I caught alot of Naruse films when they were in the cinema recently and was, frankly, more impressed by the body of work I was exposed to in 15 or so viewings than any set of films from any other director. They were, consistently, brilliant. This set features three of his most highly regarded films. "Late Chrysanthemums" tells the story or stories of three ageing ex-geisha and their lives textured with money, irresponsible(, modern) offspring and unrequited love. It is, despite what sounds like a down beat premise, very funny throughout. The little "Marilyn Monroe wiggle" at the end is the most famous bit of this humour, but the jokes actually come thick and fast. Alongside the gruelling working class drama, that is. Its hard to imagine anyone not likeing this film. "Floating Clouds", the second film in the boxset, is apparently Narues's best regarded film in Japan. As such I apprached it with massive expectations, that were... unfortunately dissapointed. It was visually stunning, the acting brilliant, atmosphere effective, it had the same down-to-earth financial and social textures as "Late Chrysanthemums", but... For some reason it didn't hold together so well for me. It seemed a little melodramatic, and the central woman character (almost all Naruse's films revolve around strong and beleivable women characters) didn't seem to have the same amount of agency and verve that other of Naruse's female characters have. That said, I am glad I watched it and look forward to watching it again, soon, for a re-assessment. The third film in the boxset, and my favourite of the three, is "When a Woman Ascends the Stairs". This one is about Mama the head-hostess of a bar in Ginza. Her husband died young, she hates her job, lives beyond her financial means because of it, is beautiful, and has staved off the advances of businessmen and their offers of marraige or "patronage". In the short space of time we share with her in this film Mama tangles with a filandering businessman, a banker and the manager of her bar, Komatsu, who is in love with her. Like Naruse's best films, "Woman Ascends" feels real. Mama and Komatsu spend their time chasing debts, paying off debts, switching from bar to bar, trying to open their own bar, other hostesses are felled by their ambition, people try to drink away their miseries, contradict themselves, and others, fight, make love, fall in love, and ultimately, as in many Naruse films, everyone continues to fight for their own existances during the hard times, but never forget to enjoy the good times. This film is great. And it feels real, the characters are real, and you, the spectator, experience their sufferings and joys becaue of it. This film is also photographed beautifully. The boxset, overall, is also great, despite my misgivings about "Floating Clouds". The other two films are, I'll say it again, wonderful.