-- "死んでも、死んでも、後から後から、先繰り、先繰り生まれて来るわ (No matter how many die, new lives will be born to take their place)"
Even though I have only seen two of his movies so far, Ozu Yasujiro has become one of my favorite directors. As my partner pointed out, many of his inside shots consist of the distinct, fixed camera angle -- to be more specific, like the scene above, it is often set to the eye level and medium shot. The plot centers around the Kohayakawa family who runs a sake brewery and whose head and father, Monbei regularly meets his mistress. The youngest of the family and his daughter, Noriko and widowed sister-in-law, Akiko and her son are living together in Osaka and are both arranged to meet potential marital partners, though neigher of them feels like getting married to the men to whom they were introduced. Monbei's other older daughter is married and lives with him and her husband. This is a mundane family drama beautifully shot in color, like his other movies.
Among all of his beautiful shots in the movie, some of my favorite ones are pillow shots where no human subject is captured. Although I was unable to find very many, here are some of my favorite ones (including shots with human subjects):
And here are some cultural trivia/background of the film as I grew up in Osaka: I am guessing that the bar in Osaka is located in the center of Osaka city, most likely in Namba area. At the beginning of the movie, you see some neon sign shots like below:
I am guessing this is a sign of a capsule hotel in Namba, New Japan, as the website says the hotel has been there for a few decades since Showa era.
While Osaka has been famous for having a lot of neon signs and tall buildings, Kyoto is known to have more traditional buildings. Kyoto also has some sake breweries just like the Kohayakawa family owns one.
It was also interesting to see how traditional Japanese style and modern Western style are mixed in the movie, represented in clothes, interior, and so on. I would say many people don't really wear kimono on a daily basis like Akiko does in the film, and traditional style houses have been replaced by modern houses sadly. However, Kirin beer still stays popular and buildings like New Japan still exist after a few decades.
Oveall, I really enjoyed the movie for great shots and some funny lines as well as scenes that capture people's lives back in the day. When you see this film, look out for some great pillow shots and family drama that is mundane but still beautiful and entertaining.
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