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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Yasujiro Ozu

22:36 / 13.08.02

I've heard his name mentioned in film text books but whats really got me interested in his work is his quote about all his films being about 'nothing'. Recommendations please.

Knodge - YOUR nemesis!

22:57 / 13.08.02

Tokyo Story is his most critically acclaimed work. Recently voted #5 on the British Film Institute's 'Sight and Sound Critics Top Ten Poll 2002'.

Took this quote from an Amazon.com review of Tokyo Story:
"Described by critics as Japan's most "Japanese" director, Ozu's style by this time had become firmly established: the entire film is shot from an unmoving camera 36 inches from the floor (the point of view of an observer kneeling on a tatami mat), edited in a subtly off-center manner and paced at a placid tempo. Ozu's graceful style, understated direction, and rich evocation of character creates an elegantly realized world of dignity in the face of disappointment and loss."

22:58 / 13.08.02

I love Good Morning. I've done a not too lengthy write-up here. It's really a wonderful, quiet film though I certainly wouldn't say it can be characterized as "about nothing". Tokyo Twilight, Tokyo Story and The Record Of A Tenement Gentleman are all excellent as well. He follows the pattern of a classic Japanese filmmaker with technique so highly refined as to be invisible. His stuff is slow and deliberate, with a very subtle humor. His color work is occasionally amazing, as seen in parts of Good Morning. That film is the only one I know of that's available on DVD, and nost of his stuff can be hard to find. Criterion has released Good Morning in the states so while it's a import elsewhere, at least it's region-free. (I'm pretty sure - check that first if you have an inclination to buy.) Best source for his films is a university film archive, which may show them on occasion. I saw some of the above at the Harvard Film Archive years ago.

19:03 / 18.04.04

Ozu's staging bothers me, and I don't find his films at all interesting, visually or plot wise. Tokyo Story had some decent themes, but it was rather overplayed, and is a film that gets a lift from being old and foreign. If someone today made a film about adult children who don't need their parents anymore, no matter how well it was made, it wouldn't be getting a top five all time vote from critics, and Tokyo Story in no way deserves that position.

But that's just my opinion.

16:30 / 22.04.04

Thinking of delving into his work, as I've been enjoying a decent amount of Japanese cinema and want to see more. Any more recommendations?

There's also an article on him in an Oct 2003 ish of Artforum if anyone's curious for more background. Apparently, he was in a New York Film Festival retrospective recently.