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#The Best Yasujiro Ozu Films

“The Best Yasujiro Ozu Films”

Yasujiro Ozu is one of the best Japanese filmmakers to date. His attention to detail and ability to combine heavy topics with light-hearted humor make his works just as enjoyable to audiences today as when they were first released (although we may need to overlook some gender stereotypes present in the culture at his time).
Before Ozu was a director, he got his start by working as a camera operator. His experience with the camera shows through, showcasing Ozu’s low camera, symbolic framing, permanently stationary position, and overall excellent cinematography. Most filmmakers keep the camera on one side of an imaginary line through their set to orient the viewer and ensure that the action is always moving the same direction. According to TCM, Ozu famously broke this rule often and provided viewers with a 360 degree view of the scene instead. Even though his creative dedication resulted in a lot of frustrated actors and prop masters, the great cinematography created an entirely new style of filmmaking. As the great Roger Ebert said:

Sooner or later, everyone who loves movies comes to Ozu. He is the quietest and gentlest of directors, the most humanistic, the most serene. But the emotions that flow through his films are strong and deep, because they reflect the things we care about the most: Parents and children, marriage or a life lived alone, illness and death, and taking care of one another.

A slew of Ozu films have come to HBO Max this May An Autumn Afternoon, Early Spring, Early Summer, The End of Summer, Equinox Flower, Floating Weeds, Good Morning, and Tokyo Twilight. All of these are considered masterpieces, so take a look at some of Ozu’s best films in celebration of his work now streaming on HBO Max.

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6 Passing Fancy

After his wife passes away, an impoverished father struggles to raise his son in Passing Fancy. Conflicts arise when the father starts dating a pretty woman and the son becomes jealous of the lost attention. Some complain that this film lacks the same universal messages present in Ozu’s other films, but that’s because it has a strong sense of class consciousness. The film can also seem a little dated for those who struggle to pick up on 1930s jokes. However, Passing Fancy made it onto our list because, along with Tokyo Chorus, it takes one of the closest looks at the working class out of all of Ozu’s movies, and really begins solidifying his signature style.
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5 Tokyo Story

The premise of this movie almost sounds like a modern comedy, like The Guilt Trip or Road Trip. Yet, this film is anything but the cheerful and cheesy family bonding experience that those movies offer. Instead, Tokyo Story is one of Ozu’s saddest depictions about getting older, family relationships, and how modernity has left older generations behind. Two parents take a trip to see their three children who have moved to Tokyo. The children are dismayed by their parents and each must find a way to get back to their daily actives. The up-close and personal look at this disintegrating family relationships is a certified tear-jerker for anyone in the mood reflect on their own family relationships. It’s frequently considered one of the greatest movies ever made.

4 Late Spring

Late Spring is loved not only for the low camera cinematography (common in all of Ozu’s films), but also because of the strong characters. In this film, a man decides to arrange a marriage for his daughter who has decided not to marry in order to watch over the father. When his daughter persists that she does not want to marry, the father must choose between what he thinks is right: his own happiness and social standards, or his daughter’s wishes. Each character’s strong desire to look after the other creates a compelling conflict that has every viewer rooting for an impossible happy ending.

3 A Story of Floating Weeds

Kihachi is the leader of an actors’ troupe in A Story of Floating Weeds, and he sometimes visits with his ex-lover. Although Kihchi pays for his son’s school and sometimes visits clandestinely, the son believes that his father is a deceased civil servant. When Kihachi’s girlfriend finds out about his son, she hatches a jealous plan to ruin the son and embarrass Kihachi. This complicated plot with an all star cast is one of Ozu’s most suspenseful and plot-driven films.
This great silent movie was so popular, Ozu even remade it as the beautiful Floating Weeds, with vibrant sound and luscious color (and was preferred by Roger Ebert, who said it was “like a familiar piece of music that I can turn to for reassurance and consolation.”) Both A Story of Floating Weeds and Floating Weeds are perfect for people just starting to watch Ozu’s films.

2 I was Born But…

Even though I Was Born But… was one of Ozu’s earlier films, his background in camerawork and eye for storytelling are almost just as present. Two brothers’ lives are turned upside down when they move to Tokyo’s inner city. They are bullied by the local boys and learn that their father is not as important at work as brothers thought.
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According to New Encyclopedia, before WWII, Ozu’s films contained a lot of the same physical humor that was popular at the time. This film is no exception. By focusing on the perspective of the two brothers, there are plenty of opportunities for all kinds of jokes about the carefree youth. Yet, the director couldn’t help but stumble into a more serious social commentary about Japan’s social structure and children becoming aware of adult struggles. The blend between the light-hearted humor and thought-provoking themes makes this film popular even today.

1 An Autumn Afternoon

About 30 years after he started directing, Ozu created his last film, An Autumn Afternoon. It still stands as a masterpiece that incorporates some of the best of Ozu’s style. Perhaps no other movie showcases Ozu’s unique 360 degree cinematography like this one does with its layers of depth and constantly changing angles.
In this film, a single dad decides to arrange a marriage for his daughter (she has stayed single for a long time to take care of her father). The plot is very similar to Late Spring, but with different characters, a beautiful color palette, and a different and much more melancholic tone. Although father-child relationships are common in Ozu’s films, this is one of the strongest. The sorrowful acceptance of the father’s fate speaks to the sad resignation that people in a vast variety of circumstances can relate to, and the film remains agruably Ozu’s most underrated.


Girl and boy look at each other in passing.
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