Directors’ Cup Voting, Round 1, Match 33: Max Ophüls (Letter From An Unknown Woman) vs Yasujirō Ozu (I Was Born But…)
Letter from an Unknown Woman 0 vs. I Was Born but … 1
Ophul in fine technical form just isn’t up to cinema’s ultimate humanist.“People who use words like romantic to describe Ophuls and Letter from an Unknown Woman are not watching very closely”
Almost the entire film plays out as an extended flashback of Lisa’s memories, her idealised/romanticised perspective of her time spent with Stefan, every moment she spends with him attains a lifetime of importance. The fact that he see’s it all too late, only uttering her name and remembering her for the first time once he’s found out she’s dead. Dennis Grubes said of the final moment when he see’s his idealised/romanticised view of her on the street outside his home, “His belated discovery of all he had comes simultaneous with his discovery of his having lost all of it.” The fact that he then goes off to a duel that wil no doubt end in his death having been told of a lost lover who had given birth to his son is heartbreakingly romantic. All the greatest romances fail and end in tragedy, Ophuls knew this better than most.
Letter From An Unknown Woman- 1 vs I Was Born But…- 0
Letter from an Unknown Woman.
Oh wow, this is one of those films that make you pine for the good ol’ days and mutter stuff like “they don’t make ‘em like this any more”. Actually, come to think of it, I don’t think films this good were ever really the trend in Hollywood, were they?
How does it go again? Girl obsesses about dream guy – Girl has dream date with dream guy – Girl has perfect son by dream guy, Girl becomes rich thanks to her forgiving husband who will look after them – Girl fucks things up royally by wanting just a little bit too much.
Is it really the pianist’s fault that he’s a useless loser? Well, possibly.
I guess it’s actually society’s fault for giving women so few choices in life. Anyhow, in the end the pianist realizes his responsibilities and decides to go fight his duel in the end so I guess he’s not all bad. The end. Tissues passed round.
That it manages to do all this without ever getting hysterical about it is quite an achievement in itself.
Comments regarding I was born but… to follow later. I think.
One thing is, it’s amazing how differently this plays depending on your choice of background music. Especially in the scenes leading up to when they watch their father play the fool for the boss. The Japanese DVD comes with no soundtrack, so I get free choice of my music collection. One wonders how this would have played originally and how much control Ozu and the studio would have had over its presentation. Benshi were on the way out by the time of this movie after all.
Letter from an Unknown Woman – 1 vs I was born but… – 0
That is to say, It seems to make quite a bit more difference than other silent films I’ve seen with various soundtracks. Testiment to Ozu’s subtle direction, presumably.
Either way, it was kind of interesting to note my own feelings when watching this, as it makes me more acutely aware of emotional manipulation by music in other films.
I recommend “Boys of Summer” on repeat for the duration of I Was Born But….
I would say that Ophuls’ films are both romantic and anti-romantic. “Romance”, as we traditionally think of it, tends to be fairly simple: boy and girl fall in love, and it’s nothing but ecstasy. It can only end if the two are tragically torn apart. This, needless to say, is not very nuanced, and it’s the reason I find Romeo and Juliet to be so terribly boring.
But Ophuls’ work, and a lot of French films (Children of Paradise comes to mind) offer a far more subtle treatment of the romantic myth. They show different types of “love”, and the pros and cons of each.
Letter From an Unknown Woman is such a great romantic tragedy because it unearths problems with the very nature of love. Romeo and Juliet (to pick on the archetype again) is ostensibly a tragedy, but very much hinges on the optimistic premise of how great love is. Ophuls’ shows the dangers inherent to love: a woman who thinks that love means self-sacrifice, and a man who selfishly takes it for granted. That’s why, despite the glossy, extravagant surface, I find Ophuls’ films to actually be very substantive.
Two masterpieces. Gonna go with Ophuls.
Letter From An Unknown Woman 1 – I Was Born But… 0
Max Ophüls (Letter From An Unknown Woman) – 1 vs Yasujirō Ozu (I Was Born But…) – 0
This was an easy vote for me as I am a sucker for these 1940’s tragic love stories. This period has several of my favorite films and on seeing this again for the Cup, I can now add Letter from an Unknown Woman.
The film recreates in meticulous detail the look and feel of turn of the last century Vienna. Vienna is a city that fascinates me, especially from this period. This is the city of Strauss waltzes and the magic glow of surfaces, soon to be overturned by Freud to reveal a nasty underside. This tale of unrequited love could fall flat on its face, as it is difficult to believe a character that has had so many women that all of them blend into one faceless entity. Stefan is either very, very near sighted or just has a stone, cold heart. Yet, Louis Jourdan makes even this rather cold fish a romantic charmer.
It is true that Joan Fontaine basically looks the same throughout, but her acting is not. She is excellent in every scene in giving us just the right type of emotion required of her age – going from adolescence to maturity – and situation. Every gesture is nuanced. In fact I think her acting damn near perfect in this film. Jourdan has those misty, watery eyes throughout to accentuate his obvious charm over women, which makes it rather hard to believe he is the only one to never recognize this young woman as she appears to him at different times in his life. Too bad Joan’s character, Lisa, didn’t have a soft spot for Stefan’s mute valet – he at least remembers her. Yes, the plot is pure hocum at times, but when directed so effectively by Ophüls, played so well by the leads, with such effective sets and evocation of a certain lost period in time, this film is a winner on every front.
The Ozu film seemed much like a repeat of the earlier Children in the Wind. Were these films about boys being boys a standard in Japanese films of the time? Ozu handles the direction with finesse and even gets a few comic turns, especially from the father (much to his sons’ annoyance, of course) that were charming. It seemed much more like a light comedy than an Ozu film. Although I am glad to have seen this early Ozu effort, it still has the look and feel of a studio film more than demonstrating Ozu as the master of the tiniest detail. I wonder why the manager chose this risky film to represent him?
Yeah, two masterpieces go mano a mano.
Letter From An Unknown Woman 1 – I Was Born But… 0
This is a hard one very very very hard … Max Ophüls (Letter From An Unknown Woman) – 0 vs Yasujirō Ozu (I Was Born But…) – 1
Tough choice.
Letter From An Unknown Woman (Ophüls) – 0 vs. I Was Born But… (Ozu) – 1
Letter From an Unknown Woman — 1 vs I Was Born But… — 0
One of the better matches with two great films. However, I have to go with Ophuls’ even though Ozu’s is such a charming film. The plot isn’t great as others have said but there is such great use of lighting and black/white contrast in clothing to suggest the danger lurking behind the glamor. Letter is a great film and it makes me want to see more Ophuls.
Letter From An Unknown Woman 0 – I Was Born But… 1
@Rregan
I agree with most of your assessment of the movie, I only called it ‘Romantic’ in a vague genre sense. But yeah, it’s more of an anti-romantic movie. In the movie women define themselves in relation to the men they’re with. The woman defines herself in relation to the pianist and then refuses to see herself any other way. Then she pines for every symbol of her love for him she can find. I did get the impression the two had a genuine rapport, but he avoided it because he was only interested in romancing lots of different women and she avoided it because she wanted to stick to the cultural conventions other people projected onto her.
Nothing against I Was Born But. They’re both wonderful movies.
Letter from an Unknown Woman 21 – I Was Born But… 13
The main reason I’m participating in this Cup is to be challenged—to discover films I’d never known of by directors I’d never heard of from countries I didn’t even know made films.
Surprises abound. I obviously need to rewatch the Ophüls, as there are too many voices supporting it that I respect. Kudos to Kai. The man’s a ninja.
Love the Ozu but Letter from an unknown woman is such a masterpiece !
So moving and so well acting…
Letter 1 – i was born but 0
Letter From An Unknown Woman-1 vs I was Born, But…-0
If someone could please explain how to bold the winning choice it would be helpful. Thanks.
Both films were incredible in their content and treatment, but the idea of life without love being unbearable helps seal the deal on this one for me.
Very difficult choice
Letter From An Unknown Woman (Ophüls) – 0 vs. I Was Born But… (Ozu) – 1
A great match-up &very tough choice. Very different style of filmmaking and I would tend to advocate Ophüls’ style more but Ozu’s film seems to be the greater one. I hope Ozu can come back and win this one!
place an asterisk in front and behind without spaces of whatever you want bolded
example: * I Was Born But *
^eliminate the spaces & it turns out like this>> I Was Born But
Thank you Christian
My vote is for I Was Born But…
Letter From An Unknown Woman (Ophüls) – 0 vs. I Was Born But… (Ozu) – 1
Two amazing auteurs. I have to say, the titles are by far the best I’ve seen. And simply for the title, I would give it to Ozu. The ellipsis in the title plays out in the movie. It is something I can relate to very much and felt much closer than the grandiose beauty of Vienna and the vapid, vain people in Ophuls’ attempt. I’ve simply decided to go for the one I’ve connected with more.
Letter From An Unknown Woman 1 – I Was Born But… 0
Max Ophüls (Letter From An Unknown Woman) 1 Yasujirō Ozu (I Was Born But…) 0
Two masterpieces, two geniuses making the best use of film language. Sublime mise en scène, S-U-B-L-I-M-E.
@Bob, thanks for the usual time you’ve taken. Shimizu’s Children in the Wind came after I Was Born But, though i must admit i prefer it anyway. I Was Born But is widely regarded as Ozu’s best silent, and among his masterpieces, it has featured quite strongly in international polls, top 10s etc (among Ozu’s top films by ranking at They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They site), it’s among the 150 films chosen for the book Film: The Critics’ Choice, and went down very well with audiences and critics in recent UK screenings. so i think it was a reasonable choice by the manager, allowing space for the biggies later in the tournament, going boldly to win the cup. And we already had some other Ozu films in the world cup. But against a top Ophuls it was always going to be a risk, this is a very tough draw for both..
Both Ozu and Shimizu use the simple hands over the eyes for crying, which may strike as odd and not very convincing. I think the boys’ performances work very well here in a silent
Letter from an Unknown Woman 25 I Was Born But 16
p.s Tilda Swinton and film critic Mark Cousins took I Was Born But on a UK bus tour travelling show, if memory serves, or was it just their selection at Edinburgh?.
Letter from an unknown Woman 0 – I WAS BORN, BUT….. 1
Taugh choice. Both belong to my favorite directors and both films are far away being the best works of these directors. Ophuls was still in exile some years before his late masterpieces and Ozu was just at the beginning of his career.
Daniel Abraão
Letter From An Unknown Woman 0 – I Was Born But… 1
Letter From An Unknown Woman is such an entrancing romantic fantasy. The plot is silly and riddled with contrivances, but it’s all so beautifully presented I don’t care. well, i do care and found the story too lame for my taste. I Was Born But… is a masterpiece from the silent era.