Tokyo Story (Tôkyô monogatari) (1953)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Reid V

  
  A beautiful film about the ever-changing nature of life and a people on the mend after the cataclysm of World War 2. This exploration of life's unpredictability and the consequent generational discord is treated solemnly, but with a warm sense of understanding that permeates the… More
  A beautiful film about the ever-changing nature of life and a people on the mend after the cataclysm of World War 2. This exploration of life's unpredictability and the consequent generational discord is treated solemnly, but with a warm sense of understanding that permeates the screen. The characters are often distraught by the hand they have been dealt, but they seem to have an odd grasp of it. Pain and joy often come hand in hand and Ozu magically captures this push and pull between happiness and sorrow flawlessly. He also succeeds in making these grand statements about change, death, selfishness, guilt, generational disputes, and life's disappointing continuity, without feeling too didactic. On top of these qualities, the way Ozu plays with space is something I have never seen before. Even in the most intimate of places, we can become disoriented. Although we often take the same steps over and over again, life is always a labyrinth of constant change. Like Kurosawa's Stray Dog, Ozu also focuses on the oppression of the heat. From the kids worrying about how to get rid of the parent's burdensome visit, to the Grandparent's trip to a spa meant for a younger generation, each character clutches a fan, attempting to comfort themselves from the uncomfortable atmosphere. It is just one of the many symbols of a people trying to do what they can to cope with such a tentative existence. I can see why this film has been raved about over the many decades since its initial release. It's message is timeless, but the approach feels so fresh. It is an outstanding film and one that should not be missed.

• Anthony L

  
  Only Ozu could make such an uplifting and heartwarming film and include the line 'Isn't life disappointing?' as it's conclusion (said with a smile though I might add). It's never condemning or preachy, it is what it is, a window into the past that should be… More
  Only Ozu could make such an uplifting and heartwarming film and include the line 'Isn't life disappointing?' as it's conclusion (said with a smile though I might add). It's never condemning or preachy, it is what it is, a window into the past that should be cherished.

• Keiko A

  
  I first watched Tokyo Story in a classroom some time ago and witnessed something curious. Is such a brilliantly devised movie though it takes more then 1 watch to fully get it the movie is no doubt one of the greatest in cinema. Tokyo Story takes a deep look at familial relations… More
  I first watched Tokyo Story in a classroom some time ago and witnessed something curious. Is such a brilliantly devised movie though it takes more then 1 watch to fully get it the movie is no doubt one of the greatest in cinema. Tokyo Story takes a deep look at familial relations in post-war Japan. Simply, two aging parents live far away from their children, who are in a quickly modernizing Tokyo. The children in Tokyo are quite selfish and focused on their own busy lives in the hustle-and-bustle of the city. The key character in this film, though, is Noriko, the widow of one of the parents' sons who died in the war. Elderly couple Shukishi and Tomi Hirayama live in the small coastal village of Onomichi, Japan with their youngest daughter, schoolteacher Kyoko Hirayama. Their other three surviving adult children, who they have not seen in quite some time, live either in Tokyo or Osaka. As such, Shukishi and Tomi make the unilateral decision to have an extended visit in Tokyo with their children, pediatrician Koichi Hirayama and beautician Shige Kaneko, and their respective families which includes two grandchildren. In transit, they make an unexpected stop in Osaka and stay with their other son, Keiso Hirayama. All there children each trying to figure out what to do with their parents while they continue on with their own daily lives. Ozu Yasujiro is considered to be one of the world's greatest filmmakers and Tokyo Story is considered his masterpiece. There is no reason to deny this. Ozu's camera is often viewer to feel like they are sitting right with the characters. His films are also often slowly paced and meditative, choosing to avoid showing important events which later are revealed through dialogue. Ozu's direction of children has always been brilliant, they are never a weak point in his films and he often bases his stories on child characters (though not here). Tokyo Story will not appeal to everybody, especially today. The typical moviegoer will either dismiss the film because it is "old" or "black and white," or find it boring. To the cautious and attentive viewers who allow themselves to connect with the characters and feel the story, Tokyo Story is a rewarding experience. Tokyo Story, along with Ozu's other films, is a good example of film as an art. Aimed at telling a story and depicting true life on camera, it is much less of the "entertainment" experience that people have come to expect from the movies today. This is one of the greatest films ever made. Keiko's score 100% ( I did this review in class after watching it sorry if there are lots of errors I didn't have time to correct it as I was handing it in).

• Randy T

  
  Not at all what I expected. Maybe that's because so many of my friends rated it five stars. Maybe because it's on so many lists of favorite films. I was fully prepared to be blown away by another <i>Seven Samurai</i> or <i>Raise the Red Lantern</i>… More
  Not at all what I expected. Maybe that's because so many of my friends rated it five stars. Maybe because it's on so many lists of favorite films. I was fully prepared to be blown away by another <i>Seven Samurai</i> or <i>Raise the Red Lantern</i> and this just isn't that kind of film. Is this a meaningful motion picture? Absolutely. It's a window into 1950's Japanese society when the social structure was rapidly evolving. The extended family dynamic of the rural populous was under siege by the new mindset of industrial, more urban communities. Grandparents, once thought of as valuable and honored members of the household, were now being viewed as burdens and financial liabilities. Ozu doesn't dramatize or expound on this cultural shift, he simply frames it. He shows you 'what is' with minimal inference. In this respect, <i>Tokyo Story</i> is a masterful bit of film making. Would I recommend this film to a fellow cinemaphile? Absolutely. Would I recommend this film to one of my non-Flixster friends? The casual movie-goers who think that the pinnacle of production is either <I>American Pie</i> or (gasp!) <i>Twilight</i>? Absolutely not.

• danny d

  
  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… More
  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?"

• First L

  
  Directed by legendary director Yasujiro Ozu, Tokyo Story is the story of an aging Japanese couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their children. On the surface, it's a film about the banalities of life, visiting family, trying to find things to entertain out-of-town guests with,… More
  Directed by legendary director Yasujiro Ozu, Tokyo Story is the story of an aging Japanese couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their children. On the surface, it's a film about the banalities of life, visiting family, trying to find things to entertain out-of-town guests with, etc., but in the end it goes much deeper. First the couple stay with their doctor son, his wife and their two bratty kids (there's a particularly touching scene when the grandmother takes the youngest grandson for a walk and wonders aloud if he'll grow up to be a doctor like his father). Then it's off to stay with the disinterested daughter at her beauty parlor. She sees her parents as a burden and pawns them off on the daughter-in-law. The daughter-in-law lives alone as her husband, their son, has died in the war, but it's she who shows them the most affection. Their two "real" children conspire to send them off to a spa, so that they'll be out of the way, but the spa is overrun with young people who play loud music and party all night, so they decide to split up and stay with separate relatives to be less of a burden. The grandmother goes back to the daughter-in-law and the grandfather looks up old friends and promptly gets drunk. He makes his way back to the beauty parlor much to the daughter's disappointment. The movie takes a surprising emotional turn at the end, just when you think it's taking you one way, it reveals its true path, the one it was on all along. The moment it unfold it's petals. On the surface, it's a movie about the eternal generation gap, and traditional Japanese values falling by the wayside, but it's really serving as a warning. Painful truthes might always be relevant.

• Jim H

  
  Technically and thematically the film is quite heartfelt, poignant, and moving, and it was especially relevant to the author of the satirical phrase "find a place to park the old people." However, the film is altogether too slow and the script is quite meandering with many… More
  Technically and thematically the film is quite heartfelt, poignant, and moving, and it was especially relevant to the author of the satirical phrase "find a place to park the old people." However, the film is altogether too slow and the script is quite meandering with many pointless lines.

• Saskia D

  
  The firtst Ozu movie for me, and I'm in :) It's a movie from 1953, but it's themes are very contemporary. I Thought it was very moving.

• Cindy I

  
  I heard so much good about this film on this site, I had to check it out. Good movie, but it didn't blow me away like it did some people. It was interesting to me how the parents were treated as such throwaway items. I thought that in Japan, elderly people were treated with more… More
  I heard so much good about this film on this site, I had to check it out. Good movie, but it didn't blow me away like it did some people. It was interesting to me how the parents were treated as such throwaway items. I thought that in Japan, elderly people were treated with more respect. I guess as they became more culturally Westernized and got busier, their attitudes on parents "being in the way" changed as well.

• Luke B

  
  A quiet masterpiece. Nice masterful film making at its most restrained. Nothing fancy, just a simple story beautifully told. Ozu is pure genius.

• Kalel J

  
  The forgotten past and the forging of the future, Tokyo Story is a film concerned with memory and our dismissive nature of the past, be it either efficiency and progress taking the place of culture and history or the generational gaps providing barriers between the youth and the… More
  The forgotten past and the forging of the future, Tokyo Story is a film concerned with memory and our dismissive nature of the past, be it either efficiency and progress taking the place of culture and history or the generational gaps providing barriers between the youth and the elders. The film is simple and focuses on relationship and emotion yet even in its small space there is still much that is being said. But these minimalist filming techniques often tend to make the film lag and postpone the delicate moments of teaching, bringing about long silences with little input.

• Lanning :

  
  <b><i>Tôkyô monogatari</i> </b> <p> So much has been said about this film that it's as if there's very little more to say. Modernization's impact on Japanese society, it's true, is a dominant theme here. The younger generation, here… More
  <b><i>Tôkyô monogatari</i> </b> <p> So much has been said about this film that it's as if there's very little more to say. Modernization's impact on Japanese society, it's true, is a dominant theme here. The younger generation, here the one that grows up instantly with the end of World War II and the atom bomb, is far different from the generation that reached maturity in the pre-war era. The nuclear family has been split apart, as it were, and you know, kids these days treat their parents, the generation that failed them, the generation that got them into the war and sent off the youngest, best, and brightest to die, the generation that planned and then lost the war, with little respect -- more as a nuisance to be tolerated or packed off out of mind. <p> All this is true, but the most important aspect of this film from my perspective is that the cliché of modernism does not affect everyone. As patriarch Chisu Ryu points out to daughter-in-law Setsuko Hara, she is not even a blood relative, yet she cares more about him and his wife than his own children. This is only partly true, however, as evidenced by his youngest daughter, Kyôko Kagawa's anger at her older siblings for their rudeness, their heartlessness, and their crass materialism. She is blood, and she does care. <p>So what does this mean? Is it merely that modernization has changed people, made children, for the most part, less caring and less respectful of their parents? Well, yes, on the whole, this is true, but it is the famous exchange between Hara and Kagawa, where Kagawa asks, "Isn't life disappointing?" and Hara, with a smile, confirms, "Yes it is" that hints at the real significance at the foundation of the story. <p> It's not in what era you were born, whether you are a blood relative, or whether you may or may not have been a good parent or a loving child. What signifies is that there are always people out there who will disappoint our expectations. And thankfully, there are sometimes those who confirm for us that good, kind, caring human beings do exist as well. This is the story of post-war Tokyo and of every generation in any time or place.

• Andreas B

  
  This is considered to be one of the best movies of all time, and we watched it in class, so I decided to try to be attentive to why it would be considered so. The film is extremely basic, and I mean that in every sense. The plot, the dialogue, the acting, and even the camera… More
  This is considered to be one of the best movies of all time, and we watched it in class, so I decided to try to be attentive to why it would be considered so. The film is extremely basic, and I mean that in every sense. The plot, the dialogue, the acting, and even the camera angles, which remained three feet from the ground and in a single position for 98% of the movie (there was one pan, I repeat, ONE PAN). The story, as I said, is basic. It's about an elderly couple that have traveled to spend time with their distant, adult children, who have carried on with their own lives with their work and families. The only person that seems to care about the couple are their ex-daughter in law. Their son died, and his now widowed wife, who isn't really part of the couple's family anymore, is the only one that shows any sign of compassion. SPOILER ALERT With the lack of respect that the elderly couple are getting, especially when the woman ran a fever, they decide to head back home, as they keep on trying to persuade each other that their children have treated them well. On the way back home, the woman gets ill again and the kids are telegraphed to come visit her. She ends up dying, and a funeral is held. Half of the kids end up leaving the next day for work, and the others leave shortly afterward. Again, the only one that showed a lot of compassion was the ex-daughter in law. The movie ends with the father giving the family traditional token, a pocket watch, to the daughter in law as he finally recognizes that she was the only one who truly cared. SPOILERS OVER It was a good movie, and I think I respected it more than I enjoyed it. It was so simple yet so intricate. The meaning was very obvious, but that's why it was so well done. The beginning half of the movie was boring at first, but once the climax happened, you felt as if you were one of the children as you ignored any of her warning signs and regarded life with them as normal and easily dismissed. You feel guilty, then angered by their nonchalant children. The simplicity is what drives it all home. I think this is a movie you can only truly appreciate once you watch it again and recognize more of why things happen the way they do. The minimal acting is actually a bit likeable, because it makes the point of how this could happen to anyone so much more realistic. The only two good actors, the elderly father and the daughter in law, are the only two that had to show any real emotion, so this worked perfectly. Again, this is a movie I appreciated more than I enjoyed. However, my appreciation for it is strong as it is one of the few examples of a simple movie not being mindlessly written. Final Rating: 9.5/10 Keep An Eye Out For:The lanterns. They play as a form of symbolism. Can you figure it out?

• Curt C

  
  Critically acclaimed story of a Japanese family who don't have the time nor patience to deal with their parents. A powerful film which is completely believable, packed with sadness and heartache. "Methodical" would be an understatement. Hope you're ready to have… More
  Critically acclaimed story of a Japanese family who don't have the time nor patience to deal with their parents. A powerful film which is completely believable, packed with sadness and heartache. "Methodical" would be an understatement. Hope you're ready to have your soul crushed.

• Lauren D

  
  What a piece of crap. The cinematography was absolutely disgusting. It's quite possibly the ugliest movie I've ever seen. None of the characters were interesting or sympathetic, they just sat around with retarded looks on their faces. And there was no emotion or atmosphere… More
  What a piece of crap. The cinematography was absolutely disgusting. It's quite possibly the ugliest movie I've ever seen. None of the characters were interesting or sympathetic, they just sat around with retarded looks on their faces. And there was no emotion or atmosphere in the entire movie.

• Stefan P

  
  I see "Tokyo story" as a form of social criticism, and there's no doubt that this critique is as relevant today as it was fifty years ago. In fact, it's probably even more important today. When I say that I think the movie was boring, I'm probably hurt by the… More
  I see "Tokyo story" as a form of social criticism, and there's no doubt that this critique is as relevant today as it was fifty years ago. In fact, it's probably even more important today. When I say that I think the movie was boring, I'm probably hurt by the latest decade of coloured, detailed and fast-paced movies, but it would be worse to lie and say that I enjoyed the experience.

• Patrick D

  
  Although this film takes it's time, it sucks you in and leaves you heartbroken. This is a great argument for allowing directors to have their way. The film would not be the same or nearly as good if Ozu wasn't allowed the freedom he was. I also can't get enough of… More
  Although this film takes it's time, it sucks you in and leaves you heartbroken. This is a great argument for allowing directors to have their way. The film would not be the same or nearly as good if Ozu wasn't allowed the freedom he was. I also can't get enough of Setsuko Hara, who I saw first in Late Spring. This will sound we're but her strange sheepishness is kind of enchanting, and she really plays sadness though smiles well.

• Tom S

  
  A touching eulogy to days past and still passing.

• Wu C

  
  Easy to see why this is considered one of the best films of all time. Shot from mostly a waistline perspective to have a fly on the wall POV. This film touches on how children and parent become indifferent over time. Timeless classic.

Read all 19 featured audience ratings