Shozo, A Cat And Two Women / A Cat, Shozo, And Two Women (Lit.) (Neko to Shôzô to Futari no Onna). Viewed on Streaming. Scenario = eight (8) stars; subtitles/translations = six (6) stars; restoration = five (5) stars. Director Shirô Toyoda's highly imaginative and flat-out hilarious film version (based more/less on a novel with the same name) of a love triangle involving Inter-species and Intra-species jealousies! Points on the triangle: a former (rather reserved/dull) wife; a new (live-wire, self-proclaimed "party girl") wife; and a pliable (more or less) female pussy cat. Add to the mix an overly dominate/protective mother, and her twice-married, ambition-less, and hapless son whose idea of a really good time is being left alone to pet/tickle his feline companion. Wife number one was dumped (by her mother-in-law) because she seemed unable to produce grand children. Younger wife number two has a considerable dowry including the eventual ownership of the small, provincial family shop/residence run by her overly solicitous mother-in-law. Acting is good all round (including the Neko) with well-known actress Kyôko Kagawa delivering a knock-out, high-energy performance (as spoiled/unpredictable wife number two). Waa! Cinematography (narrow screen, black/white/gray) is okay. Restoration needs more attention to brighten images by removing the pervasive gray haze and eliminating opening-credits frame jitters. Sound is fine (especially the "meows"). Orchestral score is sparse but usually enhances a scene when it turns up. Subtitles are a necessity (unless you understand Kansai-Ben (Western Japan) dialect. They are easy to read (even with white backgrounds), but occasionally can be overly long resulting in flash rates that are too fast or overlaps into the next scene. Singing is subtitled. Most/all signs are translated with labels inserted to identify village houses and shops. Classic screw-ball comedy Japanese style! Highly recommended (even if you are not a "cat person"). WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.
Review of A Cat and Two Women
