Film Reviews
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Yasujiro Ozu is touted by those in the know as one of the greats of world cinema. This box set features three of the director’s most famous films, a loosely interconnected trio of movies made between 1949 and 1953 and set
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within the context of middle-class family life in and around Tokyo.
Ozu’s work is far removed in style from Hollywood’s output, and as a novice to his work I worried that approaching this triple bill I might not quite get it. Indeed, in the beginning it seems as if I’m missing something. Nothing much seems to happen in terms of traditional Western action and narrative in any of these films. But gradually, moment by precious moment,
the viewer gets sucked into the director’s world via his stealthy and
incredibly subtle pacing, his gradual revelation of character and theme, and his sublime manipulation of emotions always swirling just beneath the
surface.
For a brain raised on 30 years of Hollywood vacuity, these films are like a heavy dose of electroconvulsive therapy. The difference between these films and typical Hollywood fare is the difference between a Michelin star meal and a Big Mac and fries, and once you get your palette attuned it is
an absolute feast.
There are several themes intricately woven into the story of each of
these films. The importance of family, the conflict between the generations and the relentless progress of technology at the expense of tradition are all
tackled with such a grace and subtlety by Ozu that initially you hardly
notice it happening. Loosely based on the same set of characters, the three movies also show considerable development of their director‘s style. 1949‘s Late Spring deals with a daughter‘s reluctance to get married and is an often melancholic experience, while Early Summer (1951) has more plaintive comedy running through its veins, telling the story of a woman who decides to marry for love rather than accept her parents‘ choice of
husband.
While both these films are captivating (and they contain truly mesmerising scenes amongst the apparent humdrum stuff of everyday people and everyday life), they pale compared with 1953‘s Tokyo Story. Ozu‘s finest moment tells of ageing parents who visit their kids in Tokyo, and it contains some almost unbearably poignant moments and an overall emotional pull that is a revelation in its gradual unveiling. Simply sublime
stuff. Digitally remastered, but minimal extras. (Doug Johnstone)
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