comment on class, it's only fair to show multiple sides of it and how it affects everyone (which PARASITE does in fact do). 

In a chaotic and unstable period like Japan in the late 1940s, the class system was in flux and trying to figure itself out. The former noble families were losing their status and being dragged along like everyone else at that point. They lost their power and the American occupation didn’t leave them with many options. What starts out as a simple family drama turns into a drunken class-conscious melodrama. They are not perfect people but they are still people. The politics are clear as day but so is the emotional turmoil of the Anjos.

The family itself is the film as much as their home is. Throughout the film, it becomes abundantly clear that they never leave the mansion except for a brief few minutes at the nearby beach and greenhouse. The mansion fits into a strange place culturally. It's decades old and stylistically closer to Europe than Japan. All their art is European classical and medieval from Greek columns to French style portraits. A single set of samurai armor is the only visible sign of their own cultural identity. 

The Anjo patriarch even studied art in Paris, they aren’t that Japanese to begin with. In losing the house and art, they lose their identity and life as they’ve only understand it. The true catalyst for this shift happens when the new owner drunkenly knocks over and ruins the samurai armor, the only piece of art that gets harmed. This could be their Japanese identity getting lost among this Euro-centric life, or it could be representative of the American occupation at the time? Either way, it’s a truly powerful moment with many interpretations.

No one in the family dresses traditionally. There is never a moment of an Anjo in kimonos, hakamas, yukatas, zoris, etc. Everyone dons Western fashion, even at the titular ball, nearly all of the guests are in dresses and suits. The help is a different story. The women are traditionally dressed while their lead servant, Yoshida, looks like a kid playing dress-up trying to appear like them. The clear class distinctions are striking and piercing. The new constitution strips the Anjos of their cross cultural privilege and forces them into being Japanese working class like everyone else.

Yoshinda (Tonoyama Taiji) wearing one of Tadahiko's old suits

The whole family isn’t stuck in the past. The eldest daughter, Atsuko, is the hero trying her best to take control of her family. She tries to save the day at every turn. Her perseverance and emotional strength are off the charts. Even when she can’t do anything, she still tries to keep everyone afloat as the family descends into drunken melodrama as the night goes on. The end, in particular, is astounding. She stops her father from suicide, kicks the gun away, and hides it from everyone. If that got out about Tadahiko, it would crush the family’s spirit more than it's already been. This simple act leads into the earned cheesy ending. The sun rises on the first day of their new life.

Setsuko is a fucking icon. Her most famous work is with Ozu but she was already a huge star by 1949's LATE SPRING. ANJO HOUSE is Her film. With a simple shifting of expression, she can get across so much that most need words for. There's a scene when Shinkawa asks where her father is. She responds but then gives the perfect look that gets across absolutely we need to know. It's a blink and you miss moment but she's one of few that can achieve this much with this little. Her whole career is full of these brilliant moments - Kurosawa's THE IDIOT has a few. Yoshimura fully understood exactly how to shoot her. She’s upfront and center, literally. The opening and closing both have her as the focus. The smile closing out the film has so much happening. It’s not for her dad or siblings. It’s for us. She’s letting us know that they will try and will survive. There is still hope.

The Anjo Patriarch before Tadahiko

This isn’t on Criterion or streaming anywhere or even had an official release outside of Japan. Why? This is an essential Setsuko film and shows a different side of the postwar period. It’s a precursor to the Kurosawa’s THE IDIOT, Hara Setsuko and Mori Masayuki also both starred in that. ANJO HOUSE is not perfect but no film is. Yoshimura isn’t a huge name overseas or even in the conversation when people talk about Japanese film. Some of the side stories are half-cooked and only serve the themes but not the characters. These distract ultimately and don't add too much. Along with the overuse of Dutch angles in the last act. However, I can overlook these.

Regardless, I really like this. It’s so close to being a classic but that’s also what makes this worth watching. The flaws are still interesting. The parts are not equally great but the whole is great. If you can attend the final Anjo ball, by all means do so.