Yasujiro Ozu
Yasujiro Ozu
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7. Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family (1941)
After taking a three year hiatus from filmmaking, Yasujiro Ozu returned in 1941 with his film "Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family." The film centers on the Toda extended family. After their patriarch father passes away at age 69, the widowed mother slowly begins to realize that her children are selfish and don't wish to take care of her any longer, as she is viewed as nothing but a burden to them. The film, like all of Ozu's films, packs an emotional punch that most viewers can come away from connecting to their own domestic life and family.
6. A Hen in the Wind (1948)
Often described as Yasujiro Ozu's darkest film, 1948's "A Hen in the Wind" borrows themes and ideas from the works of Ozu's contemporary, Kenji Mizoguchi. The film centers on a wife awaiting the return of her husband from war. The only problem is that she must confess to him that she prostituted herself in order to obtain money to care for their sick child. What follows is an uncomfortable watch of shame, guilt, and blame as the couple can't seem to reconcile the hard truths. The film details the compromising positions women in Japan are forced into, as well as the coming to terms with the traumatic realities brought about by the war.
5. Record of a Tenement Gentleman (1947)
Yasujiro Ozu's first film after the devastation of World War II and the U.S.'s bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, 1947's "Record of a Tenement Gentleman," chronicles an old widow's newfound relationship with a young orphan boy. Despite being contemptuous at first, the woman's heart softens by the film's conclusion. The films themes deal with community, selflessness, and unity. At the time of the film's release in 1947, these themes seemed imminently important to a Japan that was now economically abandoned, culturally disparate, and a national temperament that was at an all time low. It is a heartwarming film by Ozu, who takes his typical family dynamics and injects them into a story of total strangers.
4. There Was a Father (1942)
In typical Yasujiro Ozu fashion, his 1942 film "There Was a Father" is a slow, contemplative family drama that packs an emotional gut-punch by the end. Centering on a widowed father and son, the film demonstrates themes of parental love and sacrifice. As the film continues attempting to do what's best for his son's future, the more they are separated. It's a heart wrenching experience, although the film can arguably be described as Ozu's most patriotic film, as the Japanese censors felt that the themes of sacrifice for duty were a great utility during the ongoing global crisis at the time. "There Was a Father" remains a staple of Ozu's filmography, regardless.
3. The Only Son (1936)
In his first ever sound production, 1936's "The Only Son," Yasujiro Ozu continued to hone in his signature style of filmmaking. Despite being the first sound film he ever made, it was not too different from his previous silent efforts. It is still a relatively quiet film that manages to sneak up on you and provides an emotional gut-punch. The film centers on a rural widowed mother who works hard to provide for her only son. After sending him off to middle school in Tokyo, his promise to become a successful man ends up falling short when she discovers him to be a night school teacher 13 years later. Ozu brilliantly paints the picture of the emotional struggle between a parent's compromise for their child's success and the guilt the child feels from not having lived up to their expectations. "The Only Son" is able to take such complex emotional dynamics and boil them down to a bare, succinct simplicity.
2. A Story of Floating Weeds (1934)
In one of the last silent films he would ever make, Yasujiro Ozu crafted a tangled web of family secrets, class consciousness, and tragic heartbreak with his 1934 film "A Story of Floating Weeds." All of the characters in the film are adrift and attempting very desperately to connect with each other. However, honor, class, and other societal factors get in the way of this unity. Ozu, as he always does, instills his film with humanity, soul, and grace. "A Story of Floating Weeds" will leave you both full of love and heartbroken at the same time.
1. I Was Born, But... (1932)
Yasujiro Ozu is well know amongst film historians as a master director in post-war Japanese cinema. However, his career spans well before that. In the early 1930s when most of the globe was transitioning to sound, Japan was still in a silent era of cinema. Ozu's 1932 film "I Was Born, But..." is one of the most notable works of Japanese silent cinema. Telling the story of two young boys who learn that their father isn't as important as they thought he was, this coming-of-age film is simple, yet packs a punch. The existential realization that life doesn't always work out the way you dream is something everyone can relate to.
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