director 02: ozu films

a profound and beautifully told story that lives up to the hype and challenges even the most well meaning children on issues of honoring their parents. the story is stirring, especially as it picks up steam from its slow start. the actors capture their characters hearts well, and the film brings back visions of the life checking thoughts brought on by ikiru. this film begs the question, "how shall we then live?"

ozu's next to last film is strikingly similar in theme and tone to his masterpiece tokyo story, and its almost as beautiful. the film is definitely classic ozu, with its slow but effective pacing, simple storyline, astounding cinematography, and emphasis on the family and the portrayal of real life in japanese culture. this film, like tokyo story, confronts the difficult topic of death head on, and like tokyo story reveals the compassionate side of family life as well as the burdensome one. the dialogue was effective and the film stirring from the start. ozu was the master at making films without tricks and gimicks, and the realism cant be denied.

probably the most morally sensitive film of ozu's brilliant career. there might not be a single betrayal as tragic as one spouse cheating on another, and ozu explores this betrayal with depth, clarity, and insight. while difficult to watch the film is exceptionally profound, and although it carries usual ozu themes like gossip and marriage, he explores these common themes so differently in each film that they never get old. the film is strikingly similar to the sam mendes film "revolutionary road", although this film is even more epic and the theme of marital strife is even more fleshed out. i wasnt sure id like the film because of the topic but it was stirring to watch. a beautiful film.

truly a beautiful film. the film is so simple that the same material in the hands of most any other director might have seemed pointless, dull, and without direction. in the hands of ozu it was profound, engaging, and more true to life than most other films ever made. this is ozu's gift, no bells and whistles, no fancy effects or rediculous melodrama, just real life on film that almost anyone can relate to. this was ozu's most criticised film upon its release because of the difficult themes of depression, suicide, and abortion, but the people are so genuine that i couldnt help but feel effected. some of the regular ozu cast members return and ryu specifically is becoming one of my favorites. a great film.

although this film is a reworking of ozu's 1949 film "early spring", it also bears some striking similarities to equinox flower in terms of theme, actors, and set designs which were identical in some cases. the film started slow and i was unsure how it would turn out, by the end it had become an epic romantic drama that drew some strong emotion. unlike ozu's usual approach which focuses specifically on family strife, this film is about families but deals more with romance. the film also fuses comedy into the drama to a far greater degree than the typical ozu film causing me to laugh out loud on more than one occasion. a beautiful film.

a rare remake of a film directed by the same auter of the original, ozu retells his silent 1934 classic with the use of sound, dialogue, and color cinematography. suprisingly the only reason this film is even slightly better than the original is ozu's ability to flesh out the story more with 30 extra minutes and talking actors, but the original silent is so amazing that both films should be seen as top notch films. this version is more light hearted than the original but still dark in its own ways, and the telling of this father/son story is beautiful and effective. a truly wonderful film.

ive always believed that striking images and effective facial expressions from actors was far more important in silent films than the story, but ozu brings us this silent classic where he uses effective performers, creates some of the most beutiful images ive ever seen in any film silent or not, and tells a near perfect story to bring the best of all worlds together so that we get one of the best silent pictures ever made. nearly as good as ozu's remake 25 years later, this story is authentic but passionate and convicting. easily one of the darkest films of ozu's career, the film is also beautiful to consider despite the folly and depravity of some of its characters. a must see.

what a hilarious film. unlike any film ozu ever made. although this film does focus on his usual themes of family, multiple generations and the evil that is associated with gossip, the film is different in that it is an all out comedy, and one of the funniest films i have ever seen. the comedy brought in by the gossiping neighbors is classic, but the two main kids really steal the film. the film effectively blends potty humor with intelligent and witty dialogue, and even as an american the japanese humor was effective enough to not be lost due to cultural confusions. great comedy.

ozu's first color film not only brought an insurgence of popping colors and lights into his art direction, but it brought a new wave of thinking as well. ozu's work up until this point had been more focused on traditional japanese family values and the younger generations responsibility to their elders. in this film we see a shift in ozu's thinking where he engages in the more emerging and progressive cultural leanings of allowing more freedom and respect to younger people. although many people grow harder as they get older including some of the characters in this film, ozu himself softens and portrays the family in ways he hadnt done until now. in the same way ozu had resisted color in film until this movie, and then he used color vibrantly to the fullest of its potential. the film itself started far too slow, but it picked up and ended well and deserves an added measure of respect because of what it meant for ozu's career. a great film.

ozu's final film is a great and fitting end to one of the great careers in film history. as with so many of his films he hits on family and many of his regular collaborators are featured in this film. because the film begins so similar to so many of ozu's films and because he reuses sets that he used in other films like "good morning" and "equinox flower" i expected to find this film to be maybe too similar to many of ozu's other works. this would have been fine because as ive said before even when ozu copies himself he's the only director i know that makes it beautiful each time, but i was actually pleasantly suprised that the film takes turns ive never really seen ozu take. a great film to close out an epic career.