It really bothers me that you don't get the views you utterly deserve. It's not very common to see channels in youtube that talk about these sort of movies and, as a film student, I really appreciate the marvelous job that you do at analysing them. I really hope you continue growing, from my end expect nothing but endless support
Every single person can find a way to connect to this film. It absolutely wrecked me and never leaves your mind after watching it. Ozu was one of the greatest filmmakers to ever live.
I first saw this movie as a 25-year-old dude from 21st century America, but I still related to this Japanese family from 1953. That's a sign of a great movie.
Late Spring is also a masterpiece, especially the final sequence and the scene of the Noh performance. So incredible. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I almost had tears in my eye while listening to your review because it all came back to me, all those shots, the sound everything... Please drop a review of Late Spring.
My girlfriend & I were very moved by this movie. It was emotional for me since I grew up in an Italian family that was close. But as time went on, people moved away & we became more distant. Those Sunday dinners with a large group of cousins vanished over the years. It's a sad fact of life.
My favorite movie of all time. I couldn't have summed it up better myself. It really is one of the most perfect movies out there. Thank you for this brilliant critique.
Funny, I just watched "Late Spring" last night (the first Ozu film I have seen). It was a beautiful film. Looking forward to "Tokyo Story." One interesting thing I noticed: several shots throughout the film linger on a place after the characters leave the frame. I found it very moving.
This is why i love your videos. I likely never would have heard of this if you didn't post the video. Now i have another movie on the back burner for this weekend once i catch up on my homework . I have no one i talk to these days except my family to some extent and have just started getting back into movies over the last year; having truly worthwhile selections to watch is an invaluable boon. Thanks.
A heroic choice for discussion. It's hard to imagine movies that could be anymore anathema to today's aesthetic than Ozu movies. Honestly, they were unusual back then, too. One of the very few directors whose style and approach encourage meditation, as you say. Most people don't watch movies for that, but maybe they should!
I recently watched Late Spring and that film made me feel completely devastated by the end. Like you said, I love that Ozu uses simple living to touch upon the human condition in such a tender way. I’m sure this one will make me ball like a baby when I see it.
A bit of technical trivia: the shots you are referring to are his famous "pillow shots", a term that has been coined in reference to "pillow words" in traditional Japanese poetry. The low angle is another trademark of Ozu, the so-called "tatami angle", reminiscent of sitting on the tatami floor. Also note how he routinely breaks the 180-degree rule in his films.
Hello!! I always get your movie reviews on my suggestions and recently watched your review of Promising Young Woman and I agreed with everything you said about that and subscribed. So imagine my absolute joy seeing this video pop up today of you reviewing my second favourite film of all time!!! Thank you so much ♥
Thank you for giving love to Tokyo Story. Someone accused me of liking Ozu because I wanted to impress others. I countered that all my friends and acquaintances have never heard of Ozu and told him if HE didn't appreciate Ozu then those who do are not being pretentious or trying to impress someone. Who? Ghosts? The universe?
That's really dumb lmao absoloutely no one would act impressed if you said you liked ozu. Non-cinephiles would think you're weird for watching older foreign movies and cinephiles would just shrug and agree or call him overrated (big disagree but i can see why he'S not for everyone)
Ozu is one of the greats of cinema! And Tokyo Story is certainly a sweet, quiet and effective take on the family dynamic, especially the film's portrayal of the aging parents. I love the part when they are sent off to a spa to relax and they don't know what to do with themselves. They're bored and homesick. I saw this picture (for the first time) when I was in college back in the 80s. I had an English teacher who enjoyed showing us his favorite films and this was one of them.
Akira Kurosawa also made a great film about old age called Ikiru (1952). The difference with Tokyo Story is notably the pathos. Ikira has a lot of overt display of emotion whereas Tokyo Story decidedly does not. This low key, meditative effect of Ozu has, of course, influenced many later films including western ones.
I actually prefer Make Way for Tomorrow which this was a remake of. Orson Welles said that film will make a stone cry and it had me balling for 20 minutes after it was over. Not an exaggeration.
I was born and raised in Japan.... as a child of American missionaries. This film was released in 1953, the year I was born yet I had never heard of this over the decades of life in Japan. When I hear non-Japanese comment on and review this movie, I am utterly amazed. Why? Because the Japanese language which is my mother tongue carries deep, deep meaning. Imagine being so impressed and impacted by this movie as a foreigner. When you understand the Japanese people and their language, it opens up another universe of meaning and appreciation. Every time I've watched it, I see something I had missed before.
I agree. It was one of the most perfect movies ever made. It is not just a 'perfected' movie along the lines of a structure. It is just true art. You can't work out how he did it. It might seem slow at times but the cumulative effect is simply overwhelming. There is no masterclass for this. It achieves something rare in cinema. Once seen, you can understand what true cinematic art looks and feels like
one of your best reviews and i know nothing of this movie - with mark kermode you are the best critic on youtube and i am trying to improve my reviews through listening to you - i always enjoy how you minimize on plot and maximise on feelings within the character and the impact on you thanks any tips welcomed - i am dogged by too many plot spoilers
Excellent choice.. Ozu is so good & consistently so (I mean he's got about 10 great great films), & this is IMO is his best. Besides his other movies, this movie also makes me think of Kurosawa's Ikiru, both very reflective on connections & mortality. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it
Tokyo Story is considered Yasujirō Ozu's greatest work. The movie was based on the American film "Make Way For Tomorrow", a story about an elderly couple that happens upon hard times. In Tokyo Story the elderly couple is almost ignored by their children but is cared for by their widowed daughter-In-law (played by Setsuko Hara).
Great review!, found ur channel earlier this month & was hoping u would do this considering how much u have mentioned this film in the past. Would love to see u cover more of Asian cinema, somthing like Shiki Jitsu by Hideaki Anno or any of Kore-eda's filmography.
Thanks for recommending this! I've never heard of the film before this review and I'm looking forward to seeing it soon! I'll watch it after I finally get through Ikiru.
There is a Hollywood film of a nearly identical story. It's also in the Criterion Collection: Make Way For Tomorrow (1937). But Tokyo Story is different in that it implies that we should accept and resign to such painful occurrences as part of life. In one scene, Noriko explains the painful truths kindly, with a smile on her face, and says these things are inevitable.
Another notable Asian film on old age is the much-acclaimed 2011 Hong Kong film "A Simple Life," which may be a complete opposite of a film like Tokyo Story. Instead of the young drifting apart from the old, A Simple Life shows a young man who cares for, and grows closer and closer to, an elderly lady who has been the maidservant of his family for generations. The film is filled with many uplifting, life-affirming moments. Just like Tokyo Story, it takes a low key (but not as low key) approach instead of suffocating the viewer with overflowing pathos as lesser films would do.
Actors often face the camera directly in this film. I didn't fully understand this technique until I saw, of all people, Errol Morris explain why he does this in his documentaries, in which the interviewees never face the interviewer while answering questions. Morris said (something to the effect) that if you don't see whom you're talking to, you expose more of yourself in your answers. Maggie, you and other TH-camrs have first-hand experience on this. When TH-camrs talk directly to the camera without seeing whom they're talking to, there is a directness, forthrightness, etc., that would not have been there if they had been talking to a crowd full of people.
Hoping it's a good suggestion, but you might like Ang Lee's 1994 "Eat Man Drink Woman" is a companion to this film. I'm sure you'll like it because of the emotional depth.
Yasujiro ozu often gets overlooked because of Kurosawa..... It's because ozu doesn't have wide range among the audience like Kurosawa..... I know Kurosawa is the greatest but I think ozu is as good as him
I was just randomly thinking about 1950's Japan not an hour ago, and wondering to myself if you'd be daring enough to review Paul Shrader's 1985 "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters"! Following the life and death of Japan's most notorious narcissist, writer Yukio Mishima, where there is a scene dealing with the 50's. Mishima fit into Shrader's many "tragic lonely man" characters.
Have you seen LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003) written and directed to Sofia Coppola? I think that if you were touched by and liked TOKYO STORY you may like LOST IN TRANSLATION even though the storylines are different. I've not seen a movie quite like this before.
I made a mistake of watching Early Summer a day before watching Tokyo Story. So unfortunately the first half of Tokyo Story was extremely tedious to me, since it’s basically the same exact characters doing a lot of the same mundane things. And I find Ozu’s style to be rather unsatisfying. I actually enjoy being manipulated by a writer/director, especially if it’s done in an intelligent way such as Parasite or Vertigo. Still, I thought the last 40-50 minutes of Tokyo Story were genuinely great.
i think im blocked from commenting on the fb page posts, my comments dont show anymore, i only posted the tokyo movie with english subs from an archive site, ah well thats life.
You guys will hate me, but I fell asleep during TS. I really love the thematic content and studying it etc, but in terms of actually watching it, I didn't find it very engaging at all. Feel like this falls under the category of "films you're supposed to like".
Maybe it's just because his "pillow shots" (while a unique staple and definitely a cool idea) don't always hit with me, but I find that Ozu doesn't quite impact me the same way that Kore-eda does, at least as far as an obvious stylistic descendent goes.
It really bothers me that you don't get the views you utterly deserve. It's not very common to see channels in youtube that talk about these sort of movies and, as a film student, I really appreciate the marvelous job that you do at analysing them. I really hope you continue growing, from my end expect nothing but endless support
Expect nothing; appreciate everything.
Love this film. Setsuko Hara is one of the most wonderful actresses I've ever seen.
Every single person can find a way to connect to this film. It absolutely wrecked me and never leaves your mind after watching it. Ozu was one of the greatest filmmakers to ever live.
I thought the title said “Toy Story 1953” and for a second I felt like I missed out big time on my Disney childhood.
I first saw this movie as a 25-year-old dude from 21st century America, but I still related to this Japanese family from 1953. That's a sign of a great movie.
Late Spring is also a masterpiece, especially the final sequence and the scene of the Noh performance. So incredible. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I almost had tears in my eye while listening to your review because it all came back to me, all those shots, the sound everything... Please drop a review of Late Spring.
Expect nothing; appreciate everything. Thank you for featuring the genius of this brilliant film.
Late Spring is one of my all time favourites, Tokyo Story is also a perfect masterpiece.
My girlfriend & I were very moved by this movie. It was emotional for me since I grew up in an Italian family that was close. But as time went on, people moved away & we became more distant. Those Sunday dinners with a large group of cousins vanished over the years. It's a sad fact of life.
My favorite movie of all time. I couldn't have summed it up better myself. It really is one of the most perfect movies out there. Thank you for this brilliant critique.
Funny, I just watched "Late Spring" last night (the first Ozu film I have seen). It was a beautiful film. Looking forward to "Tokyo Story." One interesting thing I noticed: several shots throughout the film linger on a place after the characters leave the frame. I found it very moving.
Shots are called Pillow Shots. He does those a lot.
This is why i love your videos. I likely never would have heard of this if you didn't post the video. Now i have another movie on the back burner for this weekend once i catch up on my homework . I have no one i talk to these days except my family to some extent and have just started getting back into movies over the last year; having truly worthwhile selections to watch is an invaluable boon. Thanks.
A heroic choice for discussion. It's hard to imagine movies that could be anymore anathema to today's aesthetic than Ozu movies. Honestly, they were unusual back then, too. One of the very few directors whose style and approach encourage meditation, as you say. Most people don't watch movies for that, but maybe they should!
I recently watched Late Spring and that film made me feel completely devastated by the end. Like you said, I love that Ozu uses simple living to touch upon the human condition in such a tender way. I’m sure this one will make me ball like a baby when I see it.
A bit of technical trivia: the shots you are referring to are his famous "pillow shots", a term that has been coined in reference to "pillow words" in traditional Japanese poetry. The low angle is another trademark of Ozu, the so-called "tatami angle", reminiscent of sitting on the tatami floor. Also note how he routinely breaks the 180-degree rule in his films.
Hello!! I always get your movie reviews on my suggestions and recently watched your review of Promising Young Woman and I agreed with everything you said about that and subscribed. So imagine my absolute joy seeing this video pop up today of you reviewing my second favourite film of all time!!! Thank you so much ♥
Thank you for giving love to Tokyo Story. Someone accused me of liking Ozu because I wanted to impress others. I countered that all my friends and acquaintances have never heard of Ozu and told him if HE didn't appreciate Ozu then those who do are not being pretentious or trying to impress someone. Who? Ghosts? The universe?
That's really dumb lmao absoloutely no one would act impressed if you said you liked ozu. Non-cinephiles would think you're weird for watching older foreign movies and cinephiles would just shrug and agree or call him overrated (big disagree but i can see why he'S not for everyone)
Ozu is one of the greats of cinema! And Tokyo Story is certainly a sweet, quiet and effective take on the family dynamic, especially the film's portrayal of the aging parents. I love the part when they are sent off to a spa to relax and they don't know what to do with themselves. They're bored and homesick. I saw this picture (for the first time) when I was in college back in the 80s. I had an English teacher who enjoyed showing us his favorite films and this was one of them.
Akira Kurosawa also made a great film about old age called Ikiru (1952). The difference with Tokyo Story is notably the pathos. Ikira has a lot of overt display of emotion whereas Tokyo Story decidedly does not. This low key, meditative effect of Ozu has, of course, influenced many later films including western ones.
I actually prefer Make Way for Tomorrow which this was a remake of. Orson Welles said that film will make a stone cry and it had me balling for 20 minutes after it was over. Not an exaggeration.
So glad that you did this, I wish you could review the entire noriko trilogy as well😁 That would be amazing!
This movie always makes me think of why times like Christmas and my birthday became less exciting as I got older.
I was born and raised in Japan.... as a child of American missionaries. This film was released in 1953, the year I was born yet I had never heard of this over the decades of life in Japan. When I hear non-Japanese comment on and review this movie, I am utterly amazed. Why? Because the Japanese language which is my mother tongue carries deep, deep meaning. Imagine being so impressed and impacted by this movie as a foreigner. When you understand the Japanese people and their language, it opens up another universe of meaning and appreciation. Every time I've watched it, I see something I had missed before.
I agree. It was one of the most perfect movies ever made. It is not just a 'perfected' movie along the lines of a structure. It is just true art. You can't work out how he did it. It might seem slow at times but the cumulative effect is simply overwhelming. There is no masterclass for this. It achieves something rare in cinema. Once seen, you can understand what true cinematic art looks and feels like
Have you seen Walkabout (1971)? I’d love to hear your thoughts on that film.
one of your best reviews and i know nothing of this movie - with mark kermode you are the best critic on youtube and i am trying to improve my reviews through listening to you - i always enjoy how you minimize on plot and maximise on feelings within the character and the impact on you
thanks any tips welcomed - i am dogged by too many plot spoilers
This movie made me fall in love with Setsuko Hara.
why hasn't criterion invited you to do a closet pick
Excellent choice.. Ozu is so good & consistently so (I mean he's got about 10 great great films), & this is IMO is his best. Besides his other movies, this movie also makes me think of Kurosawa's Ikiru, both very reflective on connections & mortality.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it
Tokyo Story is considered Yasujirō Ozu's greatest work. The movie was based on the American
film "Make Way For Tomorrow", a story about an elderly couple that happens upon hard times.
In Tokyo Story the elderly couple is almost ignored by their children but is cared for by their
widowed daughter-In-law (played by Setsuko Hara).
Nice pick. First foreign film to bring me to tears. A special film.
Great review!, found ur channel earlier this month & was hoping u would do this considering how much u have mentioned this film in the past. Would love to see u cover more of Asian cinema, somthing like Shiki Jitsu by Hideaki Anno or any of Kore-eda's filmography.
Thanks for recommending this! I've never heard of the film before this review and I'm looking forward to seeing it soon! I'll watch it after I finally get through Ikiru.
There is a Hollywood film of a nearly identical story. It's also in the Criterion Collection: Make Way For Tomorrow (1937). But Tokyo Story is different in that it implies that we should accept and resign to such painful occurrences as part of life. In one scene, Noriko explains the painful truths kindly, with a smile on her face, and says these things are inevitable.
Love your reaction/review of Tokyo Story!
Such a wonderful review ! Will surely watch this soon. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. :D
Another notable Asian film on old age is the much-acclaimed 2011 Hong Kong film "A Simple Life," which may be a complete opposite of a film like Tokyo Story. Instead of the young drifting apart from the old, A Simple Life shows a young man who cares for, and grows closer and closer to, an elderly lady who has been the maidservant of his family for generations. The film is filled with many uplifting, life-affirming moments. Just like Tokyo Story, it takes a low key (but not as low key) approach instead of suffocating the viewer with overflowing pathos as lesser films would do.
I saw this yesterday and loved it. As an aside, I watched it on the Criterion channel your thoughts on criterion ? Thanks.
I hope you watch and review another of his masterpiece, like Good Morning or Late Spring (IMO his best after Tokyo Story). Great review as usual.
Matcha green tea is far from subtle in its flavour. I assume you're referring to the weak bagged stuff?
I watched this recently !! great work as always !
Actors often face the camera directly in this film. I didn't fully understand this technique until I saw, of all people, Errol Morris explain why he does this in his documentaries, in which the interviewees never face the interviewer while answering questions. Morris said (something to the effect) that if you don't see whom you're talking to, you expose more of yourself in your answers. Maggie, you and other TH-camrs have first-hand experience on this. When TH-camrs talk directly to the camera without seeing whom they're talking to, there is a directness, forthrightness, etc., that would not have been there if they had been talking to a crowd full of people.
one of my all time favorites
Great review
As always love the content !!
Will check it out! This made me curious!
Hoping it's a good suggestion, but you might like Ang Lee's 1994 "Eat Man Drink Woman" is a companion to this film.
I'm sure you'll like it because of the emotional depth.
But there is one thing I could find wrong with it, dealing with the relationship "bonding" among the 2 main characters.
I'm a huge Ozu fan, Love his films.
Warm bed colder, as it gets colder you miss the person more
Of the perfect movie, you have given us the perfect review. Many thanks!
Yasujiro ozu often gets overlooked because of Kurosawa..... It's because ozu doesn't have wide range among the audience like Kurosawa..... I know Kurosawa is the greatest but I think ozu is as good as him
I was just randomly thinking about 1950's Japan not an hour ago, and wondering to myself if you'd be daring enough to review Paul Shrader's 1985 "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters"!
Following the life and death of Japan's most notorious narcissist, writer Yukio Mishima, where there is a scene dealing with the 50's. Mishima fit into Shrader's many "tragic lonely man" characters.
Have you seen LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003) written and directed to Sofia Coppola? I think that if you were touched by and liked TOKYO STORY you may like LOST IN TRANSLATION even though the storylines are different. I've not seen a movie quite like this before.
Please do Ikiru (if you haven’t yet). I believe you will love it.
I also enjoy green tea.
I literally just watched this for my Japanese cinema class!
Wonderful film - incredible emotional impact as you say.
Apparently, Tokyo Story is a fav film of Paul Schrader
Buzz lightyear "ninja warrior model"
10:12 Yes! Absolutely! 100%!
I made a mistake of watching Early Summer a day before watching Tokyo Story. So unfortunately the first half of Tokyo Story was extremely tedious to me, since it’s basically the same exact characters doing a lot of the same mundane things. And I find Ozu’s style to be rather unsatisfying. I actually enjoy being manipulated by a writer/director, especially if it’s done in an intelligent way such as Parasite or Vertigo. Still, I thought the last 40-50 minutes of Tokyo Story were genuinely great.
My favorite Ozu film also great review
Oh god I have that movie and I haven’t seen it yet!!!!😱😱😱 I got to get moving!!!
I hope you can watch and review Late Spring.
I'll check this one for Japanese culture
i think im blocked from commenting on the fb page posts, my comments dont show anymore, i only posted the tokyo movie with english subs from an archive site, ah well thats life.
its hard for me to watch this film because i lost a loved one several months ago
It's a great film, but it's not Ozu's best. I would put Late Spring, The End of Summer and some others above it.
Ordet by Dreyer is another greay film you should check out
You guys will hate me, but I fell asleep during TS. I really love the thematic content and studying it etc, but in terms of actually watching it, I didn't find it very engaging at all. Feel like this falls under the category of "films you're supposed to like".
It isn't intended to engage. It is intended to be watched for what it is.
at 4.50 into the video, the light is different..slow transitions yr videos have clues with yr use of light,,,,I think?????????????
Yeah, that transition is missing a pillow shot, Maggie.
Can you review Space Jam?
Maybe it's just because his "pillow shots" (while a unique staple and definitely a cool idea) don't always hit with me, but I find that Ozu doesn't quite impact me the same way that Kore-eda does, at least as far as an obvious stylistic descendent goes.
What a great movie.
I don’t give 10/10s often, but Tokyo Story was my most recent 10, I couldn’t flaw this film whatsoever. Every moment was perfect.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
great review and you always so beautiful. I scored 72nd view, 3rd comment and 9nth like. Congrats!
Have u seen enemy
I didn't like it that much. I just thought that it was okay
I finaly got it, you look like if jim and karen never broke up got married and had a daugther!
It’s a rip off of Make Way For Tomorrow
You realize that your image is reversed. Right?
1st
Konichiwa
The piece
❤