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I Flunked, But... is a 1930 Japanese black and white silent film directed by Yasujirō Ozu. I Flunked, But... represented the first major role acted by Ozu's longtime collaborator Chishu Ryu.

Premise

The film is one of several Ozu directed around this time dealing with student life. The plot somewhat inverts that of Ozu's earlier film I Graduated, But.... The film follows Takahashi, a college student, and his 4 roommates and 4 other friends. Takahashi and his 4 friends intend to cheat on a test by writing notes on Takahashi's shirt. But the landlady sends the shirt to the laundry and Takahashi and his friends fail the test. Takahashi's roommates pass the test and graduate but can't find jobs and end up wishing they were back in school like Takahashi and his friends, who had to return to school.

Reception

Film critic David Bordwell noted influences on the film from Harold Lloyd and Ernst Lubitsch. A Kinema Jumpo critic criticized for lacking the "social bite" of some of Ozu's earlier films.

Analysis

Takahashi has a poster of Robert Milton's 1929 American film Charming Sinners hanging on his bedroom wall.

References

1. Richie, Donald (1974). Ozu. California Press. pp. 209–210. ISBN 0520032772.
2. ^ Bordwell, David (1988). Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema. Princeton University Press. pp. 202–205. ISBN 0691055165.
3. ^ "I Flunked But…, 1930". Strictly Film School. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
4. Geist, Kathe (2023). Ozu: A Closer Look. Hong Kong University Press. p. 35. ISBN 9789888754175.

• 1930 films
• Films directed by Yasujirō Ozu
• Japanese silent films
• Japanese black-and-white films
• Shochiku films
• Films with screenplays by Yasujirō Ozu