As you go through the whole filmography of directors such as Yasujiro Ozu, you start to notice a certain pattern, not only in terms of the visual style but also considering elements of the story. The concept of marriage is, most of the time, when collisions and arguments start to erupt within the family unit, signifying the chasm within Japanese post-war society and some underlying issues in a conformist culture which, to this day, have not been fully resolved. In “Tokyo Twilight”, possibly one of his bleakest features stylistically and narratively, Ozu again shows the family as a mirror of society, its contradictions, regrets and guilt, posing the question of where the culture is headed and whether freedom and independence will bring the solution people wish for.
Tokyo Twilight is screening at Japan Society as part of the Family Portrait program
Shukichi Sugiyama (Chishu Ryu) is a respected employee in a Tokyo bank.
Tokyo Twilight is screening at Japan Society as part of the Family Portrait program
Shukichi Sugiyama (Chishu Ryu) is a respected employee in a Tokyo bank.
- 2/20/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
An elderly couple visit their grownup children in this stunning work of art from 1953, now re-released for its 70th anniversary
The exquisite sadness of Yasujiro Ozu’s 1953 film, now re-released for its 70th anniversary, does not get any more bearable or less overwhelming with time. With each repeated viewing, the film of tears obscuring my own view of its star Setsuko Hara appears earlier and earlier, making her heartbreakingly decent, courageous smile shimmer and wobble. Ozu’s distinctive and stylised idiom, with low shooting angles and direct sightlines into camera, creates something mesmerically formal to match the drama’s emotional restraint, which is more devastating when the dam is breached. When Hara’s smile finally drops, it is like a gunshot.
Chieko Higashiyama and Ozu’s repertory stalwart Chishu Ryu play the elderly Tomi and Shukichi, who live in the quiet town of Onomichi; they are gentle country mice, almost childlike in the calm,...
The exquisite sadness of Yasujiro Ozu’s 1953 film, now re-released for its 70th anniversary, does not get any more bearable or less overwhelming with time. With each repeated viewing, the film of tears obscuring my own view of its star Setsuko Hara appears earlier and earlier, making her heartbreakingly decent, courageous smile shimmer and wobble. Ozu’s distinctive and stylised idiom, with low shooting angles and direct sightlines into camera, creates something mesmerically formal to match the drama’s emotional restraint, which is more devastating when the dam is breached. When Hara’s smile finally drops, it is like a gunshot.
Chieko Higashiyama and Ozu’s repertory stalwart Chishu Ryu play the elderly Tomi and Shukichi, who live in the quiet town of Onomichi; they are gentle country mice, almost childlike in the calm,...
- 8/31/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The Criterion Channel’s July lineup is an across-the-board display of strengths, ranging as it does from very specific programming cues to actor retrospectives and hardly ignoring the strength of Criterion Editions. Surely much fun’s to be had with “In the Ring,” a decade-spanning, 16-film curation of boxing pictures—Raging Bull and Fat City, of course, with some you forget are boxing movies (Rocco and His Brothers) and others you’ve likely never seen at all (count me excited for King Vidor’s The Champ). “Noir in Color” brilliantly upends common conception of a drama (and gives you excuse to see Nicholas Ray’s Party Girl); Setsuko Hara films are gathered into a handy collection; and Blake Edwards gets six.
On the Criterion Editions front they’ve gone all out: the Before trilogy, Alex Cox’s Walker, Leave Her to Heaven, Shaft, Destry Rides Again, Raging Bull, Hedwig and the Angry Inch,...
On the Criterion Editions front they’ve gone all out: the Before trilogy, Alex Cox’s Walker, Leave Her to Heaven, Shaft, Destry Rides Again, Raging Bull, Hedwig and the Angry Inch,...
- 6/21/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
“I am a person rarely impressed by actors… but in the case of Mifune I was completely overwhelmed. The ordinary Japanese actor might need ten feet of film to get across an impression. Toshirō Mifune needed only three feet,” said Akira Kurosawa.
One of the greatest talents in cinema history, Toshirō Mifune left behind a staggering body of work amassing over 150 starring roles. Born on April 1, 1920, a retrospective was planned for 2020 timed to his centennial and now, after a delay due to the pandemic, it will kick off next week at NYC’s Film Forum. Featuring 35mm rarities and rediscoveries imported from the libraries of The Japan Foundation and The National Film Archive of Japan, the series will run for a whopping four weeks, from February 11 through March 10, and feature 33 films.
Ahead of the retrospective, we’re pleased to exclusively debut the trailer, edited by John Zhao, highlighting what is...
One of the greatest talents in cinema history, Toshirō Mifune left behind a staggering body of work amassing over 150 starring roles. Born on April 1, 1920, a retrospective was planned for 2020 timed to his centennial and now, after a delay due to the pandemic, it will kick off next week at NYC’s Film Forum. Featuring 35mm rarities and rediscoveries imported from the libraries of The Japan Foundation and The National Film Archive of Japan, the series will run for a whopping four weeks, from February 11 through March 10, and feature 33 films.
Ahead of the retrospective, we’re pleased to exclusively debut the trailer, edited by John Zhao, highlighting what is...
- 2/4/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Today, Zhang Ziyi is well known as a superb actress, in and out of China. Amongst other achievements, she has won 12 different Best Actress awards to become the most awarded Chinese actress for a single film, “The Grandmaster”. However, even a highly acclaimed performer had to begin somewhere, and what could be a better way than a film directed by Zhang Yimou, one known to debut wonderful performers. Her very first film is “The Road Home”, Zhang’s last film released in the 20th century.
The movie begins in a black-and-white setting in contemporary China. Luo Yusheng, prompted by the death of his father, returns to his village to check on her grieving mother. Upon reaching the city, he is visited by two village men, one of them being the mayor. They tell him of his mother’s strange request: that his father’s coffin should be...
The movie begins in a black-and-white setting in contemporary China. Luo Yusheng, prompted by the death of his father, returns to his village to check on her grieving mother. Upon reaching the city, he is visited by two village men, one of them being the mayor. They tell him of his mother’s strange request: that his father’s coffin should be...
- 2/16/2021
- by Raktim Nandi
- AsianMoviePulse
by Tom Wilmot
Sandwiched between the acclaimed masterpieces “Late Spring” and “Tokyo Story”, “Early Summer” is the middle entry in Yasujiro Ozu’s unofficial Noriko trilogy. Released in 1951, the film marked the second collaboration between the Japanese director and actress Setsuko Hara, who would go on to work with the filmmaker four more times. A cheerful addition to Ozu’s post-war filmography, the film is nevertheless tinged with the melancholy that one would come to expect from the master director.
Noriko Mamiya (Setsuko Hara) lives with her parents, brother, sister-in-law and troublesome nephews in her family’s Tokyo home. We follow each family member as they go about their daily lives, working, parenting, and socialising. Noriko cares for her parents and meets with friends, who mostly squabble amongst themselves over matters regarding marriage. While indifferent to the idea at first, Noriko soon finds herself staring down an arranged engagement,...
Sandwiched between the acclaimed masterpieces “Late Spring” and “Tokyo Story”, “Early Summer” is the middle entry in Yasujiro Ozu’s unofficial Noriko trilogy. Released in 1951, the film marked the second collaboration between the Japanese director and actress Setsuko Hara, who would go on to work with the filmmaker four more times. A cheerful addition to Ozu’s post-war filmography, the film is nevertheless tinged with the melancholy that one would come to expect from the master director.
Noriko Mamiya (Setsuko Hara) lives with her parents, brother, sister-in-law and troublesome nephews in her family’s Tokyo home. We follow each family member as they go about their daily lives, working, parenting, and socialising. Noriko cares for her parents and meets with friends, who mostly squabble amongst themselves over matters regarding marriage. While indifferent to the idea at first, Noriko soon finds herself staring down an arranged engagement,...
- 12/30/2020
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars and filmmakers and not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between.
This is the final selection from our listener-selected series we started earlier this year. Not to play favorites, but this is one of our favorite episodes about a favorite subject: Mr. Toshiro Mifune!
Conor and I are honored to be joined by Moeko Fujii, a NYC-based writer who provided this amazing essay for The Criterion Channel’s “Mifune At 100” Series. Together, we discuss five lesser-known Mifune pictures: Wedding Ring (1950), Hell In The Pacific (1968), Red Sun (1971), The Challenge (1982), and Shadow Of The Wolf (1992).
We dig into Mifune’s start, what makes Mifune one of (if not the) greatest to ever do it, his complicated relationship with legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, and that part of that one...
This is the final selection from our listener-selected series we started earlier this year. Not to play favorites, but this is one of our favorite episodes about a favorite subject: Mr. Toshiro Mifune!
Conor and I are honored to be joined by Moeko Fujii, a NYC-based writer who provided this amazing essay for The Criterion Channel’s “Mifune At 100” Series. Together, we discuss five lesser-known Mifune pictures: Wedding Ring (1950), Hell In The Pacific (1968), Red Sun (1971), The Challenge (1982), and Shadow Of The Wolf (1992).
We dig into Mifune’s start, what makes Mifune one of (if not the) greatest to ever do it, his complicated relationship with legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, and that part of that one...
- 8/28/2020
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
by Cláudio Alves
100 years ago in 1920, Setsuko Hara was born in the city of Yokohama, Japan. Thanks to the powers of nepotism and the influence of her brother-in-law, she got a job at the Nikkatsu Studios at the age of 15. In the next few years, she rose to prominence. By the 1940s, Hara became somewhat of a symbol of new Japanese womanhood. Curiously enough, that's not how she's best remembered today, in part thanks to her most famous directors being ones that cast her in roles typifying the conservative values of a traditional Japan. Despite multiple collaborations with such legendary filmmakers as the master of melodrama Mikio Naruse and Japan's superstar director Akira Kurosawa, it's her work in the films of Yasujiro Ozu that now most define her legacy…...
100 years ago in 1920, Setsuko Hara was born in the city of Yokohama, Japan. Thanks to the powers of nepotism and the influence of her brother-in-law, she got a job at the Nikkatsu Studios at the age of 15. In the next few years, she rose to prominence. By the 1940s, Hara became somewhat of a symbol of new Japanese womanhood. Curiously enough, that's not how she's best remembered today, in part thanks to her most famous directors being ones that cast her in roles typifying the conservative values of a traditional Japan. Despite multiple collaborations with such legendary filmmakers as the master of melodrama Mikio Naruse and Japan's superstar director Akira Kurosawa, it's her work in the films of Yasujiro Ozu that now most define her legacy…...
- 6/18/2020
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
When we think of an Ozu film, there is a couple of themes and motifs that immediately spring to our mind. Family conflicts and tensions between parents and their children are inherently woven into most of the narratives from the Japanese director. They are usually accompanied by a trademark set of feelings, especially those of resentment, melancholy, neglect, but also of nervous hope. “Late Autumn” was yet another film fitting precisely within these aforementioned categories.
The film opens with a sequence in a temple – characters gathered there to commemorate the passing of their friend, Miwa. Fast forward a couple of hours, and Miwa’s daughter Ayako (Yôko Tsukasa) proclaims during a celebratory dinner that she is looking for a husband. Three men sitting opposite to her are friends of the deceased. Mamiya (Shin Taburi), Taguchi (Nobuo Nagamura) and Hirayama (Ryuji Kita) quickly volunteer to help her with finding the right match.
The film opens with a sequence in a temple – characters gathered there to commemorate the passing of their friend, Miwa. Fast forward a couple of hours, and Miwa’s daughter Ayako (Yôko Tsukasa) proclaims during a celebratory dinner that she is looking for a husband. Three men sitting opposite to her are friends of the deceased. Mamiya (Shin Taburi), Taguchi (Nobuo Nagamura) and Hirayama (Ryuji Kita) quickly volunteer to help her with finding the right match.
- 1/5/2020
- by Olek Młyński
- AsianMoviePulse
I learned to talk Ozu in the baths. Chin-deep in hot spring, lips pruning, my mother and my grandmother would wait for women to walk just out of earshot. Then, they offered their verdicts: Setsuko Hara forehead. Those Kinuyo Tanaka cheeks. Wrists made for slipping out wallets, like hers, oh you know, that actress so good with showing appetite—Haruko, yes, Haruko Sugimura. I should specify that we talked Ozu women—he gave us so many shades—because there really was only one Ozu man: Chishu Ryu, the poet of sighs. That’s not quite true, of course. There are wagons of men in the four decades of his films. But in the waters of Hakone and Atami, my mother and her mother weren’t quite interested in dissecting man or brotherhood. Disrobed, we wanted to get to the heart of things, to the kinds of truths, and un-truths, mothers pass on to daughters.
- 11/5/2019
- MUBI
Jia Zhangke’s new feature Ash Is Purest White, opening in the Us this Friday, March 15, marks the Chinese director’s ninth collaboration with actress Zhao Tao. It’s now been twenty years since the pair first began working together, on Jia’s landmark feature Platform (2000); in the interim they’ve forged what is arguably the most fruitful artistic partnership in contemporary cinema. When I wrote the following article for Fireflies #3 in early 2016, Jia’s most recent feature Mountains May Depart (2015) seemed like a culmination of his and Zhao’s work up to that point—and it was. But now we have Ash Is Purest White, which takes the years-spanning premise of its predecessor even further, and, because of the film’s meta-textual relationship to Jia’s own corpus, feels like a truly summative work. Ash Is Purest White is indeed a grand tour through the pair’s filmography, following Zhao’s resilient heroine Qiao,...
- 3/13/2019
- MUBI
New to Streaming: ‘Dawson City: Frozen Time,’ ‘Marjorie Prime,’ ‘Lady Macbeth,’ ‘Landline,’ and More
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Abundant Acreage Available (Angus MacLachlan)
Faith-based cinema is as diverse a genre as there is, from the extreme, often violent portraits of devotion from established directors like Martin Scorsese and Mel Gibson, to the attacks on logic in the God’s Not Dead and Left Behind pictures. Angus MacLachlan, a great storyteller of the not-too-deep south, offers a nuanced example of what this genre can bring, returning with the moving Abundant Acreage Available.
Abundant Acreage Available (Angus MacLachlan)
Faith-based cinema is as diverse a genre as there is, from the extreme, often violent portraits of devotion from established directors like Martin Scorsese and Mel Gibson, to the attacks on logic in the God’s Not Dead and Left Behind pictures. Angus MacLachlan, a great storyteller of the not-too-deep south, offers a nuanced example of what this genre can bring, returning with the moving Abundant Acreage Available.
- 10/6/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The Wandering Soap OperaThis year at the Locarno Festival I am looking for specific images, moments, techniques, qualities or scenes from films across the 70th edition's selection that grabbed me and have lingered past and beyond the next movie seen, whose characters, story and images have already begun to overwrite those that came just before.***The camera’s brief tracking movements in Jacques Tourneur's Appointment in Honduras (1953). This filmmaker, to whom Locarno is devoting an extensive retrospective, is not a formalist like some of his more acclaimed contemporaries like John Ford, Otto Preminger, or Hitchcock, whose overt and idiosyncratic use of the camera makes far more obvious each director’s perspective on their stories. But that doesn't mean Tourneur didn't have formal flourishes, and none are so lyrically charged as the subtle and surprising times in his films when there’s a cut and suddenly the camera is floating...
- 8/12/2017
- MUBI
http://criterioncast.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/60-Late-Ozu-Part-3.mp3
This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this final episode of a three-part series (and perhaps the podcast itself), David and Trevor are joined by Matt Gasteier to discuss two films (Late Autumn and The End of Summer) from Eclipse Series 3: Late Ozu.
About the films:
Master filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu directed fifty-three feature films over the course of his long career. Yet it was in the final decade of his life, his “old master” phase, that he entered his artistic prime. Centered more than ever on the modern sensibilities of the younger generation, these delicate family dramas are marked by an exquisite formal elegance and emotional sensitivity about birth and death, love and marriage, and...
This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this final episode of a three-part series (and perhaps the podcast itself), David and Trevor are joined by Matt Gasteier to discuss two films (Late Autumn and The End of Summer) from Eclipse Series 3: Late Ozu.
About the films:
Master filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu directed fifty-three feature films over the course of his long career. Yet it was in the final decade of his life, his “old master” phase, that he entered his artistic prime. Centered more than ever on the modern sensibilities of the younger generation, these delicate family dramas are marked by an exquisite formal elegance and emotional sensitivity about birth and death, love and marriage, and...
- 7/30/2017
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
A few years ago we explored the filmography of one of our most under-appreciated directors, Matías Piñeiro, and now he’s back for what looks to be his most substantial release yet. Hermia & Helena, which I named the number one film to see this month, follows a young Argentine theater director who arrives to New York to work on a new Shakespeare production. Ahead of a release next week, Kino Lorber has now released the first trailer.
We said in our review, “For beginning with a dedication to Setsuko Hara, recently departed muse of Ozu and Naruse, Hermia & Helena — the new film by Viola and The Princess of France director Matías Piñeiro — perhaps aligns us to be especially attuned to the Argentinian auteur’s use of female collaborators. One to already emphasize the charisma and big-screen friendly faces of frequent stars Agustina Munoz and Maria Villar, he still seems to...
We said in our review, “For beginning with a dedication to Setsuko Hara, recently departed muse of Ozu and Naruse, Hermia & Helena — the new film by Viola and The Princess of France director Matías Piñeiro — perhaps aligns us to be especially attuned to the Argentinian auteur’s use of female collaborators. One to already emphasize the charisma and big-screen friendly faces of frequent stars Agustina Munoz and Maria Villar, he still seems to...
- 5/17/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The summer movie season is upon us, which means a seemingly endless pile-up of superheroes, reboots, and sequels will crowd the multiplexes. While a select few show some promise, we’ve set out to highlight a vast range of titles — 40 in total — that will arrive over the next four months, many of which we’ve already given our stamp of approval.
There’s bound to be more late-summer announcements in the coming months, and a number of titles will arrive on VOD day-and-date, so follow us on Twitter for the latest updates. In the meantime, see our top 40 picks for what to watch this summer below, in chronological order, and let us know what you’re looking forward to most in the comments.
Berlin Syndrome (Cate Shortland; May 5)
While the recent 10 Cloverfield Lane and Room told stories of captivity with various hooks — science-fiction and the process of healing, respectively — Cate Shortland...
There’s bound to be more late-summer announcements in the coming months, and a number of titles will arrive on VOD day-and-date, so follow us on Twitter for the latest updates. In the meantime, see our top 40 picks for what to watch this summer below, in chronological order, and let us know what you’re looking forward to most in the comments.
Berlin Syndrome (Cate Shortland; May 5)
While the recent 10 Cloverfield Lane and Room told stories of captivity with various hooks — science-fiction and the process of healing, respectively — Cate Shortland...
- 4/18/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
It was always only a matter of time until modern Hollywood resigned itself to remaking anime. Which isn’t to suggest that the uniquely Japanese medium is somehow unworthy of being used as fodder for Western blockbusters — on the contrary, anime has provided some of the most progressive, adventurous, and visionary filmmaking of the last 30 years — but rather to acknowledge the palpable whiff of inevitability with which Paramount is releasing “Ghost in the Shell.”
It’s not like studio executives are obsessive fans of the franchise, it’s not like former Paramount CEO Brad Grey bought every new DVD of “Stand Alone Complex” as it was released in the United States and can walk you through every detail of the Laughing Man case, it’s not like the people in power were just patiently waiting for the entertainment climate to warm up to the idea of a star-studded Major Kusanagi...
It’s not like studio executives are obsessive fans of the franchise, it’s not like former Paramount CEO Brad Grey bought every new DVD of “Stand Alone Complex” as it was released in the United States and can walk you through every detail of the Laughing Man case, it’s not like the people in power were just patiently waiting for the entertainment climate to warm up to the idea of a star-studded Major Kusanagi...
- 3/31/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Mark, Aaron and Matt Gasteier explore the filmmaking world of Yasujirō Ozu, centering on his pivotal masterpiece Late Spring (1949). It would be impossible to explore all of his dozens of his films in one episode, so we give an overview of his work, his style, and his contributions towards international cinema.
3:00 – Ozu Introduction
15:00 – Ozu biography & style
29:00 – Setsuko Hara
39:00 – Late Spring
Criterion Current – Ozu and Setsuko Hara David Bordwell – Ozu Book Criterion Collected Episode Credits Mark Hurne: Twitter | Letterboxd Aaron West: Twitter | Blog | Letterboxd Matt Gasteier: Twitter | Letterboxd Criterion Close-Up: Facebook | Twitter | Email
Next time on the podcast: French Series, Part Three...
3:00 – Ozu Introduction
15:00 – Ozu biography & style
29:00 – Setsuko Hara
39:00 – Late Spring
Criterion Current – Ozu and Setsuko Hara David Bordwell – Ozu Book Criterion Collected Episode Credits Mark Hurne: Twitter | Letterboxd Aaron West: Twitter | Blog | Letterboxd Matt Gasteier: Twitter | Letterboxd Criterion Close-Up: Facebook | Twitter | Email
Next time on the podcast: French Series, Part Three...
- 3/21/2017
- by Aaron West
- CriterionCast
While Venice, Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, and Toronto premiere some of the year’s best films, no annual cinematic event boasts finer curation than the New York Film Festival, which kicks off this weekend. Those attending will witness, over two weeks, some of the best features that this year — and next — have to offer.
When it comes to a preview of what to see, a simple copy-and-pasting of the line-up would suffice, but we’ve done our best to narrow it down to 25 selections that are the most worth your time. This doesn’t even include shorts from Bertrand Bonello, Jia Zhangke, and more, as well as comprehensive Retrospective and Revivals sections that include restored films from Robert Bresson, Jean-Pierre Melville, Edward Yang, Marlon Brando, and more — but it should serve as a basic primer for what to seek out.
Check out our favorites below, and look for our complete coverage over the next few weeks.
When it comes to a preview of what to see, a simple copy-and-pasting of the line-up would suffice, but we’ve done our best to narrow it down to 25 selections that are the most worth your time. This doesn’t even include shorts from Bertrand Bonello, Jia Zhangke, and more, as well as comprehensive Retrospective and Revivals sections that include restored films from Robert Bresson, Jean-Pierre Melville, Edward Yang, Marlon Brando, and more — but it should serve as a basic primer for what to seek out.
Check out our favorites below, and look for our complete coverage over the next few weeks.
- 9/28/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
For beginning with a dedication to Setsuko Hara, recently departed muse of Ozu and Naruse, Hermia & Helena — the new film by Viola and The Princess of France director Matías Piñeiro — perhaps aligns us to be especially attuned to the Argentinian auteur’s use of female collaborators. One to already emphasize the charisma and big-screen friendly faces of frequent stars Agustina Munoz and Maria Villar, he still seems to have an ability to make them points of representation, not fetish.
Having, in real life, recently relocated to New York from his home Buenos Aires, Piñeiro can obviously be interpreted as having made some form of autobiography. His avatar in this case, Camilla (Munoz), is in New York on an artistic residency after her friend, Carmen (Villar), did the same, only to slightly disappointing results due to the loneliness and lack of personal change she saw in the city.
The film is...
Having, in real life, recently relocated to New York from his home Buenos Aires, Piñeiro can obviously be interpreted as having made some form of autobiography. His avatar in this case, Camilla (Munoz), is in New York on an artistic residency after her friend, Carmen (Villar), did the same, only to slightly disappointing results due to the loneliness and lack of personal change she saw in the city.
The film is...
- 8/8/2016
- by Ethan Vestby
- The Film Stage
The Asian Cinema 100 list was released last year at the Biff (Busan International Film Festival), which marked its 20th anniversary with a poll of prominent Asian filmmakers and international critics of Asian film, who were all asked for their top ten of all time.
Japan accounted for 26 films on the list, followed by Iran (19) and Korea (15).
The oldest film chosen was Yasujiro Ozu’s I Was Born, But (1932), ranked 48th of all time. And the top animated film to make the cut was Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away (2001), joint 18th.
The top 5 Japanese films are listed below in rank order.
1. Tokyo Story (1953), #1
Routinely hailed as one of the greatest films ever made. Tokyo Story is Yasujiro Ozu‘s restrained masterpiece of an ordinary family life, chronicling human behavior in ordinary situations.
It opens with the putt-putt sound of a boat and the wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys of...
Japan accounted for 26 films on the list, followed by Iran (19) and Korea (15).
The oldest film chosen was Yasujiro Ozu’s I Was Born, But (1932), ranked 48th of all time. And the top animated film to make the cut was Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away (2001), joint 18th.
The top 5 Japanese films are listed below in rank order.
1. Tokyo Story (1953), #1
Routinely hailed as one of the greatest films ever made. Tokyo Story is Yasujiro Ozu‘s restrained masterpiece of an ordinary family life, chronicling human behavior in ordinary situations.
It opens with the putt-putt sound of a boat and the wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys of...
- 4/25/2016
- by Lady Jane
- AsianMoviePulse
Rushes collects news, articles, images, videos and more for a weekly roundup of essential items from the world of film.NEWSVoyage of TimeWell, the Academy Awards, of course! Here's the list of winners. Who made us smile most for his win of the golden statue? Ennio Morricone and his gracious speech for his ace score to The Hateful Eight. Biggest gaff beyond the central controversy? Setsuko Hara, Manoel de Oliveira, and Jacques Rivette not included in the "In Memoriam."And yet another filmmaker has left us this year. The New York Times reports that Syrian director Nabil Maleh has died at the age of 79.With Terrence Malick's dividing film Knight of Cups about to be released in cinemas in the Us this week, images have come in (including one above) of the filmmaker's mysterious documentary we keep hearing about, Voyage of Time.In New York, the big news this...
- 3/2/2016
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Six newly-restored films from Germany, Japan, Taiwan and the Us.
The Berlinale Classics strand at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 11-21) is to include premieres of six films: two German and four international productions, five of them world premieres.
Us film The Road Back directed by James Whale in 1937, references a slice of German history. It is based on the eponymous Erich Maria Remarque novel about four German infantrymen who face a difficult road back to civilian life.
In 1939, after protests from Germany, Universal Studios re-edited the film without consulting the director. The festival is showing a reconstruction of Whale’s original 1937 theatrical release version, preserved by the Library of Congress in collaboration with NBCUniversal and Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation. David Stenn and the UCLA Film & Television Archive provided skills and film footage.
Heiner Carow’s semi-autobiographical film The Russians are Coming (Die Russen kommen, Gdr, 1968) is set in...
The Berlinale Classics strand at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 11-21) is to include premieres of six films: two German and four international productions, five of them world premieres.
Us film The Road Back directed by James Whale in 1937, references a slice of German history. It is based on the eponymous Erich Maria Remarque novel about four German infantrymen who face a difficult road back to civilian life.
In 1939, after protests from Germany, Universal Studios re-edited the film without consulting the director. The festival is showing a reconstruction of Whale’s original 1937 theatrical release version, preserved by the Library of Congress in collaboration with NBCUniversal and Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation. David Stenn and the UCLA Film & Television Archive provided skills and film footage.
Heiner Carow’s semi-autobiographical film The Russians are Coming (Die Russen kommen, Gdr, 1968) is set in...
- 1/14/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Rushes collects news, articles, images, videos and more for a weekly roundup of essential items from the world of film.NEWSFinally! New to the Criterion Collection is Edward Yang's A Brighter Summer's Day, one of the most important yet hard-to-see films of the 1990s. Also included in the recent announcement were Jacques Rivette's Paris Belongs to Us and Les Blank's A Poem Is a Naked Person.There's a new Kickstarter for "first publication on the films of Ola Balogun, the pioneer of Nigerian cinema, analysing/discovering his magical cinema."FESTIVALSThe Berlin International Film Festival Poster: The Golden Bear on the prowl! Meanwhile, more films for the Berlinale have been announced, as well as the theme—"Traversing the Phantasm"—for the essential Forum Expanded section.The 2016 Locarno Film Festival isn't until next August but we're already tantalized for their newly revealed retrospective, "Beloved and Rejected," dedicated to post-WW2 German...
- 12/23/2015
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Rushes collects news, articles, images, videos and more for a weekly roundup of essential items from the world of film.Setsuko Hara, 1920 - 2015The great Japanese actress of Yasujiro Ozu's Late Spring and Mikio Naruse's Repast passed away in September but the news has only recently been released. An indelible screen presence whose absence from movies has been felt every year since 1966.My MotherTop 10s: Cahiers du Cinéma + Sight & SoundFor us it's still too early to make judgement—we've hardly caught up with all of 2015's great cinema!—but the esteemed magazines of Cahiers du Cinéma and Sight & Sound have made their selections for the best of the year:Cahiers du Cinéma1. My Mother (Nanni Moretti)2. Cemetery of Splendour (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)3. In the Shadow of Women (Philippe Garrel)4. The Smell of Us (Larry Clark)5. Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller)6. Jauja (Lisandor Alonso)7. Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson)8. Arabian Nights...
- 12/2/2015
- by Notebook
- MUBI
I once lived with a woman for two years because her face and her energy reminded me of Setsuko Hara. There was the promise of beautiful dignity. The potential of sensual morality. And then of course the Setsuko illusion shattered when the woman threw a plate at my head. I’m not alone in falling for the great Japanese actress who passed recently at 95. There aren’t many movie stars that one wants for a wife and to grow old with. For instance, no one sees By The Sea, and says, “Geez, I gotta go find me an Angelina to propose […]...
- 11/27/2015
- by Noah Buschel
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
I once lived with a woman for two years because her face and her energy reminded me of Setsuko Hara. There was the promise of beautiful dignity. The potential of sensual morality. And then of course the Setsuko illusion shattered when the woman threw a plate at my head. I’m not alone in falling for the great Japanese actress who passed recently at 95. There aren’t many movie stars that one wants for a wife and to grow old with. For instance, no one sees By The Sea, and says, “Geez, I gotta go find me an Angelina to propose […]...
- 11/27/2015
- by Noah Buschel
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Setsuko Hara, a Japanese actress best known for her work in the films of Yasujiro Ozu, died of pneumonia on September 5, her family revealed to the press today. She was 95. Perhaps best known for playing a widow who befriends the parents of her late husband in Tokyo Story, Ozu's 1953 masterwork, Hara also appeared in several other iconic postwar films before retiring from public life at the age of 42.Born Masae Aida in Yokohama in 1920, Hara made her screen debut at 15 in Don't Hesitate, Young Folks (1935), and later starred in the German-Japanese propaganda film The Daughter of the Samurai in 1937. After World War II, Hara worked with Akira Kurosawa, in No Regrets for Our Youth (1946) and Hakuchi (1951) (the director's adaptation of Dostoevsky's The Idiot), and Kozaburo Yoshimura, in A Ball at the Anjo House (1947). In 1949, she appeared in her first Ozu film, Late Spring, which marked the beginning of an artistic...
- 11/26/2015
- by Jackson McHenry
- Vulture
Japanese screen legend Setsuko Hara, most famous for her role in Yasujiro Ozu's classic Tokyo Story, died of pneumonia on Sept. 5. She was 95. The actress, born Masae Aida in Yokohama, had been a virtual recluse since her retirement in 1962, and news of her death only reached the public when her family made the announcement, as Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported Wednesday. Hara appeared in films by Tadashi Imai and Akira Kurosawa, but it was her roles in six Ozu productions that she is most remembered for. Among these, her most well-known and highly regarded performance was her
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- 11/25/2015
- by Gavin J. Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Muse of Yasujuro Ozu who rose to fame in the 1930s and 40s was a key face of Japan’s postwar cinematic revival
Setsuko Hara, the Japanese actor renowned for her on-screen collaborations with the celebrated golden-age director Yasujiro Ozu, has died. According to Japanese news media, Hara died on 5 September aged 95 after being hospitalised with pneumonia.
Related: The heart-wrenching performance of Setsuko Hara, Ozu's quiet muse | Peter Bradshaw
Continue reading...
Setsuko Hara, the Japanese actor renowned for her on-screen collaborations with the celebrated golden-age director Yasujiro Ozu, has died. According to Japanese news media, Hara died on 5 September aged 95 after being hospitalised with pneumonia.
Related: The heart-wrenching performance of Setsuko Hara, Ozu's quiet muse | Peter Bradshaw
Continue reading...
- 11/25/2015
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Having been born in 1920, it’s hardly any shock that Setsuko Hara has passed away; and having entirely disappeared from the public spotlight by 1963, it isn’t so odd that only today, November 25, do we learn of a death that occurred on September 5. But the actress, as iconic as any that Japanese cinema has ever given us, radiated such grace, warmth, and kindness through several masterpieces of the post-war era that many a cinephile, yours truly included, take the news with a heavy heart.
If there’s any consolation — other than the knowledge that she died sans media attention, as was very likely wished — it’s that several films showcasing her brilliance can be streamed online. (Assuming you have a Hulu subscription, that is.) The collection of directors represented here, who were pulled towards and made her a regular collaborator, speaks volumes: Yasujiro Ozu, Akira Kurosawa, and Mikio Naruse. There...
If there’s any consolation — other than the knowledge that she died sans media attention, as was very likely wished — it’s that several films showcasing her brilliance can be streamed online. (Assuming you have a Hulu subscription, that is.) The collection of directors represented here, who were pulled towards and made her a regular collaborator, speaks volumes: Yasujiro Ozu, Akira Kurosawa, and Mikio Naruse. There...
- 11/25/2015
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
One of Japan’s most popular actors of the postwar years, admired for her performances in the films of Yasujiro Ozu, including Tokyo Story
Anyone familiar with the films of Yasujiro Ozu will have been entranced by Setsuko Hara, who has died aged 95. Although Ozu’s mature films seem to resemble each other stylistically and thematically – even the titles are confusingly similar – they are, within their chosen parameters, rich in humour, emotion and psychological and social insights, all of which are reflected in Hara’s deceptively similar portrayals.
In each of the six films she made for Ozu, Hara is single, and her relationship with her family is predicated on their desire for her to get married. She is self-effacing but wilful, traditional but with the qualities of an intelligent, modern woman, close to her family but independent in spirit.
Continue reading...
Anyone familiar with the films of Yasujiro Ozu will have been entranced by Setsuko Hara, who has died aged 95. Although Ozu’s mature films seem to resemble each other stylistically and thematically – even the titles are confusingly similar – they are, within their chosen parameters, rich in humour, emotion and psychological and social insights, all of which are reflected in Hara’s deceptively similar portrayals.
In each of the six films she made for Ozu, Hara is single, and her relationship with her family is predicated on their desire for her to get married. She is self-effacing but wilful, traditional but with the qualities of an intelligent, modern woman, close to her family but independent in spirit.
Continue reading...
- 11/25/2015
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
"Legendary actress Setsuko Hara, who starred in the Yasujiro Ozu movie Tokyo Story, died of pneumonia on Sept. 5 at a hospital in Kanagawa Prefecture, her family said Wednesday," reports the Nikkei Asian Review. "She was 95." Nick Pinkerton in the Voice in 2011: "Born Masae Aida, Hara was the very image of ravishing fortitude; the actress met the head-on gaze of Ozu’s camera with her headlamp eyes in six films, made four with Mikio Naruse, and played against type in the bad-girl Anastassya role in Akira Kurosawa’s 1951 The Idiot." We're collecting remembrances and tributes. » - David Hudson...
- 11/25/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
"Legendary actress Setsuko Hara, who starred in the Yasujiro Ozu movie Tokyo Story, died of pneumonia on Sept. 5 at a hospital in Kanagawa Prefecture, her family said Wednesday," reports the Nikkei Asian Review. "She was 95." Nick Pinkerton in the Voice in 2011: "Born Masae Aida, Hara was the very image of ravishing fortitude; the actress met the head-on gaze of Ozu’s camera with her headlamp eyes in six films, made four with Mikio Naruse, and played against type in the bad-girl Anastassya role in Akira Kurosawa’s 1951 The Idiot." We're collecting remembrances and tributes. » - David Hudson...
- 11/25/2015
- Keyframe
Rushes collects news, articles, images, videos and more for a weekly roundup of essential items from the world of film.The biggest news of the week for us is the online release of new films by two Notebook contributors: Gina Telaroli's Here's to the Future! and Kurt Walker's Hit 2 Pass, two fundamentally undefinable and wildly adventurous movies made and released independently. (The two filmmakers discussed their independence in a conversation published on the Notebook.) Both films will be be available to stream through November 22, 2015, and all proceeds they make on the release will go towards their future film projects.The full trailer for Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight has been released, above, and it looks like the man generally derided (unfairly, we must add) as a kind of adolescent film nerd has made a film that looks akin to Alain Resnais' late films—and we couldn't be happier.
- 11/11/2015
- by Notebook
- MUBI
The new issue of Film Comment features opposing takes on László Nemes's Son of Saul, an interview with Todd Haynes and reviews of Omer Fast’s Remainder, Guy Maddin’s Bring Me the Head of Tim Horton, Fellipe Barbosa's Casa Grande, Rick Alverson's Entertainment, Frederick Wiseman’s In Jackson Heights, Tom McCarthy's Spotlight, Andrew Haigh's 45 Years, Nicholas Hytner's The Lady in the Van, John Crowley's Brooklyn, Deniz Gamze Ergüven's Mustang and Jay Roach's Trumbo, plus: Alex Cox on L.M. “Kit” Carson and Lawrence Schiller’s The Last Movie and Matías Piñeiro on Setsuko Hara in No Regrets for Our Youth. Also in today's roundup: David Bordwell on Wes Anderson and Cristina Álvarez López and Adrian Martin on Chantal Akerman. » - David Hudson...
- 11/6/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
The new issue of Film Comment features opposing takes on László Nemes's Son of Saul, an interview with Todd Haynes and reviews of Omer Fast’s Remainder, Guy Maddin’s Bring Me the Head of Tim Horton, Fellipe Barbosa's Casa Grande, Rick Alverson's Entertainment, Frederick Wiseman’s In Jackson Heights, Tom McCarthy's Spotlight, Andrew Haigh's 45 Years, Nicholas Hytner's The Lady in the Van, John Crowley's Brooklyn, Deniz Gamze Ergüven's Mustang and Jay Roach's Trumbo, plus: Alex Cox on L.M. “Kit” Carson and Lawrence Schiller’s The Last Movie and Matías Piñeiro on Setsuko Hara in No Regrets for Our Youth. Also in today's roundup: David Bordwell on Wes Anderson and Cristina Álvarez López and Adrian Martin on Chantal Akerman. » - David Hudson...
- 11/6/2015
- Keyframe
Jonathan Rosenbaum's posted the introduction to his 2004 book, Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons as well as his list of 1,000 Favorites. Also in today's roundup of news and views: The new Film Quarterly features a dossier on Richard Linklater, Cahiers du Cinéma on Martin Scorsese in the 80s, Peter Cowie's memories of François Truffaut, Chris Cagle on Michael Glawogger's Workingman's Death, Jake Cole on Eric Rohmer's The Marquise of O, J. Hoberman on Jean Renoir’s A Day in the Country and Billy Wilder's Kiss Me, Stupid, Artforum and the New York Times on Shirley Yamaguchi and Setsuko Hara—and more. » - David Hudson...
- 3/21/2015
- Keyframe
Jonathan Rosenbaum's posted the introduction to his 2004 book, Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons as well as his list of 1,000 Favorites. Also in today's roundup of news and views: The new Film Quarterly features a dossier on Richard Linklater, Cahiers du Cinéma on Martin Scorsese in the 80s, Peter Cowie's memories of François Truffaut, Chris Cagle on Michael Glawogger's Workingman's Death, Jake Cole on Eric Rohmer's The Marquise of O, J. Hoberman on Jean Renoir’s A Day in the Country and Billy Wilder's Kiss Me, Stupid, Artforum and the New York Times on Shirley Yamaguchi and Setsuko Hara—and more. » - David Hudson...
- 3/21/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
Jonathan Rosenbaum's posted the introduction to his 2004 book, Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons as well as his list of 1,000 Favorites. Also in today's roundup of news and views: The new Film Quarterly features a dossier on Richard Linklater, Cahiers du Cinéma on Martin Scorsese in the 80s, Peter Cowie's memories of François Truffaut, Chris Cagle on Michael Glawogger's Workingman's Death, Jake Cole on Eric Rohmer's The Marquise of O, J. Hoberman on Jean Renoir’s A Day in the Country and Billy Wilder's Kiss Me, Stupid, Artforum and the New York Times on Shirley Yamaguchi and Setsuko Hara—and more. » - David Hudson...
- 3/21/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
Jonathan Rosenbaum's posted the introduction to his 2004 book, Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons as well as his list of 1,000 Favorites. Also in today's roundup of news and views: The new Film Quarterly features a dossier on Richard Linklater, Cahiers du Cinéma on Martin Scorsese in the 80s, Peter Cowie's memories of François Truffaut, Chris Cagle on Michael Glawogger's Workingman's Death, Jake Cole on Eric Rohmer's The Marquise of O, J. Hoberman on Jean Renoir’s A Day in the Country and Billy Wilder's Kiss Me, Stupid, Artforum and the New York Times on Shirley Yamaguchi and Setsuko Hara—and more. » - David Hudson...
- 3/21/2015
- Keyframe
Setsuko Hara is one of the most recognizable Japanese actresses of all time. She's more commonly known to Western audiences as Yasujirô Ozu's muse; a muse so loyal that she allegedly quit acting after he passed away in 1963, becoming recluse even up to today (yes she's still alive). Which is unfortunate because three decades of her onscreen is not enough. Her more famous films, Tokyo Story and Late Spring, barely scratch the surface of her talent. But for now, with nine of her films streaming here, you have to time get acquainted, or reacquainted with her body work. Here are three reasons, as if you need them, to watch Setsuko Hara at her finest.>> - Alece Oxendine...
- 2/3/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
Setsuko Hara is one of the most recognizable Japanese actresses of all time. She's more commonly known to Western audiences as Yasujirô Ozu's muse; a muse so loyal that she allegedly quit acting after he passed away in 1963, becoming recluse even up to today (yes she's still alive). Which is unfortunate because three decades of her onscreen is not enough. Her more famous films, Tokyo Story and Late Spring, barely scratch the surface of her talent. But for now, with nine of her films streaming here, you have to time get acquainted, or reacquainted with her body work. Here are three reasons, as if you need them, to watch Setsuko Hara at her finest.>> - Alece Oxendine...
- 2/3/2015
- Keyframe
40. Don’t Look Now (1973)
Directed by: Nicholas Roeg
A few films that could be defined as horror appear on this list, mostly because the best ones veer further into a psychological discussion on dealing with fear, death, and loss. Based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier, “Don’t Look Now” is a landmark of British-Italian cinema, thanks to its wonderfully developed characters and realistic depiction of grief. John and Laura Baxter (Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie) travel to Venice, still reeling after the accidental drowning of their daughter Christine. While there, Laura meets a psychic who claims that Christine is still trying to contact them, which she shares with John, who is skeptical. Slowly, John begins to experience supernatural moments and mysterious sightings, some of which appear to be a young girl in a red coat, similar to the one Christine was wearing when she died. While the...
Directed by: Nicholas Roeg
A few films that could be defined as horror appear on this list, mostly because the best ones veer further into a psychological discussion on dealing with fear, death, and loss. Based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier, “Don’t Look Now” is a landmark of British-Italian cinema, thanks to its wonderfully developed characters and realistic depiction of grief. John and Laura Baxter (Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie) travel to Venice, still reeling after the accidental drowning of their daughter Christine. While there, Laura meets a psychic who claims that Christine is still trying to contact them, which she shares with John, who is skeptical. Slowly, John begins to experience supernatural moments and mysterious sightings, some of which appear to be a young girl in a red coat, similar to the one Christine was wearing when she died. While the...
- 12/2/2014
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
Tokyo Story
Written by Yasujiro Ozu and Kogo Noda
Directed by Yasujiro Ozu
Japan, 1953
December 12 marks 110 years since the birth of the great Japanese master Yasujiro Ozu (and 50 years to the date since his death). So what better way to commemorate the occasion than to revisit what is widely seen as his masterpiece among masterpieces, Tokyo Story, out now on a 3-disc dual format Blu-ray/DVD from The Criterion Collection? There have been few filmmakers treated as well by Criterion as Ozu, with more than a dozen titles available either as standalone discs or as part of a set. This latest edition of Tokyo Story, an update on their DVD release from 2003, is no exception.
The film looks spectacular in its new digital restoration, the sharpness making even more clear the attention to detail Ozu devoted to his compositions; sides, foregrounds, and backgrounds are all layered with authentic texture and...
Written by Yasujiro Ozu and Kogo Noda
Directed by Yasujiro Ozu
Japan, 1953
December 12 marks 110 years since the birth of the great Japanese master Yasujiro Ozu (and 50 years to the date since his death). So what better way to commemorate the occasion than to revisit what is widely seen as his masterpiece among masterpieces, Tokyo Story, out now on a 3-disc dual format Blu-ray/DVD from The Criterion Collection? There have been few filmmakers treated as well by Criterion as Ozu, with more than a dozen titles available either as standalone discs or as part of a set. This latest edition of Tokyo Story, an update on their DVD release from 2003, is no exception.
The film looks spectacular in its new digital restoration, the sharpness making even more clear the attention to detail Ozu devoted to his compositions; sides, foregrounds, and backgrounds are all layered with authentic texture and...
- 11/29/2013
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
It’s not surprising that filmmakers led the way in the reappraisal of Ozu’s beloved “Tokyo Story,” which recently ranked #3 on the Sight & Sound poll of all-time best films and was remastered for a Criterion Blu-ray/DVD combo pack release now in stores. Ozu’s film is such a perfect blend of realism and conscious filmmaking. What I men is that it clearly strives to be about relatable, believable human behavior and yet one can also so clearly see the techniques which Ozu uses (or lack thereof given his never-moving camera) to achieve such realism.
It is both incredibly human and cinematic at the same time. And that perfect balance of the real and the auteur has helped make it timeless. The Criterion edition, as you’d suspect, is glorious, complete with a perfect transfer and informative, insightful special features. It would be a crime if anyone else were...
It is both incredibly human and cinematic at the same time. And that perfect balance of the real and the auteur has helped make it timeless. The Criterion edition, as you’d suspect, is glorious, complete with a perfect transfer and informative, insightful special features. It would be a crime if anyone else were...
- 11/23/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Yasujirô Ozu’s Tokyo Story from 1953, now available in a superbly packaged Blu-ray edition from Criterion, is a film that subtly captures the dynamics of family life in ways that feel stunningly real. There are moments here of such immediacy and personal truth that it seems impossible for Tokyo Story to be a relic of a bygone age and culture. Yet, due to Ozu’s masterful – one could say otherworldly – powers of observation, this sixty year old glimpse into the everyday lives of the Hirayama family presents the human condition with a universality that still rings true in 2013.
Tokyo Story is the final installment of what film scholars call The Noriko Trilogy; three films Ozu made shortly after WWII that feature a female character named Noriko, played by the charismatic Setsuko Hara. However, the films are not narratively continuous and, in fact, Noriko is a different woman, with different circumstances and conflicts,...
Tokyo Story is the final installment of what film scholars call The Noriko Trilogy; three films Ozu made shortly after WWII that feature a female character named Noriko, played by the charismatic Setsuko Hara. However, the films are not narratively continuous and, in fact, Noriko is a different woman, with different circumstances and conflicts,...
- 11/19/2013
- by David Anderson
- IONCINEMA.com
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Nov. 19, 2013
Price: Blu-ray/DVD Combo $39.95
Studio: Criterion
A profoundly stirring evocation of elemental humanity and universal heartbreak, the 1953 classic drama Tokyo Story is the crowning achievement of the unparalleled Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu (Late Spring).
The film, which follows an aging couple as they leave their rural village to visit their two married children in bustling postwar Tokyo, surveys the rich and complex world of family life with the director’s customary delicacy and incisive perspective on social mores.
Featuring lovely performances from Ozu regulars Chishu Ryu (There Was a Father) and Setsuko Hara (Late Autumn), Tokyo Story plumbs and deepens the director’s recurring themes of generational conflict, creating one of the great works of the international cinema.
Presented in Japanese with English subtitles, the Criterion Blu-ray and DVD of the movie contain the following features:
• New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on...
Price: Blu-ray/DVD Combo $39.95
Studio: Criterion
A profoundly stirring evocation of elemental humanity and universal heartbreak, the 1953 classic drama Tokyo Story is the crowning achievement of the unparalleled Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu (Late Spring).
The film, which follows an aging couple as they leave their rural village to visit their two married children in bustling postwar Tokyo, surveys the rich and complex world of family life with the director’s customary delicacy and incisive perspective on social mores.
Featuring lovely performances from Ozu regulars Chishu Ryu (There Was a Father) and Setsuko Hara (Late Autumn), Tokyo Story plumbs and deepens the director’s recurring themes of generational conflict, creating one of the great works of the international cinema.
Presented in Japanese with English subtitles, the Criterion Blu-ray and DVD of the movie contain the following features:
• New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on...
- 9/4/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Riffing on Terek Puckett’s terrific list of director/actor collaborations, I wanted to look at some of those equally impressive leading ladies who served as muses for their directors. I strived to look for collaborations that may not have been as obviously canonical, but whose effects on cinema were no less compelling. Categorizing a film’s lead is potentially tricky, but one of the criteria I always use is Anthony Hopkins’s performance in Silence of the Lambs, a film in which he is considered a lead but appears only briefly; his character is an integral part of the story.
The criteria for this article is as follows: The director & actor team must have worked together at least 3 times with the actor in a major role in each feature film, resulting in a minimum of 2 must-see films.
One of the primary trends for the frequency of collaboration is the...
The criteria for this article is as follows: The director & actor team must have worked together at least 3 times with the actor in a major role in each feature film, resulting in a minimum of 2 must-see films.
One of the primary trends for the frequency of collaboration is the...
- 7/24/2013
- by John Oursler
- SoundOnSight
Yasujiro Ozu's cinephilia has been well known for some time now, especially his love of American movies. His existent early films are filled with gags and posters directly referencing Hollywood cinema. Recently, I found an unusually specific citation.
I always thought this bit of dialog in Late Spring (1949) was strange. It happens between unmarried Setsuko Hara and divorcee Yumeji Tsukioka; they're discussing Hara's recent meeting with a potential husband. When asked what she thinks of him, Hara replies, according to the subtitle translation, that he "looks like that American...the man in that baseball movie," which Tsukioka identifies as Gary Cooper. No doubt they are talking about 1942's The Pride of the Yankees. However, then comes this odd joke:
A weird, roundabout joke. Especially since we have yet to see—and never will—the man Hara met and eventually marries. But, to take the joke even further, one may remember...
I always thought this bit of dialog in Late Spring (1949) was strange. It happens between unmarried Setsuko Hara and divorcee Yumeji Tsukioka; they're discussing Hara's recent meeting with a potential husband. When asked what she thinks of him, Hara replies, according to the subtitle translation, that he "looks like that American...the man in that baseball movie," which Tsukioka identifies as Gary Cooper. No doubt they are talking about 1942's The Pride of the Yankees. However, then comes this odd joke:
A weird, roundabout joke. Especially since we have yet to see—and never will—the man Hara met and eventually marries. But, to take the joke even further, one may remember...
- 3/26/2013
- by Daniel Kasman
- MUBI
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