Talk:One Wonderful Sunday

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BetacommandBot (talk) 14:50, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

GA review

This review is transcluded from Talk:One Wonderful Sunday/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Nominator: Plifal (talk · contribs) 14:43, 11 May 2025 (UTC)

Reviewer: ErnestKrause (talk · contribs) 16:16, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

This appears to be an interesting article and I'll take a look. Some short comments to get things started:

(1) Plot summary seems a little on the short side; is it possible to go to a three paragraph version with some expansion of details.

done, have added more detail.--Plifal (talk) 11:24, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

Nicely written. ErnestKrause (talk) 14:58, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

(2) Very little is known about Keinosuke Uekusa outside of Japan and it would be nice to see a little more added about him. The material covered in the short mention about him here could use some supplement. Its seems like it would be worth mentioning his other collaboration with Kurosawa, which receives more critical acclaim, making this film look as if it were a practice run for these two co-writers.

i didn't mention their collaboration on drunken angel because it didn't feel right. apart from a brief mention in galbraith, the only source that even groups them together is stephen prince, and he does so with other films of kurosawa's that show post-war japan (no regrets for our youth, ikiru etc.). none of the major sources (prince, galbraith, richie, kurosawa) mention this film in relation to drunken angel as being a kind of "practice run". also, see below.--Plifal (talk) 11:24, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

I'm intrigued by this friendship and collaboration between these co-writers; you correctly point out that they had some working back-and-forth disagreements making this film. However, that's part of the making of films in general. Its much more to the point that after they make Drunken Angel together the following year, that they never get together for another project. Can you find some reason for this. No one wants to see a long elaboration about Drunken Angel in this article about an earlier film, though if the co-writers have an eventual parting of ways, then it would be nice to know why. No more films together is a fairly harsh conclusion which they reach here. ErnestKrause (talk) 14:58, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

(3) If the co-writers were childhood friends, then it might be worth mentioning something about when the friendship took place; was in elementary school, was in high school, were they taking the same classes in films or in creative writing? Why were they friends, and why did the collaboration not continue after two films?

i didn't add this information because i think this is too much of a non sequitur. if readers are interested they are better placed to click through and read about this in the linked article dedicated to uekusa.--Plifal (talk) 11:24, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

See above note. Since it is only two film we are discussing here, then its not quite a full non sequitur. The opposite would be going off tangent if this were a Mifune film, and then discussing his long term relationship over multiple films with AK. This is only two films -- One Wonderful Sunday and Dark Angel. I'm thinking that its worth adding a sentence or two about the relationship or non-relationship of these two films since it ended and concluded their collaborations together. ErnestKrause (talk) 14:58, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

(4) It might make sense to add some details, if available, about the box office success of the film in comparison to the other early films which appear in the Criterion Collection release of this film along with others in the early Kurosawa films. Were they all profitable, did some cause financial losses. Some short comment about how the film did compared to the other titles in the multi-film Criterion Collection release of it.

unfortunately this information doesn't seem to exist :( which is a shame, but it's before kurosawa was really famous, and box office records of this time in foreign countries don't tend to be well preserved. the 1980s release in america was the first it saw at the time when such records would have been better kept, but seems to have been a very limited release, more of a curiosity for those already interested in kurosawa.--Plifal (talk) 11:24, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

(5) The main article for the director states something like the following and the cites might be checked for accuracy to this film article being reviewed here: "One Wonderful Sunday, premiered in July 1947 to mixed reviews. It was the result of a collaboration with his childhood friend Keinosuke Uekusa. The film is a sentimental love story dealing with an impoverished couple trying to enjoy their one weekly day off within the devastation of postwar Tokyo. The movie bears the influence of Frank Capra, D. W. Griffith and F. W. Murnau, each of whom was among Kurosawa's favorite directors." ErnestKrause (talk) 16:16, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

murnau's presence here is conspicuous, and seems to come from someone misreading galbraith-quoting-canby as a direct reference from galbraith. both galbraith and richie refer to capra though, so i've added a brief reference to him.--Plifal (talk) 11:24, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

That should get things started. ErnestKrause (talk) 16:16, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

@ErnestKrause: thank you very much for taking this one on! i look forward to working with you further.--Plifal (talk) 11:24, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

---

Second set of comments

(1) In the reception section, I'm recalling that there was a second award at the same film award ceremony for director and for writing. It should be in the article.

you are correct, but the problem is that the mainichi film website gives an erroneous attribution, and no other source (including conrad) mentions uekusa's prize. any suggestions about how to handle this?--Plifal (talk) 10:53, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

See if this one works in its closing paragraph: [1]. ErnestKrause (talk) 14:40, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

unfortunately i'm not sure that this would qualify as a reliable source.--Plifal (talk) 15:33, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

(2) The comparison with Bicycle Thieves may need another word or two added for clarification. BT is sort of remembered as being a type of father-son film, while that's not the case for OWS. If you could add a word or two about what you think the connection might be, as you mention it in the article. Maybe the main character's flirting with the idea of turning to crime for quick money might be the tie in.

it's only a retrospective comparison kurosawa made himself and didn't really go into, so it would be WP:ANALYSIS if i did so. the article talks about the connection between italian neorealism in the corresponding themes subsection.--Plifal (talk) 10:53, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Not trying to over-read this, though if Bicycle Thieves is seen as being part of Italian Neorealism, then that's an acceptable assessment that you likely can use RS for AK use of Neorealism as applied to this film without getting into NOR. I'm fairly certain that AK was more interested in the filmmaking techniques he saw in Italian Neorealism, rather than the plot and characters in Bicycle Thieves. At present the article only makes the (implied) connection across the separate sections. BT is also on Kurosawa's list of his favorite films in case you have an interest here: [2]. ErnestKrause (talk) 14:40, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

but i'm not sure where our disagreement is...? if we agree that kurosawa's interest is in italian neormalism then surely expanding on the brief connection to bicycle thieves doesn't add anything to the article? unless you want me to source and gloss the fact that kurosawa considered it a major influence?--Plifal (talk) 15:28, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

(3) You state without giving an example: "...Kurosawa employing themes of paradox from the novels of Fyodor Dostoevsky". Which themes of paradox? If you are thinking of something like Crime and Punishment, where the main character moves from crime to redemption, then this should be added as an example. Its not clear at present which 'paradox' you have in mind here when you include that sentence in the article.

unfortunately goodwin doesn't give any examples directly from the novels of dostoevsky, but i've re-phrased the sentences to provide greater clarification based on his writing. hopefully that should be ok?--Plifal (talk) 10:53, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Possibly you already know that AK tried to make Dostoyevsky's novel The Idiot (1951 film) into a success though his studio would not support his delivered, over 3-hour version, of the film, but the studio insisted on large unsuccessful cuts to it. This quote may be useful, though you decide if it can be adapted in any useful way:

"Of all my films, people wrote to me most about this one... ...I had wanted to make The Idiot long before Rashomon. Since I was little I've liked Russian literature, but I find that I like Dostoevsky the best and had long thought that this book would make a wonderful film. He is still my favourite author, and he is the one — I still think — who writes most honestly about human existence."

— Akira Kurosawa

i don't deny dostoevsky's influence on kurosawa, but the article as it is seems to reflect that in its analysis without overstating it. i don't think i can include this quote without it being a non-sequitur from the film one wonderful sunday

(4) By way of some clarification of why the co-author question is important, then the Drunken Angel article (which I'm thinking that you have also edited) does add some apparently significant details. First, on the Reception issue its fairly clear that Drunken Angel had a wider and more significant impact on Japanese cinema and on Kurosawa's career, much more than OWS which makes the comparison of the two films more palpable and notable. The Drunken Angel article speaks of it as perhaps the first major success for Kurosawa, along with his collaboration with Mifune; that's not the case for OWS.

(5) Also, it seems notable that in spite of the success of Drunken Angel that the two co-writers definitively end their professional relations in filmmaking. If you are concerned about the question of wanting to isolate the two films for article editing purposes, then you can add something like references to the "the short term collaboration" of the two writers; it basically ends after one single year going from OWS to Drunken Angel.

added a reference to their working relationship being short-term.--Plifal (talk) 10:53, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

(6) There may a hint about the co-writers relations going sour in the fact that there were labor disputes which occurred during the Drunken Angel filming which may have caused tensions on the set for the co-authors and others, which otherwise did not affect OWS.

re. (4), (5), (6): i apologise, but i really, truly, honestly, do not see the connection between one wonderful sunday and drunken angel here. it's not personal taste either, i'm just working directly from the sources, none of which meaningfully compare the two films. if you want me to add a bit more about how uekusa and kurosawa came to meet again and work together then i could understand that, although i think it's fine as is, but this information will be (or already is) on the pages for uekusa and drunken angel. if i'm misunderstanding you please let me know, but if you can tell me what you want in an [x] to [y] fashion i'll have a greater understanding so we can come to some kind of resolution.--Plifal (talk) 10:53, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

I'm not going too far when I state that other readers might see this as a fairly direct A:B comparison, since these two films are made as back to back films within a year of each other. His next films The Quiet Duel and Stray Dog might give some clues about thematic emphasis which attracts AK but which his friendship with Uekusa was apparently not seen as suitable for further usable professional collaboration. This should not go into NOR in speculation, though Kurosawa's thematic trend away from the Uekusa collaborations seem relatively clear. ErnestKrause (talk) 14:40, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

however true that may be, the close rule of wikipedia is "stick to the sources". i honestly think that it's reasonable to assume that a connection may be made, but the sources interpret this as only occurring in the process of (and following the release of) drunken angel; as a result i'm very reluctant to include it in this article.--Plifal (talk) 15:24, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

(7) The article is currently fairly well written and looks like its moving in a good direction.

thank you!--Plifal (talk) 10:53, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

(8) Can another image, perhaps of the actors, be found and added to the article.

done, have found and added a few images.--Plifal (talk) 10:53, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Nice images. Possibly consider moving the co-writer image to the left, though that is up to you. ErnestKrause (talk) 14:40, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

i'll take a look at it again tomorrow!--Plifal (talk) 15:34, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

I'll try to check in during the next day or two for more comments. The new plot section looks quite good. ErnestKrause (talk) 14:58, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

@ErnestKrause, sure, and thank you again!! please take your time.--Plifal (talk) 10:53, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Some comments above. Its looking like you have made good progress on this article and that it may be quite close to moving forward to completion. ErnestKrause (talk) 14:40, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

thank you kindly!! please let me know if there's anything i can do in return!!!--Plifal (talk) 15:35, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Here is another link for the two awards here: [3]. If that does not work then I'm adding some citations for the list of their awards in Japanese which might work better. You also have a link to the original Japanese article for the awards already in the article which lists both awards. It might be of interest to also link the Wikipedia article for Mainichi Film Award for Best Screenplay, which gives the cites at the end of this sentence.. You can make some decision about the left or right side for the co-writer image, and I'll try to bring this all to some conclusion either tomorrow or the day after that. ErnestKrause (talk) 18:11, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

i totally agree the spread is a little cramped. i tried multiple variations of image layout but none of them looked very good, so i decided to move the promotional image to the 'release' section. re. the sources, unfortunately neither of those are reliable either, the mainichi film award source is the same that erroneously attributes the screenplay to an actor from a different film. however, i decided that it did show that the film won the award (even if it did not display the correct recipient) so i included its mention, so it reads as such: "The film received awards for its screenplay and direction at the second annual Mainichi Film Awards, marking the first award Kurosawa received for his role as a film director."--Plifal (talk) 08:53, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

---

Closing comment: The article appears to be fairly well written and all the images seem to check out, along with all the citations and sources. Your explanation for using the Japanese website for the awards looks to be reasonable as well. For these reasons, the article is now going to receive Support for promotion at this time. I'm also noticing that you have a peer review now in process for his other film "High and Low", and if you are planning to get a possible future promotion for "High and Low" then possibly try to ping me for further support there. ErnestKrause (talk) 17:06, 30 July 2025 (UTC)