Poll

What's your favorite film by Yasujiro Ozu?

Tokyo Chorus
0 (0%)
I Was Born, But...
0 (0%)
Woman of Tokyo
0 (0%)
Women on the Firing Line
0 (0%)
Passing Fancy
0 (0%)
A Story of Floating Weeds (1934)
0 (0%)
An Inn in Tokyo
0 (0%)
The Only Son
1 (2.9%)
What Did the Lady Forget?
0 (0%)
The Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family
0 (0%)
There Was a Father
0 (0%)
The Record of a Tenement Gentleman
0 (0%)
A Hen in the Wind
0 (0%)
Late Spring
5 (14.3%)
The Munekata Sisters
0 (0%)
Early Summer
5 (14.3%)
The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice
0 (0%)
Tokyo Story
12 (34.3%)
Early Spring
2 (5.7%)
Tokyo Twilight
0 (0%)
Equinox Flower
0 (0%)
Good Morning
0 (0%)
Floating Weeds (1959)
3 (8.6%)
Late Autumn
0 (0%)
The End of Summer
0 (0%)
An Autumn Afternoon
3 (8.6%)
other (please specify)
0 (0%)
haven't seen any
3 (8.6%)
don't like any
1 (2.9%)

Total Members Voted: 35

Author Topic: Ozu Yasujiro  (Read 31589 times)

Will

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Re: Ozu Yasujiro
« Reply #170 on: September 13, 2017, 05:54:42 PM »
I don't get the implication that finding it hard to distinguish Japanese actors from one another is racist immediately being followed by the exact same observation about predominantly white casts ? Neither is racist as much as a result from your environment. I have no trouble distinguishing the Chrises, because I live in a predominantly white society, and I do have trouble sometimes with Japanese or Chinese films because I don't know that many people of Asian descent.

The difference is that there are people who assert that Asian people all look the same and don't assert that of any other race. This is not an uncommon thing in modern society. It's absolutely racist and a natural assumption most people make when they hear the comment that a certain Asian demographic looks similar to each other.

Hence me giving the benefit of a doubt.


Will

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Re: Ozu Yasujiro
« Reply #171 on: September 13, 2017, 05:57:42 PM »
Also, I have no idea why anyone assumes I don't have problem telling white actors apart. I had no idea who any of the soldiers in Dunkirk were at any point in the movie because they all looked alike in a young guy with dark hair way. I still am not sure if one of the original pair we follow died or not. I thought the two actresses were actual twines the first time I watched Les Demoiselles de Rochefort. If people didn't vary wildly in hair colour and clothing style I would have trouble with any movie where I didn't already know the actors, and that includes movies filled with young, dark-haired Japanese girls who all wear kimonos.

 ::)

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Junior

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Re: Ozu Yasujiro
« Reply #172 on: September 13, 2017, 07:54:24 PM »
Seems like everybody's thoughts have been expressed well enough here.
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Re: Ozu Yasujiro
« Reply #173 on: April 23, 2019, 01:05:00 AM »
I Was Born, But… (1932)
★ ★ ★ – Okay
”Will they lead the same sorry lives we have?”

Ozu cares about moments and moments only.

What kind of Ozu is this? Shot selection, camera movements, cinema. It’s all fine for a short film about school children trying not to be bullied, but when Ozu focuses more on the parents he finds wonderful moments of humanity in the similarities between them. A sweet film until you see the sadness underneath. Really well handled.


Passing Fancy (1933)
★ ★ ½
The story shifts focus and I can’t figure out why. This one seems lacking in emotional crests as Ozu’s style starts to take shape in the frames while his characters discuss girl trouble, money trouble and a belief in getting married to solve these problems. 


Dragnet Girl (1933)
★ ★ ★ – Okay
The moments where the camera moves are some of the strongest evidence that Ozu is a master filmmaker, he just chooses later to abandon this. Towards the end there are three shots. The camera 1.Slides over a suitcase 2.Pulls back from a door 3. Slides over to the door, pushes in a little before pulling back as people enter the room. That last one will probably be my favorite shot in this marathon.

There isn’t enough story and I couldn’t find any of Ozu’s emotional punches, but the title character is very interesting, the opposite of the hard-edged women from 40 film noir.


A Story of Floating Weeds (1934)
★ ★ ½
I included this because I had seen the remake years ago and wanted to watch this close to a re-watch of that version. I like the story and the idea, but the acting here isn’t as compelling as the other silent Ozus. They’re less expressive when the lack of sound usually requires more. It could be Ozu’s style developing into a form that works better with sound. Loved the final scene.


The Only Son (1936)
★ ★ ★ – Good
In my first review I say I’m “not trying to be a bully with my point of view” though in trying to present my minority opinion, I do come off as a bit of one, (mixed with the naivete of someone who’s not getting it.) This first batch of Ozu has me looking for his signatures so I can enjoy them and not criticize them. There’s a sadness to the sacrifices parents do for children that’s hitting me pretty hard, and a portrait of people helping each other while they’re down that’s unusually optimistic.

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Re: Ozu Yasujiro
« Reply #174 on: May 02, 2019, 08:48:00 AM »
There Was a Father (1942)
★ ★ ★ – Okay
Entering the 2nd batch of films, I’m starting to see some familiar elements in terms of framing and emotional beats (including someone crying at the end, but not who you would expect and for non-usual reasons.) I’ve also latched onto something newly discovered with Ozu. He loves to have a character spring a life-changing decision on someone else. There isn’t a discussion about it even though it will emotionally wreck the person taken by surprise. This should get bonus credit for being made while Japan was deep in WWII.


Record of a Tenement Gentleman (1947)
★ ★ ★ – Okay
The mother from The Only Son plays her opposite as a cranky older woman forced into taking care of a stray boy. The contrast of these two performances is what I liked most, but it’s a nicely-told simple little tale. The shot of a person quietly crying with their hands covering their face is already an Ozu cliché. I felt it coming and it sapped the emotion when it happened. I’m trying to look at these fresh and think of it as a trademark shot, but it’s a thin line between the comfort of the familiar and an over-reliance on the same technique.


Late Spring (1949)
★ ★ ★ – Good
Ozu’s first version of the story I’ve felt he repeats too often, but I’m giving these an unprejudiced look and seeing this as the mold he will play around with and refine in all future versions. There’s a lot in the moment-to-moment where I wasn’t connecting to the characters, which I thought would be my biggest problem. (Satyajit Ray has a similar cultural distance, but his characters have a more universal appeal.)

However, I could point to about five moments where this film had me absolutely, starting with this image of Father and Daughter literally walking on a similar but different path right as they first start to do it figuratively as well. The father’s actions are for the benefit of his daughter and he must learn to let her hurt, which takes his focus off his own feelings. I knew the ending that was coming, but it’s more understated than I remember, which makes it tough to match or top in future versions.


Early Summer (1951)
★ ★
Looking through my lists on Ozu, this is the lowest rated. I figured when I first watched it, this is where the similarities to some of his other films started to grate on me, but watching it again it’s a story that’s perhaps too subtle for my uncultured mind to find what’s happening below the surface and why it would be interesting.

To my relief, I found Antares’ review which was my reaction exactly, “Everything that was touching, beautiful and memorable in Late Spring, is completely absent from this film.”


The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice (1952)
★ ★
I hope I’m not burning out on Ozu, but this took several attempts to get through. (Either that or I now prefer going to bed before 10pm.) The passive/aggressive actions by the married couple to sneak around have a sit-com quality to the writing that’s at odds with Ozu’s humanist, observational direction, and I didn’t find any of the lead actors compelling. Thinking of similar emotionally-repressed melodramas (from Japan, the US or England) I usually get that sense of strong feelings bubbling under the surface, but this spent a long time not drilling down, just existing. Snooze.
« Last Edit: May 15, 2019, 11:21:38 PM by 1SO »

MartinTeller

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Re: Ozu Yasujiro
« Reply #175 on: May 02, 2019, 09:44:59 AM »
The shot of a person quietly crying with their hands covering their face is already an Ozu cliché. I felt it coming and it sapped the emotion when it happened.

I find that "feeling it coming" usually intensifies an emotional moment. When I think of something like the ending of Wendy and Lucy, it wouldn't be nearly as devastating if it was some quick, out of nowhere surprise. It's the slow build, the anticipation, the gathering dread that makes it so powerful.

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Re: Ozu Yasujiro
« Reply #176 on: May 12, 2019, 08:33:57 PM »
Tokyo Story (1953)
★ ★ ★ – Good
A tough one to write about because it’s often regarded as Ozu’s finest. I wonder if that’s because its reputation makes it his most widely seen. I would think people who dig into Ozu would have a number of titles close to the top. The story isn’t typical of Ozu, though the style very much is. I miss the light-footed energy of Ozu’s earlier works. He’s honed his style down to its basics and it delivers some really good scenes, but there’s also a stiffening, and I hope he doesn’t continue to be so rigid and formal (something I wouldn’t have noticed without this marathon approach.)


Early Spring (1956)
★ ★ ½
From the title I assumed this would be another go at marrying the daughter, but this is a portrait of the working-class grind with a marital affair. For most of it, the central plot is well-worn. Added with Ozu’s mostly static camera it’s like a well composed and subtle TV Movie, little ventured and little gained. While the style never changes, there relationship dynamic takes a fresh approach with nobody keeping secrets. (The moment the young woman learns the man she’s falling for is married, she shows up at their house.) Ozu pads out the running time with side characters who drink and share their thoughts. Makes me think I’m not getting much of Ozu’s subtext, which would surprise nobody.


Tokyo Twilight (1957)
★ ★ ½
I only have six films to go and either “marrying the daughter” is something he kept making towards the end or I have this wrong. (It’s the similar titles that led me down the path.) Ozu is more like Douglas Sirk, working domestic stories in a similar style, a style which is actually the opposite of Sirk’s overheated passion. This is one of Ozu’s darkest stories, with a sister who can’t deal with being abandoned by the family’s mother, but the mellow and stately pace keep everything calm.

I’m reaching the point where I can appreciate Ozu’s approach, but I’m more certain he’s not a filmmaker for me. His films are longer now, most running over two hours, but it goes with the calming overall pace. The characters are well-written and acted, but I’m lacking that emotional attachment to them and their predicaments.


Equinox Flower (1958)
★ ★ ★ – Good
Right when I felt my interest fading, Ozu gives me a beautiful burst of color, a more upbeat tone and a story I could connect with in multiple ways. He looks to the next generation and their modern way of doing things, like getting married (Ozu’s favorite point of conflict between parents and children.) I liked the parents talking about wartime bringing families together, but I’m really impressed by Ozu giving his usual insight to the new young adults. The first of his later films I could see revisting to tie in some of the smaller, seemingly less meaningful detours. I only felt it petering out towards the very end.


Floating Weeds (1959)
★ ★ ★ – Good
My conflict with Ozu has never been more clear. With his distinct style working at its peak, this is easily a more accomplished version of his early silent film. The performances are without fault and the script finds his best balance yet of the various elements. The theater, broken families, young love and changing times all in one cohesive whole. This is an Ozu that would do very well in a moment-to-moment analysis, but is it the best way to tell this story? Hard to say when this never slips, but I wish there was more passion, more than just brief flashes of anger, sadness and melancholy. Ozu's tone is what makes the final bittersweet meal of the actors such a standout, but all this Ozu is making me miss provocation.
« Last Edit: May 15, 2019, 11:22:39 PM by 1SO »

Teproc

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Re: Ozu Yasujiro
« Reply #177 on: May 13, 2019, 01:34:26 AM »
I've only seen 3 Ozus (Tokyo Story, Tokyo Twilight and Floating Weeds) but this has been interesting to read, even though it looks like you're ending up more on less where you started.
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Re: Ozu Yasujiro
« Reply #178 on: May 13, 2019, 09:28:07 PM »
The big reveal where I have egg on my face is how much his stories are not similar. Not even the beats. It's also real easy to let go of the static way he films everything. I wouldn't call them uncinematic because there are definite decisions in regard to framing and composition, but I really liked the moving camera of his early films and often when there was the rare camera movement it would be one of the best shots of the film.

The only signature move that bugs me is the character crying into their hands. That and the titles that make it hard to remember one film from another - I've been planting little clues in my reviews - but like Martin said, Noir is just as guilty.

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Re: Ozu Yasujiro
« Reply #179 on: May 15, 2019, 11:20:35 PM »
Good Morning (1959)
★ ★
This one stands out as the oddball. While there’s the familiar theme of the wants of the new generation and the disconnect between parents and children that goes back to his silent films, the tone is so light and bouncy that the film evaporates on contact. Nice as a break between heartier meals, except for the children who are written to be pretty bratty.


Late Autumn (1960)
★ ★
This was an Early Summer experience and I wonder if I could revisit these films again in 10 years and have new favorites? Can’t put my finger on why some connect with me and some don’t, but this was one where I saw the themes, but never engaged with the characters. The best juxtaposition was watching the men drink and congratulate themselves when it seems they mostly bungled things up while it was the mother-daughter who went through the heavy drama and came out stronger for it. The final moment is set up like Late Spring, but the reaction is the exact opposite, letting the two endings strengthen each other in reflection.


The End of Summer (1961)
★ ★ ★ – Okay
The old man here is a favorite Ozu character of mine, with a passion that bursts out of the director's quiet calm. He's the center of what feels like every Ozu theme in one film, not just marrying the daughter(s) but secret loves, a past mistress who may have produced a kid and sudden tragedy. Being Ozu, this is all handled in a calm matter and for all the story threads running through the simplicity of the direction barely registers how packed it is.


An Autumn Afternoon (1962)
★ ★ ★ – Good
Ozu's last script was like a filmmaker getting one final turn, but this was his actual final film and the journey has been so personal, this almost acts as the director's own look back on the bittersweet moments of life. I admit a sense of nostalgia as I went one final time through the familiar faces and locations, the simple frames composed with small details. (I'm guessing there's an article somewhere about the way Ozu sets his tables during drinking and meal times.) Ozu is still not my cup of tea, but he provides a nice balance to all the noise I've been watching alongside these films.