--- In a_film_by@yahoogroups.com, Fred Camper <f@f...> wrote:
> "Mr Thank You" is amazing, actually, and I was surprised Dan called
it
> "crude." It's "crude" only in the sense that it doesn't do what
western
> films do at all. It is one of the best examples for the thesis that
> Japanese cinema of the thirties really could be very different
form
> that of the west: not only does almost nothing happen in this film
of a
> bus ride, but there is a notable absence of artificial drama or
dramatic
> tension. The big "climax" comes when a touring car that had passed
the
> bus is seen to have broken down. There's an almost Buddhist
acceptance
> of the flow of life (in the bus ride) and tiny details therein.
>

Sounds a lot like Kiarostami (and yet not so much like the Shimizu
film that I saw). Would you agree?

Your description of "a notable absence of artificial drama or
dramatic tension" certainly applies to Ozu's films of the 30s, or of
any decade...