Tôkyô Monogatari (1953)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 136 minuten
Alternative titles: Tokyo Story / 東京物語
Country:
Japan
Directed by: Yasujirô Ozu
Stars: Chishû Ryû, Chieko Higashiyama and Setsuko Hara
IMDb score:
8,1 (73.097)
Releasedate: 3 November 1953
Tôkyô Monogatari plot
"As long as life goes on, relationships between parents and children will bring boundless joy and endless grief."
An elderly couple Hirayama travels from the countryside to Tokyo, where their children live. There they encounter indifference and unwillingness to spend time with them. Only the now single daughter-in-law Noriko takes a day off to give them a tour of the city. The next day, the children send their parents to a noisy seaside town outside the city, whose parents soon return. Before their return home, one last confrontation between parents and children takes place.
Actors and actresses
Shukishi Hirayama
Tomi Hirayama
Noriko Hirayama
Shige Kaneko
Koichi Hirayama
Fumiko Hirayama
Kyôko Hirayama
Sanpei Numata
Kurazo Kaneko
Keiso Hirayama
Reviews & comments
Film Pegasus (moderator films)
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- 30793 messages
- 5344 votes
I had already seen the film once, which got stuck in a good average. But a film like this sinks a little deeper afterwards. The story of an old couple from a village who comes to the big city. They seek their children in the knowledge that life can pass quickly. They enjoy the moments with their children, but unfortunately they don't really have time for them. They compensate for that by letting them (in their eyes) do fun things and show them the city. That can also be pleasant, but that's not what the parents come for. Ironic that it is precisely the daughter-in-law who makes so much time to see them. Perhaps because that way she can show her love for her deceased partner. She does this for her husband so she can reminisce.
The mother occasionally mentions that she is struggling with her health, but no one seems to hear that. And when she is ready to die, the children are still busy with practical things. Grieving is mainly something that comes with and is 'normal' in people of older love. There is no real sadness, or at least not to a large extent.
A nice story that for some film viewers shows a bit theatrical. But it's just nice how the camera stands still with the images. It wants to dwell on life, let the images speak for themselves. The camera thus follows the parents around whom the children's lives seem to pass with their careers.
Translated from Dutch · View original
mjk87 (moderator films)
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- 13899 messages
- 4211 votes
This may be Ozu's great masterpiece, but I actually thought this was his least. Much more about plot and ideas than about the characters, while his other films are much more enjoyable about nice little recognizable moments. Even if the theme was something pedantic at the time, I don't actually see any very special things in the relationships between the parents and their adult children. Furthermore, some nice scenes of Tokyo, but there are too few memorable scenes. Anyway, an Ozu and his qualities are great enough to at least make a great film. Only a disappointment, since I expected much more. Just at 3.5*.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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