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{{nihongo|'''''Tokyo Story'''''|東京物語|Tōkyō Monogatari}} is a 1953 Japanese film directed by [[Yasujirō Ozu]]. It tells the story of an aging couple who travel to [[Tokyo]] to visit their grown children. The film contrasts the behavior of their children, who are too busy to pay them much attention, and their daughter-in-law, who treats them with kindness. It is often regarded as Ozu's masterpiece, and has appeared several times in [[The British Film Institute]] list of the greatest films ever made.
{{nihongo|'''''Tokyo Story'''''|東京物語|Tōkyō Monogatari}} is a 1953 Japanese film directed by [[Yasujirō Ozu]]. It tells the story of an aging couple who travel to [[Tokyo]] to visit their grown children. The film contrasts the behavior of their children, who are too busy to pay them much attention, and their daughter-in-law, who treats them with kindness. It is often regarded as Ozu's masterpiece, and has appeared several times in the [[British Film Institute]] lists of the greatest films ever made. It has consistently appeared in the top five of the ''[[Sight & Sound]]'' critics' poll since 1992, and in 2012 has been named the [[List of films considered the best|best film of all time]] in the ''Sight & Sound'' directors' poll.

==Plot==
==Plot==
A retired couple, Shukichi and Tomi Hirayama (played by [[Chishu Ryu]] and Chieko Higashiyama respectively) from the small seaside town of [[Onomichi, Hiroshima|Onomichi]] in southwest Japan pay a visit to their busy children in [[Tokyo]]. Only their youngest unmarried daughter Kyoko ([[Kyoko Kagawa]]), a schoolteacher, lives with them.
A retired couple, Shukichi and Tomi Hirayama (played by [[Chishu Ryu]] and Chieko Higashiyama respectively) from the small seaside town of [[Onomichi, Hiroshima|Onomichi]] in southwest Japan pay a visit to their busy children in [[Tokyo]]. Only their youngest unmarried daughter Kyoko ([[Kyoko Kagawa]]), a schoolteacher, lives with them.
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then tied at number 16 with [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Psycho (film)|Psycho]]'' and [[Andrei Tarkovsky]]'s ''[[The Mirror (1975 film)|The Mirror]]'' in 2002,<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Sight & Sound]] |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/history/1992.html |title=Top Ten Poll 1992 - Directors' and Critics' Poll |publisher=Published by [[British Film Institute]] |date= |accessdate= October 29, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=[[Sight & Sound]] |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/directors-long.html |title=Top Ten Poll 2002 - Directors' Poll |publisher=Published by [[British Film Institute]] |date= |accessdate= October 29, 2010}}</ref>, and in 2012 it was voted the greatest film, dethroning ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' (1942) for the first time since the directors' poll began in 1992.<ref>{{cite website|title=The Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/50-greatest-films-all-time|accessdate=2 August 2012|date=1 August 2012|publisher=Published by [[British Film Institute]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Blauvelt|first=Christian|title='Citizen Kane' no longer tops 'Sight & Sound' poll of the greatest films ever made: What now ranks as No. 1?|url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/08/01/sight-and-sound-greatest-films-poll-citizen-kane-vertigo/|work=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|accessdate=2 August 2012|date=1 August 2012}}</ref>
then tied at number 16 with [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Psycho (film)|Psycho]]'' and [[Andrei Tarkovsky]]'s ''[[The Mirror (1975 film)|The Mirror]]'' in 2002,<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Sight & Sound]] |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/history/1992.html |title=Top Ten Poll 1992 - Directors' and Critics' Poll |publisher=Published by [[British Film Institute]] |date= |accessdate= October 29, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=[[Sight & Sound]] |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/directors-long.html |title=Top Ten Poll 2002 - Directors' Poll |publisher=Published by [[British Film Institute]] |date= |accessdate= October 29, 2010}}</ref> and in 2012 it was voted the [[List of films considered the best|greatest film]], dethroning ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' (1942) for the first time since the directors' poll began in 1992;<ref>{{cite website|title=The Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/50-greatest-films-all-time|accessdate=2 August 2012|date=1 August 2012|publisher=Published by [[British Film Institute]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Blauvelt|first=Christian|title='Citizen Kane' no longer tops 'Sight & Sound' poll of the greatest films ever made: What now ranks as No. 1?|url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/08/01/sight-and-sound-greatest-films-poll-citizen-kane-vertigo/|work=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|accessdate=2 August 2012|date=1 August 2012}}</ref> it received 48 votes out of the 358 directors polled in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 2012 Sight & Sound Directors’ Top Ten|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/sight-sound-2012-directors-top-ten|work=[[Sight & Sound]]|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|accessdate=4 August 2012|date=2 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Directors' vote: Yasujiro Ozu's 1953 'Tokyo Story' greatest film ever made|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120804a2.html|accessdate=4 August 2012|newspaper=[[Japan Times]]|date=4 August 2012}}</ref>


It holds a 100% "Fresh" rating on the review aggregate website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on 34 critical reviews, with also the highest average critical score on the website at 9.7/10.<ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tokyo_story/ Rotten Tomatoes - Tokyo Story]</ref> John Walker, former editor of the ''[[Leslie Halliwell|Halliwell's Film Guides]]'', places ''Tokyo Story'' at the top of his published list of the best 1000 films ever made. ''Tokyo Story'' is also included in film critic [[Derek Malcolm]]'s ''The Century of Films'',<ref>{{cite journal|author=Derek Malcolm|journal=The Guardian|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2000/may/04/artsfeatures1| title=Yasujiro Ozu: Tokyo Story|date=4 May 2000}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=A Century of Film |year=2000|publisher=IB Tauris|pages=85-87}}</ref> a list of films which he deems artistically or culturally important, and ''[[Time (magazine)|Time Magazine]]'' lists it among their [[Time's All-TIME 100 Movies|All-Time 100 Movies]]. It was ranked number 16 in ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine's "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010.<ref>{{cite web
It holds a 100% "Fresh" rating on the review aggregate website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on 34 critical reviews, with also the highest average critical score on the website at 9.7/10.<ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tokyo_story/ Rotten Tomatoes - Tokyo Story]</ref> John Walker, former editor of the ''[[Leslie Halliwell|Halliwell's Film Guides]]'', places ''Tokyo Story'' at the top of his published list of the best 1000 films ever made. ''Tokyo Story'' is also included in film critic [[Derek Malcolm]]'s ''The Century of Films'',<ref>{{cite journal|author=Derek Malcolm|journal=The Guardian|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2000/may/04/artsfeatures1| title=Yasujiro Ozu: Tokyo Story|date=4 May 2000}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=A Century of Film |year=2000|publisher=IB Tauris|pages=85-87}}</ref> a list of films which he deems artistically or culturally important, and ''[[Time (magazine)|Time Magazine]]'' lists it among their [[Time's All-TIME 100 Movies|All-Time 100 Movies]]. It was ranked number 16 in ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine's "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010.<ref>{{cite web

Revision as of 06:50, 4 August 2012

Tokyo Story
File:Tokyo Story poster.jpg
Japanese film poster of Tokyo Story
Directed byYasujirō Ozu
Written byKōgo Noda
Yasujirō Ozu
Produced byTakeshi Yamamoto
StarringChishu Ryu
Chieko Higashiyama
Setsuko Hara
CinematographyAtsuta Yuharu
Edited byYoshiyasu Hamamura
Music byKojun Saitō
Production
company
Release dates
November 3, 1953 (1953-11-03) (Japan)
March 13, 1972 (1972-03-13) (USA)
Running time
136 min
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Tokyo Story (東京物語, Tōkyō Monogatari) is a 1953 Japanese film directed by Yasujirō Ozu. It tells the story of an aging couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their grown children. The film contrasts the behavior of their children, who are too busy to pay them much attention, and their daughter-in-law, who treats them with kindness. It is often regarded as Ozu's masterpiece, and has appeared several times in the British Film Institute lists of the greatest films ever made. It has consistently appeared in the top five of the Sight & Sound critics' poll since 1992, and in 2012 has been named the best film of all time in the Sight & Sound directors' poll.

Plot

A retired couple, Shukichi and Tomi Hirayama (played by Chishu Ryu and Chieko Higashiyama respectively) from the small seaside town of Onomichi in southwest Japan pay a visit to their busy children in Tokyo. Only their youngest unmarried daughter Kyoko (Kyoko Kagawa), a schoolteacher, lives with them.

After the day-long journey from Onomichi to Tokyo, the couple finds themselves neglected by their children. Their eldest son, Koichi (So Yamamura), is a district pediatrician with two boys. Their eldest daughter, Shige (Haruko Sugimura), runs a hairdressing salon. The children wish to spend time with their parents, and do, to an extent; but, as they have lives, work and families of their own, they find it difficult to maintain a balance between the two. Only the couple's widowed daughter-in-law Noriko (Setsuko Hara) goes out of her way to entertain them. She takes them on a sightseeing tour of metropolitan Tokyo.

Koichi and Shige pay for their parents' cheap stay at the hot spring spa at Atami, but the parents return because the busy nightlife at the hotel interrupts their sleep. When they return, Shige explains that she sent them to Atami because she wanted to use their bedroom for a meeting. Tomi goes to stay with Noriko. Tomi advises Noriko to remarry as her husband, the couple's son, died eight years ago in the war. Shukichi, meanwhile, gets drunk with some old friends, then returns to Shige's salon.

The couple remark on how their children have changed, and they leave for home. During the ensuing train journey Tomi is taken ill, and they make an unplanned stop at Osaka, where they had planned to meet their youngest son, Keizo (Shiro Osaka), without dismounting from the train. When they reach Onomichi, Tomi becomes critically ill. Koichi, Shige and Noriko rush to Onomichi, on receiving telegrams, to see Tomi, who dies shortly afterwards. Keizo arrives late as he is outstationed.

After the funeral, Koichi, Shige and Keizo decide to leave immediately as they have their work at Osaka and Tokyo, leaving only Noriko to keep their father company. After they leave, Kyoko complains to Noriko that they are selfish and inconsiderate. Noriko responds that everyone has their own life to lead and that the drift between parents and children is inevitable.

After Kyoko leaves for school, Noriko informs her father-in-law that she must return to Tokyo that afternoon. Shukichi tells her that she has treated them best despite not being related by blood. Noriko insists on her own selfishness; Shukichi credits her protests to humility. He gives her a watch from the late Tomi as a memento, and advises her to remarry.

Cast

  • Chishū Ryū as Shukishi Hirayama
  • Chieko Higashiyama as Tomi Hirayama
  • Setsuko Hara as Noriko Hirayama
  • Haruko Sugimura as Shige Kaneko
  • Sō Yamamura as Koichi Hirayama
  • Kuniko Miyake as Fumiko Hirayama
  • Kyōko Kagawa as Kyōko Hirayama
  • Eijirō Tōno as Sanpei Numata
  • Nobuo Nakamura as Kurazo Kaneko
  • Shirō Osaka as Keiso Hirayama
  • Hisao Toake as Osamu Hattori
  • Teruko Nagaoka as Yone Hattori
  • Mutsuko Sakura as a Patron of the Oden Restaurant
  • Toyo Takahashi as Shukichi Hirayama's Neighbor (as Toyoko Takahashi)
  • Tōru Abe as a Train employee
  • Sachiko Mitani as Noriko's Neighbor
  • Zen Murase as Minoru Hirayama, Koichi's son
  • Mitsuhiro Mori as Isamu Hirayama, Koichi's son
  • Junko Anan as a Beauty Salon Assistant
  • Ryōko Mizuki as Biyōin no kyaku
  • Yoshiko Togawa as a Beauty Salon Client
  • Kazuhiro Itokawa as a Student
  • Keijirō Morozumi as a Police agent
  • Tsutomu Nijima as Noriko's office boss
  • Shozo Suzuki as Noriko's office colleague
  • Yoshiko Tashiro as a Hotel maid
  • Haruko Chichibu as a Hotel maid
  • Takashi Miki as a Singer
  • Binnosuke Nagao as the Doctor at Onomichi

Production

Ozu (far right) on set during shooting.

The script was developed by Yasujirō Ozu and his long-time collaborator Kōgo Noda over a period of 103 days in a country inn in Chigasaki. The two, together with cinematographer Yuharu Atsuta, then scouted locations in Tokyo and Onomichi for another month before shooting started. Shooting and editing the film took place from July to October 1953. In many respects the production of Tokyo Story was unremarkable and routine. As with most Ozu films, production - from the development of the script to the final editing - took four months to complete. Ozu used the same film crew and actors he had worked with for many years and the film's themes were similar to the themes of his other films.[1]

Reception

Tokyo Story has appeared several times in The British Film Institute polls of "greatest films" of directors and critics published in Sight & Sound. It was third in 1992 on the critics' poll, fifth on the critics list in 2002, and third again in 2012. On the director's poll, it was 17th in 1992,[2] then tied at number 16 with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Andrei Tarkovsky's The Mirror in 2002,[3][4] and in 2012 it was voted the greatest film, dethroning Citizen Kane (1942) for the first time since the directors' poll began in 1992;[5][6] it received 48 votes out of the 358 directors polled in 2012.[7][8]

It holds a 100% "Fresh" rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 34 critical reviews, with also the highest average critical score on the website at 9.7/10.[9] John Walker, former editor of the Halliwell's Film Guides, places Tokyo Story at the top of his published list of the best 1000 films ever made. Tokyo Story is also included in film critic Derek Malcolm's The Century of Films,[10][11] a list of films which he deems artistically or culturally important, and Time Magazine lists it among their All-Time 100 Movies. It was ranked number 16 in Empire magazine's "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010.[12] Roger Ebert includes it in his series of great movies,[13] and Paul Schrader placed it in the "Gold" section of his Film Canon.[14] The film was restored and released on DVD by The Criterion Collection as a two-disc DVD set (Region 1) and by Tartan Video in Region 2. In 2010 the British Film Institute released a dual format edition of Tokyo Story in (Region B) Blu-ray as well as DVD. Also included in this package is Ozu's 1941 film Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family, which explores similar themes.

Style

Like all of Ozu's sound films, Tokyo Story's pacing is slow.[15] Important events are often not shown on screen, only being revealed later through dialogue. For example, Ozu does not depict the mother and father's journey to Tokyo at all.[16] Ozu uses his distinctive camera style, often called “tatami-mat” shot, in which the camera height is low and almost never moves; film critic Roger Ebert notes that the camera moves once in the film, which is "more than usual" for an Ozu film.[13]

Home video release

In 2010, the BFI released a Region 2 Dual Format Edition (Blu-ray + DVD).[17] Included with this release is a standard definition presentation of Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family.

See also

References

  1. ^ Eleftheriotis, Dimitris (May 2006). Asian cinemas: a reader and guide. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 17–26. ISBN 978-0-8248-3085-4. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Mr. Saturn (26 Mar 2012). "Sight & Sound 1992 Directors' Poll". www.listall.com. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Unknown parameter |retrieved= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Top Ten Poll 1992 - Directors' and Critics' Poll". Sight & Sound. Published by British Film Institute. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  4. ^ "Top Ten Poll 2002 - Directors' Poll". Sight & Sound. Published by British Film Institute. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  5. ^ "The Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time". Published by British Film Institute. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  6. ^ Blauvelt, Christian (1 August 2012). "'Citizen Kane' no longer tops 'Sight & Sound' poll of the greatest films ever made: What now ranks as No. 1?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  7. ^ "The 2012 Sight & Sound Directors' Top Ten". Sight & Sound. British Film Institute. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  8. ^ "Directors' vote: Yasujiro Ozu's 1953 'Tokyo Story' greatest film ever made". Japan Times. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  9. ^ Rotten Tomatoes - Tokyo Story
  10. ^ Derek Malcolm (4 May 2000). "Yasujiro Ozu: Tokyo Story". The Guardian.
  11. ^ A Century of Film. IB Tauris. 2000. pp. 85–87.
  12. ^ "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema". Empire. {{cite web}}: Text "16. Tokyo Story" ignored (help)
  13. ^ a b "Roger Ebert's review of "Tokyo Story"".
  14. ^ "Paul Schrader's Film Canon, Film Comment - September/October 2006".
  15. ^ David Bordwell; Kristin Thompson (2003). Film History: An Introduction (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill. p. 396.
  16. ^ David Desser (2005). "The Space of Ambivalence". In Jeffrey Geiger (ed.). Film Analysis. Norton. pp. 462–3.
  17. ^ "Tokyo Story: Dual Format Edition". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |retrieved= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

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