Tokyo Story (1953) - First Reaction - EJE

Greetings my fellow meme-consumers, I have just seen Tokyo Story (1953), a film directed by Yasujiro Ozu, starring Setsuko Hara, Chishū Ryū, Sugimara Haruko, Chieko Higashiyama, So Yamamura, as well as many other Ozu regulars. My first introduction to Ozu was in my film class I am currently taking where we watched Ohayo (1959), which was a very delightful film as well as a discovery of a previously unknown director to myself. While Ohayo takes delight in childhood innocence and its frustrations, Tokyo Story looks at the pains of age and the tragedies therein. Unlike your King Lear or your Oedipus Rex, every main character in this film is the tragic figure, from the Mother and Father to their three children and their daughter-in-law. All actors give great performances filled with all of the intricacies we wish to see in a person on and off screen. While the personal standout for me (and I imagine other people) is Setsuko Hara, who gives Noriko such a pleasant yet not superficial portrayal that you understand (even if you do not agree) when Shukishi and Tomi say they feel pity for her, even the children all have their moments of anguish shown on the screen, and all feel genuine and touching that it almost feels unfair to let Ozu manipulate our emotions like this. Of course, a review of any Ozu film would be incomplete without discussing the style of his films. A refreshing break from typical Hollywood continuity editing, Ozu’s trademark 360 degree editing technique that does not beg for attention as most alternate forms of editing do, but simply adds a flare to each scene while not impairing its emotional content, simply showing every facet of it. The typical low camera height is also on display here of course and is perhaps the most quirky aspect of Ozu’s films and the aspect that justifies Wes Anderson’s inspiration from the man. Yet here it somehow throws away its typical charm for a much more poetic somber mood, as if the emotion of the film goes beyond the frame itself, rendering the low height as despondent and melancholy as its characters it shows. Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give the film is that it replaced the overwhelming joy I had throughout the day with an emotional deepness I can’t shake (at least until I see Isle of Dogs (2018) later today). There is not much else for me to say here without ruining your experience of the film. With that, I give it a strong A.