Tokyo Story

A film by Yasujiro Ozu

Tokyo Story (Tokyo monogatari) (1953, 136 min)

A constant fixture in critics’ polls, Yasujiro Ozu’s most enduring masterpiece, Tokyo Story, is a beautifully nuanced exploration of filial duty, expectation and regret. From the simple tale of an elderly husband and wife’s visit to Tokyo to see their grown-up children, Ozu draws a compelling contrast between the measured dignity of age and the hurried insensitivity of a younger generation.

Script: Kogo Noda and Yasujiro Ozu

Cast: Chishu Ryu, Chieko Higashiyama, Setsuko Hara

Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family (Todake no kyodai) (1941, 100 min, DVD only)

Prefiguring Tokyo Story’s generational themes, Ozu’s finely-honed family drama, Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family, is also a sharp critique of bourgeois frivolity that achieved great success on its release in war-time Japan. After the death of her husband, Mrs Toda and her youngest daughter receive a frosty welcome from extended family. Duty collides with self-interest in this inclusive satire.

Script: Tadao Ikeda and Yasujiro Ozu

Cast: Hideo Fujino, Ayako Katsuragi, Mieko Takamine, Shin Saburi