Tokyo Story

In the organizer's words:

Director: OZU Yasujirô
1953, 135 minutes, OmeU, DCP

Probably Ozu's most famous masterpiece describes the estrangement between the different generations of a family. The Hirayama couple travel to Tokyo to visit their children and grandchildren. But they soon become a nuisance because no one wants to look after them. Only Noriko, who was married to a son who went missing in the war, provides them with warmth and affection. To stop being a burden, the couple travel to a hot spring, but even there they feel uncomfortable because of loudly partying teenagers. On the way home, the wife suffers a fainting spell, so they stop off at a son's house in Osaka. Back home, the children rush to their mother's deathbed. Shortly after the funeral, all but Noriko leave, leaving their father alone.

Film series
Ozu Yasujirô (1903 - 1963)
A tribute to the Japanese directing legend

Ozu Yasujirô is one of Japan's most internationally renowned directors. To mark his 120th birthday, which he would have celebrated this year, the production company Shôchiku and the Japan Foundation have digitally restored several works, six of which we are presenting. The series is complemented by TOKYO-GA by master director Wim Wenders.

The perfectionist Ozu developed an unmistakable film aesthetic, which he pursued with strict consistency. Characteristic are camera shots in which the action is filmed at the eye level of a person sitting on the floor, whereby Ozu always used a 50mm lens. He also deliberately avoided cross-fades, tracking shots or panning shots and restricted himself to fixed shots and simple cuts.

In almost all of his films, Ozu focused on the complex relationships within a family and portrayed the multi-layered emotional interdependencies between the different generations.
Both behind and in front of the camera, he worked with a well-coordinated and distinguished team, and many of his actors and actresses were among the stars of their time.

The series is a cooperation with the Arsenal - Institut für Film und Videokunst e.V. in Berlin, the Metropolis Kino, Kinemathek Hamburg e.V. and the Filmhaus Nürnberg in the KunstKulturQuartier.

Price information:

Admission free