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.