Koichi, human statue (William Mason)

    Koichi's face is so immobile in comparison to the rest of Tokyo Story's characters. Even if there is some insincerity behind the smiles of Fumiko and Shige, they are still smiling. Noriko's expressions can convey profound emotional conflicts and contradictions. Koichi seems different; his face, as far as I can tell, shows neither the truth of what he feels nor a fictional emotion he wishes to portray. Even when he speaks, he seems to be trying to keep his mouth as still as possible, rigidly controlling every motion of his face. And this restraining of self is present throughout what we see of him; he must constantly bury his emotions in order to fulfill his duty - looking after his visiting parents, sacrificing his leisure time to care for a sick child - but it seems that he cannot simply resort to deception. Instead of presenting the false emotion or expression that would suit the situation, Koichi tries to suppress any display of emotion. I suspect he believes that, as the eldest son of the family, he ought to be rational, responsible, precise; he must exercise rigid control over his own emotions and desires, and prepare himself to be the "head" of the family. This is how I understand Koichi's apparent lack of expression and emotion. I would very much like to know whether others have taken notice of his rigid face, and what meaning they see in it.


-WM

Comments

  1. Krishnan VenkateshNovember 3, 2021 at 9:35 PM

    "Stony" is the word. Is he in despair, perhaps? -- the man who has given himself up to his destiny, with no further joy to look forward to, just work -- "faire son métier."

    ReplyDelete

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