Nijushi no hitomi - Twenty-Four Eyes Trailer (1954)

Keisuke Kinoshita's Twenty-Four Eyes — which beat Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai as Kinema Junpo's Best Film of 1954 and won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film in 1955 — is one of Japan's most beloved films. In 1999 it was picked by Japanese critics as one of the ten best Japanese films of all time. Both a huge commercial and critical success, this deeply affecting anti-war film has, according to the critic Sato Tadao, "wrung more tears out of Japanese audiences than any other post-war film".

Spanning a twenty-year period, Twenty-Four Eyes tells the story of a bright young teacher, Hisaki Oishi (Hideko Takamine), and the ongoing relationship she has with her first class of twelve children, charmingly played, at various stages of their lives, by non-professional local children and young adults. At first, although the aging schoolmaster (Chishu Ryu) recognizes her talent, Hisaki is mistrusted by the remote island community, however, soon both children and adults fall under the spell of this modern, headstrong, city-girl only to see the impending war irretrievably change their lives for good.

Filming started in 1951 when America was embroiled in the Korean War and Japanese militarism was again on the rise. Twenty-Four Eyes came to redefine Japan's national identity with its cry for pacifism and its reverence for the innocence of youth. As cherished today as it was in 1954, this film is a sublime, emotionally affecting drama skilfully and gracefully directed by Keisuke Kinoshita.

More info: http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/twenty-four-eyes/

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• 24
• twenty-four
• eyes
• Kinoshita
• Keisuke
• trailer
• 1954

[sairenrouusa]

I remember this movie, it's about 50 years ago, I still remember that when her students coming back from the war in ash box and she went to the port to see them....very touching movie.

[LhizYchan16]

I already watched it... and I cried so much!!!!

[TigerTrak]

A classic! Probably the saddest movie of all time IMO. What a great movie!

[4Topwood]

I saw this just once, almost 40 years ago. Never forgot it. "Miss Pebble". A wonderful movie.

[TFCHooligan69]

Rest in peace, Hideko Takamine. 1924-2010.

[mothra8mothra]

RIP deco-chan

[LhizYchan16]

I like to watch this and also read its book!!!!

[PAXpeaceHEIWA]

I first read this book, "Nijuuyon no Hitomi"as a student for writing a paper about preWWII Japan. When I saw the movie years later, I cried through it...all the old folk songs were so perfect--it really made the movie poignant. You must read the book, if possible. There is so much more in it. A very heart-wrenching story...Thank you for this post! (^_^)

[KURAITENSA]

LOVE THIS.

[damidob]

I got this for about 18 USD off the British Amazon.

Believe me, it is a very beauiful and poignant film it's pretty long at more than 2 1/2 hours but very entertaining if rather sad.

It's worth a thousand James Bonds any day.