Avalanche (1937) review

Gorō (Hideo Saeki) has only been married to pitifully meek Fukiko (Noboru Kiritachi) but wants to leave her for Yayoi (Ranko Edogawa), which his father strongly disapproves of - near the conclusion, he takes Fukiko on a trip with the intent on committing double suicide (which was apparently a huge problem in Japan at the time).  Even with a very slim running time (59 minutes) Naruse isn't able to keep it from being preachy or disjointed, with the movie grinding to a halt every so often to have long-winded philosophical discussions ("There's nothing more cruel than doing things without purpose") and ethical debates ... which makes me think this should have stayed on the page (I do like, however, how a "veil" falls over the screen so the inhabitants can offer their inner thoughts).  Obligatory Kurosawa mention: yes, he worked on the movie ... and went on to make better ones himself.