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What Was That Object On the Shelf?

posted 13 years ago by bpowellca
2 replies | jump to latest

Throughout the scenes taking place in Otsune's house, again and again the camera fixes on an object on the shelf -- it looks like a ceramic (or maybe wooden? I'm working from memory only here, sorry) vase, with a carved image on it. Maybe a face. Obviously this object is important, and Japanese audiences would have easily known what it was and what the filmmaker was signifying by it. But I and my companions were ignorant of its import. Does anyone know what it was? Was it a Shinto household god of some kind, looking down upon the doings of his/her human charges? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[–] Klop_Gob 10 years ago

I can't answer your question but the shots probably aren't of any significance. Ozu simply liked to occasionally cut in quick shots of small details of the characters' environment, such as household objects, in his films. There are several objects across this film as well, not just the "wooden face".

"Bars during the day are like women without make-up"

[–] jonhopper217 9 years ago

I noticed this too and have no clue. As I thought about it, the child's kitten piggy bank was shown a few times and when she asks him to stay, when he has nothing, they showed the ceramic face. My feeling was that this was all the money she'd saved, hoping he'd return and they'd start a real family. If you notice, unlike many of the other people, who are dreaming of this and that, they seem to want for nothing, while the main character does. He's given everything to them and that is why he has nothing left.

Just a guess.