Blu-ray Review: Ozu’s ‘Tokyo Story’ Gets Criterion Remaster

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It’s not surprising that filmmakers led the way in the reappraisal of Ozu’s beloved “Tokyo Story,” which recently ranked #3 on the Sight & Sound poll of all-time best films and was remastered for a Criterion Blu-ray/DVD combo pack release now in stores. Ozu’s film is such a perfect blend of realism and conscious filmmaking. What I men is that it clearly strives to be about relatable, believable human behavior and yet one can also so clearly see the techniques which Ozu uses (or lack thereof given his never-moving camera) to achieve such realism. It is both incredibly human and cinematic at the same time. And that perfect balance of the real and the auteur has helped make it timeless. The Criterion edition, as you’d suspect, is glorious, complete with a perfect transfer and informative, insightful special features. It would be a crime if anyone else were to handle the Blu-ray premiere of such a classic film.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

According to the essay by the great David Bordwell within this release, Ozu thought of “Tokyo Story” as too melodramatic and it’s not impossible to see why. At its core, it’s a film about generational and cultural differences manifesting themselves within the very traditional, especially in this part of the world, form of family. There are moments, such as when a grandmother wonders if she’ll be around to see if her grandson becomes a doctor when he grows up, that would have been pure melodrama if not for the way that Ozu drapes his story in realism. It’s mostly in his camera choices, never moving it and so often shooting scenes of dialogue from the other room. If the actors aren’t looking directly to camera, we are in a doorway, often at the level of a child, and often with the actors’ backs turned to us. It creates an eavesdropping aesthetic that allow any melodrama to be overcome.

“Tokyo Story” is a slow, subtle film, one in which it feels like every shot, every angle, and every line of dialogue is both carefully considered and yet heartfelt and real at the same time. One begins to forget that they’re watching actors in a fictional story at a certain point as Ozu so completely uses his cinematic skill to capture complex human relations. It’s a masterpiece and we should all be grateful that Criterion has brought it to the HD generation.

Tokyo Story was released on Blu-ray on November 19, 2013
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Criterion Collection

Synopsis:
A profoundly stirring evocation of elemental humanity and universal heartbreak, Tokyo Story is the crowning achievement of the unparalleled Yasujiro Ozu. The film, which follows an aging couple’s journey to visit their grown children in bustling postwar Tokyo, surveys the rich and complex world of family life with the director’s customary delicacy and incisive perspective on social mores. Featuring lovely performances from Ozu regulars Chishuu Ryu and Setsuko Hara, Tokyo Story plumbs and deepens the director’s recurring themes of generational conflict, creating what is without questions one of cinema’s mightiest masterpieces.

Special Features:
o Audio Commentary Featuring Yasujiro Ozu Scholar David Desser, Editor Of Ozu’s Tokyo Story
o I Lived, But…, A Two Hour Documentary From 1983 About Ozu’s Life And Career, Featuring Interviews With Critics And Former Cast And Crew Members
o Talking With Ozu, A Forty Minute Tribute To The Director From 1993, Featuring The Reflections Of Filmmakers Lindsay Anderson, Claire Denis, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Aki Kaurismaki, Stanley Kwan, Paul Schrader, And Wim Wenders
o Documentary From 1988 About Actor Chishu Ryu’s Work At Shochiku’s Ofuna Studio, Featuring An Interview With Ryu
o Trailer
o Booklet Featuring An Essay By Critic David Bordwell

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com