Mr. Thank You Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Mr. Thank You
Director: Hiroshi Shimizu
Year: 1936
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese

Hiroshi Shimizu should be one of the most renowned and respected Japanese Director in film history, yet up until today I had not seen a single film from his. I've contemplated watching Japanese Girls at the Harbor but kept getting distracted with other great Japanese films. Earlier today I watched my introduction to the great Director, Mr. Thank You or Arigato-san. I am proud to say that it will soon be one of the many Shimizu films I will watch and review.

The film is about a man called Mr. Thank You (Kauro Futaba), who is the kindly young driver of a local bus traveling from poverty stricken coastal villages, over the mountains, to the town. He thanks everybody when they let his bus pass on the narrow road. Among the passengers is a worldly young woman, who flirts with the driver while trying to put the villagers in their place.

Unfortunately Shmizu's work wasn't known at all outside of Japan  until Kurosawa's Rashomon blew the doors open for Japanese Cinema to be seen all across the world. However the incredible western popularity of other fellow directors like Mizoguchi, Ozu, and Kurosawa overshadowed his accomplishments. As of now it's easier to find because of the Criterion Collection and their eclipse set called Travels with Hirosh, but even the best of film buffs don't know much about him to actively seek out his work. Frankly I think Mr. Thank You is as good as most of Kurosawa's work.

Shimizu's film is a perfect introduction to the Director. It has a bittersweet and domestic tone like Ozu's films, yet had bits of subtle humor which made the film all the more attractive. Like in Kurosawa's work, the camera is alive and mobile, capturing every emotion, every change in character. Shimizu has a great sense of pacing and he knows where to put his characters in the frame. There is very little plot, but the importance of this film is placed on character development. Each person emerges as a three dimensional being with real concerns, emotions, desires and aspirations.

In conclusion, through the brilliant writing of the film we can definitley see the director's humanism seep out of his characters. It's a simple and fun film that is incredibly deep and powerful. Its simplicity and lack of action may not appeal to Western audiences, this is a Japanese Japanese film. The underlying socio-political messages in the film, it somewhat is a reflection of Shimizu's feelings toward Japan's imperial exansion, are also interesting to look into. Praise it! 5/5