Warai no daigaku (2004) Reviews

• A complex and superbly funny film

  kevbee2005-06-08

  Cinema doesn't get much better than this. Adapted from the successful 1996 play by Koki Mitani, Warai no Daigaku (University of Laughs) directed by Mamoru Hoshi was an audience hit at its premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival. It's not hard to see why. Set in pre-WW2 Japan, the story focuses on a young playwright's attempt to get his comedy script approved by a deeply humourless government censor. As the two men work with and against each other, the script changes and evolves - with unexpected results. The film is essentially a two-hander (the director has done little to disguise that this was initially a stage play) and the two leads are brilliantly played by Koji Yakusho (Shall We Dansu?) as the censor and Goro Inagaki as the jittery writer. It is said that there is a fine line between comedy and tragedy. This film treads that line with a light step. The result is a near perfect film that is funny yet also poignant, touching and genuinely moving. Let's hope Hollywood doesn't decide to remake it.

• highly political film cleverly disguised in comedy

  mariafefauk2005-08-03

  It is amazing and rare when a film manages to reach us and surprise us by succeeding our expectations. In my personal experience, THE UNIVERSITY OF LAUGHS is one of such films. What I loved the most about this particular film is how complex issues which throughout history have affected cultural expression can be represented and illustrated in such a fine and simple fashion. Sakisaka, a government official entrusted with creating favorable conditions for the maximum expansion of the ruling ideology, through the censorship and manipulation of messages in popular culture meets his counterpart in a humble theater script writer seeking approval for his latest project. The movie evolves and progresses as both, censor and writer work together, with and against each other to achieve their individual interests. My favorite moment is that in which Hajime Tsubaki becomes aware that his interest and passion for comedy writing, transcends the personal and collective interests of his boss, his colleagues and even his nation. He can live with the criticism and punishment offered to him by friends, peers and society at large but he cannot live without being true to himself, therefore, he is left with no option but to follow his comic nature through his gift of writing. This is the most purely political phase in the film, and it marks the decisive passage of struggle from the individual structure, to the sphere of the complex superstructures. In all, this is a beautiful and clever display of Japanese culture and worldwide struggle for freedom of speech, and a subtle reminder of how far we have come to reach the stage of cultural freedom that many of us enjoy today.

• University of waging laughs

  Gigo_Satana2005-07-16

  This is one of the few films which prior to its viewing I knew extremely little about, due to the lack of buzz and reviews it had acquired on the net, but knowing Koji Yakusho through various Kiyoshi Kurosawa films and such I gave it a try. The film is set in 1940, at a time when humor was greatly overshadowed with tragedy all over the world, but still piercing through the hardship and censorship to give people a chance and a reason to laugh. Right from the start we hear grandiosely orchestrated big band music that immediately assists the film in creating an atmosphere of that particular era and even creates a pleasant sound of classic comedy satires that now rarely see the light of day. Yakusho convincingly plays Sakisaka, a gloomy reviser who has been able to live through life without much comedy and Inagaki plays Hajime Tsubaki, a scrawny writer who's in dire need of getting his script approved by any means possibly, which includes not only in removal of certain context but also daily convincing Sakisaka of its intent, logic and essentially its power of being humorous or not. In the midst of all the quarreling and brainstorming, it gives a new life to the repressionist of joy and pushes another visionary to the limits of perfection. At one point it did came close to overdoing Sakisaka'a final transformation, but never to the point of frustration or redundancy. I also thought that the comical subplot of the film could have been a little more humorous. Nonetheless it was an interesting little film that for the most part hit the right spots and moved me along the way with its simplistic approaches and solitary scenery that included some touching moments and harmless jests.

• masterclass from Yaksuho Koji

  CountZero3132006-11-01

  Warai no Daigaku is a comedy with a serious message. Stone-faced WWII censor Koji gives aspiring playwright Goro a run through the ringer as both men trade barbs on their way to unexpected fates. The tempo is brisk, laugh out loud moments aplenty, and the pay-off adds depth to what could easily have been an extended pun session. Koji excels as the authoritarian bureaucrat who lets his guard down to reveal thespian longings. His change from stone-faced oppressor, to collaborator, back to oppressor, is complex and perfectly timed. Unfortunately, Goro is a lightweight who manages not to offend too much by giving a tolerable performance here. His variety TV background carries him through the comedic moments, but when something heavier is called for, he simply isn't up to it. A pity, because this film could have been a classic but for that one moment of miscasting. The simple locations, and rhythmic cutting between interrogation room, street and vaudeville theatre, imbibe the film with a simplicity in terms of pace that belies the gravitas of the themes. Warai no Daigaku never insults the tragic events that it is based upon. The filmmakers manage to get humour out of a situation that, historically, must have been soul- destroying for the individuals involved. Inventively shot, well-acted, convincingly cut, this is a film to watch and go back to.

• A good comedy about writing a comedy

  anandserpi2005-09-06

  Writing comedy is hard, especially, if you have to face an authoritarian, ex-soldier censor officer who never laughed all his life and was proud of it. That's the premise of this extraordinary movie which is set in Japan during WWII. It is originally a play, so we can hope for tons and tons of witty dialogs between the young playwright and the censor officer. The former is struggling to get approval of his next comedy script while the latter is determined to close down all theater performances in the city, simply because "…it is inappropriate to get a few laughs during this time of war…" Then, suddenly, the movie turns into a lesson of how to write a good comedy as the censor officer keeps criticizing the script and demands changing. There are lots of warm and funny moments, but toward the ending, it suddenly becomes tense and heartbreaking. It almost becomes a tragedy. The whole movie is basically played by those two characters. Other characters can easily be extras. The setting is very minimalist as nearly 80 percent of the movie is located inside the interrogation room. The message we can get from this movie is that there is always comedy inside anybody's life, whether you want it or not. It is no use denying it. Just as it is no use denying not to like this incredible movie once you see it.