Tokyo Story

Tokyo Story (Tokyo Monogatari) (1953)

Runtime: 136 minutes

Directed by: Yasujiro Ozu

Starring: Chishu Ryu, Chieko Higashiyama, Setsuko Hara, Haruko Sugimura, So Yamamura

From: Shochiku

Recently I realized there are some directors whose works I need to see more of; Yasujiro Ozu belongs in that category. Before last night the only effort I had watched was 1934's A Story of Floating Weeds; there are various choices I could have made on the Criterion Channel for my second motion picture from him. I went with his most highly regarded work; of course I knew the basic story and how melancholy at best it sounded... a key plot point was unknown to me and parts of this did make me pretty sad due to some memories of 2020 being brought back to the forefront. That did not impact how I rate Tokyo Story; besides, my family is far different from the one portrayed here.

It's a simple story where an older man and his wife visit their children, now all adults living in Tokyo. As they live in a city that's about an hour and a half away by plane and they made the journey by train... parents and children rarely get to see each other. What a shame then that all their children are too busy to hang out with them, some-I am looking at you, Shige-acting more cruelly than others. To think that the only one who goes out of their way for these elderly people is Noriko, the widow of their one offspring that died in World War II. Then that key plot point happens and those offspring really present their true colors.

I've heard the term “quietly powerful” used to describe this and that is true; even though it has a measured pace and it is not a convoluted tale, I was engrossed throughout. The universal themes present & how they were presented brought the movie its power. This has what I've heard are Ozu's trademarks: a camera low to the ground, characters looking right at the camera, etc. It is like a slice of life look at this family and the heartbreaking way that elderly couple were treated aside from Noriko. Even visits to old friends that also moved to Tokyo also ring with sadness as they themselves have regrets. Yet is isn't a miserable film to check out, even if it will make some feel depressed if they haven't seen family for an extended amount of time due the pandemic; for example, when a score is used, it is a light, pleasant soundtrack.

Never overly schmaltzy or over the top dramatic, Tokyo Story reaches such excellence, the lofty praise it has received from film critics (professional or otherwise) is understandable; more than a few have said this is THE best of all time. It doesn't receive that designation from me... but it should eventually be seen by all diehard movie fans. If nothing else, it should inspire more than a few to give a call/a hug to their parents/grandparents.