The 1,000 Greatest Films of All Time: No. 4

4. Tokyo Story

 

1953, Japan D: Yasujiro Ozu

Many film-lovers in the West are not that well-acquainted with the works of Yasujiro Ozo, but in his native Japan, he is considered one of their greatest directors, on the same plane with his more-famous countryman, Akira Kurosawa. But the approaches of these two masters to the world of cinema could not be more different. Ozo might be seen as more quintessentially Japanese, in a formal sense. While Kurosawa’s camera broadly sweeps across both sets and landscapes with daring grace, Ozu carefully constructs his cinematic world with stationary formal shots, usually from a lower, floor-sitting level, and uses the natural interiors and exteriors to carefully frame his characters in a calm, orderly manner that almost seems meditational. While some Western viewers, more accustomed to Hollywood action, might feel that little happens in an Ozu film, the sheer, unflinching formalism of his brilliant craftsman’s style serves as a magnifying glass through which the patient, attentive viewer can see through to the very souls of the people on the screen. And more importantly, his camera is often a gateway or a mirror, directed back into the very depths of their own selves.

Tokyo Story is one this master’s greatest works, and one that through the decades, continues to grow both in the estimation of critics and in the hearts and minds of audiences, all the world over. This leisurely journey of an elderly small-town couple traveling to Tokyo to visit their grown children, this movie with such seemingly little significant dialogue, speaks volumes about the very nature of family, love, change, space and time. All told, it is one of the profoundest meditations every created for the screen about the very essence of life itself.

When Sukichi and Tomi Hirayama (Chishu Ryu, Chieko Higashiyama) arrive in Tokyo, they find that their son and daughter, both married, with their own jobs and children, have little time or inclination to visit with them or to show them around the big city. Although polite to the older folks, it soon becomes clear that their presence is actually more of a nuisance than a joyous reunion. This situation becomes highlighted as their daughter-in-law Noriko (played by the beautiful Japanese star Setsuko Hara), who was married to another son who was killed in the war, is genuinely delighted to see them and treats them with great affection.

Disappointed with their children, the old couple decide to return home early. However, Tomi gets ill on the train ride back, and dies soon after they return home. All the children must return to their home town for the funeral. Ozu and his actors keep everything perfectly balanced and low-keyed. Everyone behaves formally very well, though feelings of regret and bitterness subtly begin to surface.

During the film’s climactic scene, the couple’s youngest daughter, Kyoko (Kyoko Kagawa) releases her anger to Noriko at the behavior of her older siblings. Noriko breaks down in tears and tells her younger sister-in-law that even she (Noriko) is no better or worse herself, that she will probably remarry, move on and forget, as the essence of life is change and disappointment.

Tokyo Story is a film of sheer brilliance - everything rings true to life and nothing is overplayed. Yet the reality of the situation is so universal that it easily moves one to tears. As Roger Ebert said, it is one film that makes you want to be a better person.