The Japanese film "Happy Yellow Handkerchief" is directed by Yoji Yamada. Yoji Yamada was born on September 13, 1931 in Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, and is a Japanese screenwriter and director. Yoji Yamada is a film master who does everything in the heart of the Japanese, known as "Comedy Yamada", "Director of Folk Drama", and is also known as the "spokesperson of the Japanese soul" in Japan, among more than 70 works, he is good at comedy and the creation of films that reflect ordinary civilian life, whether it is the "Suffering of Men" series, or romance films or ancient dramas in recent years, the characters in his films are from the lower class. Yoji Yamada has always hoped that his films can "enjoy with the people", emphasizing entertainment more than artistry. The movie "Happy Yellow Handkerchief" was directed by him in 1977, starring Ken Takakura, Chieko Beibo, Tetsuya Takeda and others. The film tells the story of Yusaku (Ken Takakura) who was bohemian at the age of 20, and at the age of 30, he planned to repent and rehabilitate himself and live again in a different place, so he came to the Yubari Coal Mine alone, became a coal worker, and lived a boring life. At a supermarket near the coal mine, he meets Hikari (Chieko Dobo), who works in a supermarket. The two liked each other, and after marriage, at first the two lived a happy life. Guangzhi went to the hospital for examination because he was not feeling well, and the two agreed that if the pregnancy was successful, they would hang a yellow handkerchief on the drying rack. Yusaku rushed home after work and found a yellow handkerchief on the drying rack. Yusaku lost his family since he was a child, and the news of his pregnancy made him very happy. Yusaku tells Mitsueda to be careful, but while Mitsueda was working at home, he fell down while carrying heavy objects and eventually miscarried. At this time, Yusaku knew that Mitsueda had also had a miscarriage five years ago. Hit by the failure of pregnancy and the fault of Mitsueda, he drank heavily on his own. The two quarreled over past events, and then bravely slammed the door and left. At night, Yusaku walked down the road and got into an argument with the punks. Perhaps because he was depressed, he beat one of the punks to death by mistake. He was later arrested by the police and sent to Abashiri prison. Before he was released from prison, he wrote a letter to Guangzhi and agreed to hang a yellow handkerchief in front of the door if he was still waiting.
The movie "Happy Yellow Handkerchief" is a road movie. The story is simple, and the main characters are only Yusaku, Mitsueda, and a young man and woman who meet on the road of Yusaku, Qin Ye and Zhu Mei. Yoji Yamada does not pursue the bizarre plot, but focuses on meticulously digging into the hearts of the characters. Through the fierce struggle over whether to return home, he shows his fond memories of his past life and portrays Guangzhi's pure character and sentiments. At the same time, the film also uses the young men of Chin Ye and Zhu Mei to set off the deep character of Yongzuo, prompting him to carry out painful introspection on himself and seriously think about the future. This not only deepens the theme, the characters with comedy colors, but also adds a life interest to the film. The end of the film is especially memorable. After six years of hard prison life, what awaits the courageous work? This suspense has tightly attracted the audience from beginning to end, and when Yusaku and his party come to Yubari and see a long line of yellow handkerchiefs in the distance waving in the wind, who can not be shocked, excited, and trembling by this face? However, director Yoji Yamada did not show the excited expressions of Yusaku and Mitsueda positively at this time, he only used a long-range view to show the silent reunion of Yusaku and Mitsueda under the flagpole hanging a long string of yellow handkerchiefs; There was no elated reunion, just walking towards the hut, giving the audience infinite reverie. And Qin Ye and Zhu Mei, who were watching from a high place, were moved to cry bitterly, and this implicit depiction not only vividly shows the different personalities of the characters, but also has a profound meaning and evocative.
