Ozus Tokyo Story A thematic and cinematic analysis of post World War II Japan
Yasujiro Ozu's cinematic classic "Tokyo Story" portrays theessentially divided nature of old and young individuals, even within thesame family, that existed in Japan during the immediate aftermath andcultural shift that occurred as a result of that nation's loss of World WarII. The film depicts a mother and a father who temporarily travel from therural, Japanese countryside and their old way of life to visit their urbanchildren in Tokyo during this period of Japanese history. The generaltitle of "Tokyo Story" suggests the generalized nature of the story inmodern Japan. The film was made in 1953 and depicts recent post-war Japan,shortly after the peace treaty ending the ear and the reconstruction of theAsian nation-thus, it looks back on a recent period of history, not fromafar, but with a critical and often sorrowful eye as to what was recentlylost, and examines how recent events have taken turn for the worse in terms The mother and father visit children whom are e
The film'sstillness of shots thus suggests, such as the scene of the mother'sdeathbed, a kind of home film, given the camera's off-center placement. Most of the film deals with bleakness and the inability to reconstructthe family as a social body. xtremely ungrateful ofthe sacrifices made by their parents for their welfare in. Film historians have noted that itsproximity of approximately thirty-six inches from the floor mimics thepoint of view of an observer kneeling on a tatami mat. It isshot from an unmoving camera. Even the physical body of the parents isfailing as shown by their miserable venture to a local spa, one of theother purposes of their trip to the city. The film ends with another returntrip to Tokyo on the part of the old couple. The children donot reject their parents for coherent ideological reasons that directlycorrelate to World War II. However, certain connections between old and young, however tenuousremain, at least in some form. But during this trip, themother falls ill. The sense of responsibility childrenshould feel for their parents is dead, and only sorrow is left behind. Their contemporary, urban lifestyles do not mesh with theirparent's slower rhythms and manners. This common connection of shared history andtraditional Japanese obligation does create some life and love in to thebleak texture and plot of the tale. Her illness briefly reunites the entire family for onelast time at her sickbed. The past filial sense of obligationis dead in Japan, suggests the film.
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Acceptance Essays
