MUBI

I had been reluctant to watch this movie for quite some time mainly because of the predictable story line and the countless adaptations of the same in Hindi cinema, but thankfully I watched this and learnt an important lesson; A masterpiece will remain a masterpiece and no adaptation can ever come close to the essence of the original.

The movie feels like a wistful breeze with Ozu’s characteristic stationary camera shots and remarkable continuity. Ozu’s minimalistic style effectively conveys the essence of the movie, leaving out all the melodrama which I have seen in most of the adaptations. Most importantly, the movie is firmly rooted in realism with its backdrop of postwar Japan and the efforts of the common people to come to terms with the new industrialized nation, trying to forget their past and moving ahead in life. The characters are very convincing. I was especially pleased to see that the daughter in laws of the old couple were the most warmhearted creatures in the movie. The children although less sensitive, aren’t exactly vicious but have simply become extremely rational in their approach towards life which as the old man himself points out, isn’t so easy anymore. The movie is hence not about children disrespecting or not loving their parents but simply about the changes that have taken place in family values in the modern world due to various socio-economic reasons which although disappointing, are a fact of life that has to be accepted. The old man highlights this fact in the end when he says that he will have to get used to the loneliness because life, in spite of all its hardships and changes, must go on and so it has.

Que font les enfants pour leurs parents ? C’est un film difficile que ce voyage à Tokyo qui décrit la rupture générationnelle entre des parents, leurs enfants et petit-enfants. Un film construit sur des lignes d’opposition tant visuelles que virtuelles, qui démontre, s’il en était besoin, que l’amour et l’abnégation ne sont pas toujours partagées. Dans une mise en scène très travaillée, avec un matériau et des acteurs plutôt austères, le film est aussi l’occasion de se plonger dans les faux semblants et l’hypocrisie de la société japonaise. Un film finalement plus dur que mélancolique : qui explore en profondeur les rapports et non-rapports familiaux. La copie n’est pas très bonne et le film aurait mérité d’être un peu mieux restauré avant que d’être gravé.

I remember my first viewing of Tokyo Story in film school at 19 years old. After watching the film I found myself very moved, but I couldn’t explain why (Aside of from the obvious themes of the film). I felt I had a deeper understanding of the world, but couldn’t explain exactly what that understanding truly was. What I did understand was the possibility of non verbal communication through cinema.. That cinema truly was its own universal form of communication that transcended the barriers of human language, and penetrated the inner psyche.

Ozu’s minimalist style and narrative form challenged me as a viewer and forced me to look for other possibilities of cinematic language. I personally think that because Ozu began making films before sound was invented in film, he was a filmmaker that looked at the strongest image that would convey his story first, then found dialogue as an accent to the larger story he was trying to tell. Its the complete antithesis of how film storytelling is approached today.. Most screenwriters always look at dialogue first to catapult the story forward, just like stage plays… In the documentary “Visions of Light”, cinematographer Vilmos Zigmond says something to the effect that if sound were introduced 10 years later in cinema the way people interpret films would be very, very, different.. Id have to agree with that statement.. Dialogue in cinema definitely stopped the growth of pure cinematic storytelling.. Filmmakers at that time had to re adjust the way they told stories and had to be very clever with the words, rather than finding the strongest image to tell the story.. Ozu is one of the few filmmakers that came out of the silent era unaffected by the introduction of sound in cinema. He didn’t see dialogue as the enemy, but simply a way to accent his already powerful image driven style and vision. His style was never effected by the transition to sound, it only elevated it.. And this is why in my opinion Ozu’s films still hold up and are considered timeless masterpieces.. It is because he never forgot what is truly the most important essence of filmmaking.. The projected image on the screen…

While Ozu’s films can be austere and humanistic, I generally find the narrative of his films inferior to the literary canon from the standpoint of expression and insight. Although film is not literature, I consider the construct of Ozu’s films to parallel some classic literature in so far as his films tell a story without extraneous embellishment. Viewing an Ozu film involves contemplating the proceedings of the screenplay as one would contemplate the unfolding of a short story, novelette or novella. Furthermore, simply shot forms of cinema require a deeper understanding of the human condition in order to compensate for their lack of visual excitement. However, both narrative depth and cinematic flourishes are lacking in Tokyo Story.

The setting up of the premise of Tokyo Story is itself flawed. Two elderly parents go to visit their children. The children don’t really have time for them. However, the children already knew the parents were coming to visit and it is reasonable to assume that most children would make time for them when they actually knew ahead of time that their parents would be visiting. As a result, when the children do not spend enough time with their parents it comes across as a heavy handed attempt to portray a lack of familial respect and, ultimately, alienation.

A line in Tokyo Story goes “You cannot honor your parents beyond the grave.” While the meaning of this phrase is self-evident within the context of the film, the phrase is in fact false when applied to children that do honor their parents beyond the grave by living a life their parents could be proud of. Furthermore, it is similar to one of the Ten Commandments and similar to the teachings of Confucius. This ideal is really nothing new under the sun and comes across as hackneyed in the film. Another line mentions that life is full of disappointments. This is not insight; it is banality. There is the appreciative daughter-in-law and the more selfish daughter. So what? That also is an obvious part of life for some families. It is this simplistic nonsense that I find off putting and it came across as rather forced to me. While Tokyo Story is charming, it is not a particularly erudite social commentary.

quiet, subtle and surprisingly powerful. This movie washes gently over you with its lack of contrivance and simplicity. It made me feel as if i was floating in a sad, still and quiet lake. For some, it may be boring, but you have to give it a chance to see all it has to offer. There are moments in the movie of crushing poignancy all achieved without overbearing acting, music and the usual Hollywood manipulation. a true classic.

Aggressively dull. A 2 hour Goofus and Gallant cartoon. Goofus treats his parents with neglet and disinterest. Gallant treats them with respect and is a better person because of it. Thats pretty much it.
This is my first Ozu and yes I know I’m wrong but good god was it boring. I’ll definitely see other stuff he’s done but there is nothing here for me to recommend to anyone. I would have even been fine with the static shots if the composition was even remotely interesting. I felt as neglected by Ozu in this piece as the parents were by their children.

Classic, stripped-down tale of elder parents traveling to visit their children in modern Tokyo, only to be greeted with a sense of cool neglect and apathy. Level-headed and moving portrait of ever-changing family dynamics, in which the cyclical tide of life is accepted over the desire to antagonize; a calm recognition that acknowledges the yin-yang balance of virtue and grief over compulsory sadness. As much as Ozu’s languid pacing is a staple of his quiet storytelling, this film moves along at an exceptionally sluggish rate and makes for admittedly difficult viewing.

(Thursday, June 11, 2009 12:49pm)

Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story expresses thoughts and feelings most people possesses with such deep insight in a familiar relationship that most of us have to face. This film has done with mastery skills that only Ozu can accomplish. Ozu’s camera movements are delicate, precise, and skillful that his audience would feel they belong in the film with the characters. Performers in this film are incredibly and exceptionally outstanding, you may not notice that you are watching a film, but looking at real people. The individuals have different emotions and actions that are being shared in one packed scene as they either communicate or exchange ideas. One of the greatest films of all time, Tokyo Story stands the test of time. A must have, must see for everyone and personally, I can only say this much because this film has been praised with such respect by almost everyone worldwide. Grab it, see it, keep it, and tell everyone about the film Tokyo Story. 9.5/10.

plot discussed, spoilers below:

(1953) Tokyo Story
The much lauded “Tokyo Story” was the first film by Ozu that I ever saw, and it didn’t leave much of an impression on me, but as Criterion released other pictures by him, such as Late Spring, and Early Summer, I gave him another try-and was pleasently suprised. So now after, I dunno 15 or 20 Ozu pictures later I have returned to “Tokyo Story”, which is supposed to be among the ten best films ever made, according to those voting in Site and Sounds polls. Well, after a second viewing, and a new found appreciation for Ozu I can’t say that my opinion has changed all that much, and this film barely, just barely ranks in my top ten of all of Ozu’s pictures that I have thus far seen.

So what is wrong with it? I dunno. Perhaps I miss the tension and humour of the marriage pictures, which touch on all of the same familial subject matter as this one(aside from the death-which “The Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family” did have!, so there), and those pictures had other things as well-especially the humour and lighter sides of life. This film is just too heavy at times, and Tokyo Story is such a long film too dwell on so few themes for the entire picture, as compared to Ozu’s better films.

So in closing, if you are new to Ozu, I think you would do better to start somewhere else(really any of the Criterion releases, aside from the dreadful Ohayo-“Good Morning”), and if you can watch multiregion films, check out the much better “Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family”.