Tokyo Stories: Yasujiro Ozu
Jul 6—Aug 24

“Yasujiro Ozu’s oeuvre remains one of cinema’s peak achievements—a potent influence on modern filmmakers like Jim Jarmusch and a pivotal rite of passage for budding cinéastes.” —Time Out

Often relegated to Kurosawa’s shadow in the pantheon of Japanese film directors, Yasujiro Ozu’s work remains ripe for rediscovery by a new generation. Never as flashy or action-packed as Kurosawa, Ozu was influenced by elements as diverse as Japanese woodcuts and the films of Ernst Lubitsch. His rigorously formal style (shooting from low vantage points and employing non-western editing) allowed him more freedom to explore the minutiae of everyday life with dignity and humor. And while his films do focus almost exclusively on day-to-day life in Japan, his work transcends ideas of national identity to make emotional connections with any viewer. All films directed by Yasujiro Ozu, and in Japanese with English subtitles.

The Only Son (Hitori musuko) (1936) 83min
Tue, July 6 at 4:30, 6:45, 9pm
With Chishu Ryu, Choko Iida
A country woman saves for years to send her son to college in Tokyo, but her visit to see him brings a great disappointment. Ozu made the transition from silent to sound very late (this was his first sound film). Surprising then, is his mastery of the form, contrasting the simple sounds of the countryside with the overbearing industrial noises of city life.

Late Spring (Banshun) (1949) 108min
Fri, July 9 at 2, 4:30, 6:45pm
With Chishu Ryu, Setsuko Hara
One of Ozu’s personal favorites, this film centers on a widower who is concerned his daughter is throwing her life away by caring for him. Full of bittersweet performances, the film is a delicate character study with wonderful performances from the two leads. Late Spring also marks Chishu Ryu’s first major role for Ozu; he would star in most of Ozu’s late-period masterworks.

What Did the Lady Forget? (Shujo wa nani o wasuretaka) (1937) 71min
Tue, July 13 at 4:30, 6:45pm
With Sumiko Kurishima, Tatsuo Saito
Borrowing from the social satires of Lubitsch and Renoir, this comedy is an affectionate critique of suburban bourgeois mores. A well-to-do professor and his wife look after their visiting niece, a “modern” girl from Osaka, who throws their lives into turmoil, and exposes their hypocrisy.

Early Summer (Bakushu) (1951) 125min
Fri, July 16 at 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30pm
With Setsuko Kara, Chishu Ryu
Setsuko Hara is a single modern girl, with a family who is determined she should marry. But just when they find a suitable candidate, she chooses someone else, and the disintegration of the family begins. Ozu continued his exploration of what he termed “unfilled space,” lingering on moments others would ignore.

Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family (Todake no kyodai) (1941) 102min
Tue, July 20 at 4:30, 6:45, 9pm
With Hideo Fujino, Shin Saburi
Ozu’s first film after inscription in the army, it has been seen both as propaganda tool and critique of filial duty and the upper class. When the father of a large clan unexpectedly dies, his children are reluctant to take care of their mother and daughter, resulting in heart-breaking scenes of the homeless mother shuffled from house to house, toting her pet birds down the streets.

The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice (Ochazuke no aji) (1952) 115min
Fri, July 23 at 2, 4:30, 6:45, 9pm
With Chishu Ryu, Shin Saburi
Setting out to make a film about a man as seen through the eyes of a woman, Ozu created this tale of a simple-minded businessman and his scornful upper-class wife. Her disdain for him seems almost comical at first, but when their niece visits, their lack of intimacy or involvement is laid bare, and forces the pair to re-evaluate their life together. Like the food of its title, the film is a simple, honest treat.

There Was a Father (Chichi ariki) (1942) 87min
Tue, July 27 at 4:30, 6:45, 9pm
With Chishu Ryu, Shuji Sano
A widower is separated from his son, and the film chronicles their 20-year long
distance relationship. With a definite wartime emphasis on self-sacrifice, There Was a Father instructs the child on the virtue of keeping feelings hidden, then brings that idea crashing down in one of Ozu’s most emotional endings.

Early Spring (Soshun) (1956) 144min
Fri, July 30 at 3, 6, 9pm
With Ryo Ikebe, Keiko Kishi
Having made several light-hearted “salaryman” films in his career, Ozu returned to this genre with Early Spring, a devastating account of the tedium of one businessman’s dull marriage and predictable routine. Sequences showing the commuters arriving for work and the rhythms of office life are beyond sublime, while the cast illuminates this tale of quiet despair.

Record of a Tenement Gentleman (Nagaya shinshi roku) (1947) 72min
Tue, Aug 3 at 4:30, 6:45, 9pm
With Choko Iida, Chishu Ryu
Set in the ruins of Tokyo destroyed by bombing, the film shows the relationship between an orphan and an elderly widow who dislikes children but is forced to care for the child. Ozu films these scenes of poverty and sometimes cruelty with a light touch, finding the humanity in even the worst situations.

Tokyo Twilight (Tokyo boshoku) (1974) 141min
Fri, Aug 6 at 3, 6, 9pm
With Setsuko Hara, Chishu Ryu
Striking back at critics who felt his films to be out of touch with reality, Ozu delivered Tokyo Twilight, a rare venture into melodrama about a woman who leaves her abusive husband to move in with her father in the slums of Tokyo. But once there, she discovers a dark family secret, as the camerawork reveals the characters’ claustrophobic world.

Tokyo Story (Tokyo monogatari) (1953) 134min
Sun, Aug 8 at 3, 6, 9pm
With Chishu Ryu, Setsuka Hara
Arguably Ozu’s masterpiece, Tokyo Story is a film that expanded the potential of cinema—in this case, its ability to convey the deepest emotions with the smallest of gestures. An elderly couple visits their children in Tokyo, but their impatient offspring have no time for them. A fascinating meditation on family and mortality, and required viewing for any cineaste.

A Hen in the Wind (Kaze no naka no mendori) (1948) 84min
Tue, Aug 10 at 4:30, 6:45, 9pm
With Kinuyo Tanaka, Shuji Sano
A pivotal film in the development of his late-period style of stark photography and editing, A Hen in the Wind is one of Ozu’s more overtly political films, dealing with life in postwar Japan. A young wife is forced to prostitute herself while awaiting her husband’s return, which leads to problems when he finally arrives.

Good Morning (Ohayo) (1959) 93min
Fri, Aug 13 at 2, 4:30, 6:45, 9pm
With Kaji Shigaraki, Chishu Ryu
One of Ozu’s most upbeat and comedic films, Good Morning includes fart jokes and bizarre humor. This satire on 1950s consumerism centers around two young boys’ obsession with a television set, and their refusal to pay lip service to Japanese manners. Ozu offers proof that comedy can be just as rewarding as tragedy.

Equinox Flower (Higanbana) (1958) 118min
Sun, Aug 15 at 2, 4:30, 6:45, 9pm
With Shin Saburi, Kinuyo Tanaka
A conservative patriarch wants his daughter to have a normal arranged marriage, but she rebels at the idea. The film never takes sides in the argument, sympathizing with each character and deepening the drama. Ozu’s first color film shows him in impeccable command of the form, using bursts of primary colors to delineate the characters’ emotions.

Floating Weeds (Ukigusa) (1959) 119min
Tue, Aug 17 at 6:45, 9pm
With Ganjiro Nakamura, Machiko Kyo
Working with the great Kazuo Miyagawa (who also shot Kurosawa’s Rashomon and Yojimbo), Ozu crafted one of his most atmospheric works. Floating Weeds focuses on a troupe of actors who drift from town to town, stopping at a small fishing village where a startling claim is made against the leader. Rarely screened, this is a tragicomic masterpiece. Print courtesy of the Japan Foundation.

Late Autumn (Akibiyori) (1960) 129min
Thu, Aug 19 at 6, 9pm
With Setsuko Kara, Chishu Ryu
Setsuka Hara plays an aging widow who is content not being married, but her family and friends are determined to find her a husband. Ozu crafts a deceptive meditation on the nature of personal relationships. Late Autumn is a quietly heart-breaking film about well-meaning people blindly trying to do what they think is right.

An Autumn Afternoon (Sanma no aji) (1962) 113min
Tue, Aug 24 at 4:30, 6:45, 9pm
With Chishu Ryu, Shima Iwashita
Ozu’s final film is marked by a weariness with consumerist culture in Japanese society—as a father decides to marry off his daughter, he slowly realizes his mistake. A gentle satire, the film contrasts the promise of youth with the reality of everyday life, with a small sense of humanity. A fitting end to a brilliant career.