Akira Ubukata

The Whole Family Works, Mikio Naruse's adaptation of a Sunao Tokunga novel, feels more of a piece with the writer/director's quietly observant and psychologically charged later work. (Slant)

This early-ish Naruse is best remembered for having two giants of 50s Japanese cinema in its crew - Akira Kurosawa and Ishiro Honda. Somewhat ironically, very little has been written about the film itself. It's a fascinating nonlinear study of a marriage, only one year old, beginning to crumble. Kusaku is married to Fukiko but is in love with Yayoi. A nice little film (runs under an hour) that features some flashes of the future Naruse.