Kenji Mizoguchi
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His most famous film, Tokyo Story (1953), is generally considered by critics and film buffs alike to be his "masterpiece" and is regarded by many as not only one of Ozu's best films but one of the best films ever made.
- January 1, 1
- Tokyo, Japan
- January 1, 1
- Tokyo, Japan
- I Was Born, But… (1932) Only 36 of Ozu’s 54 films survive to this day. He made the bulk of the lost titles, including his debut and only period drama, The Sword of Penitence (1927), during the silent era.
- Dragnet Girl (1933) This Yokohama-set crime drama is barely recognisable as a Japanese film (save for its Japanese performers), let alone one from the future director of Tokyo Story (1953).
- A Story of Floating Weeds (1934) The hallmarks of the Ozu style are much more evident in this portrait of the dramas within an itinerant kabuki troupe in which not all of the family relationships are immediately apparent.
- Late Spring (1949) The postwar era saw Ozu and his screenwriter Kogo Noda narrowing their focus almost exclusively towards family life. Late Spring might be described as the archetypal Ozu set-up, and the first in the so-called ‘Noriko trilogy’, in which Setsuko Hara played effectively the same character in different household situations.
- 10 'Equinox Flower'
- 9 'Good Morning'
- 8 'I Was Born, But...'
- 7 'Floating Weeds'
- 6 'Late Autumn'
- 5 'Tokyo Twilight'
- 4 'An Autumn Afternoon'
- 3 'Early Summer'
- 2 'Late Spring'
- 1 'Tokyo Story'
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10 Many of Yasujirō Ozu's most acclaimed films come from the last decade of his career, with Equinox Flower being one such example. It takes a family-themed story (just like the majority of Ozu's films do) but tackles it in a comedic way without sacrificing the drama, making it one of his best-known dramedies. The plot involves a y...
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10 Good Morningis perhaps the most light-hearted and breezy Yasujirō Ozu film. It has a charmingly low-stakes story that's nevertheless entertaining, as it centers on two young boys who protest their parents' refusal to buy a television set by going on a silence strike. Given the protagonists are the kids (though the parents still ...
IMDb Rating: 7.9/10 Interestingly, I Was Born, But... is an example of a movie that was remade by its own director, in a way. This is because I Was Born, But... has a remarkably similar premise to the aforementioned Good Morning(1959). Instead of two young boys protesting until they get a television set, in this 1932 movie, two boys throw a tantrum...
IMDb Rating: 7.9/10 Floating Weeds stands out among other Yasujirō Ozu movies because of its setting. Many Ozu films are filmed within populated city areas, whereas Floating Weedsmemorably takes place in a much smaller coastal town, and therefore develops a unique look and overall mood that helps make it unique within Ozu's filmography. RELATED: Gr...
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10 There are numerous Yasujirō Ozu films released during the final years of his career that feature seasons referenced in their titles. This can have the effect of making some of them bleed together, but that could also be due to them all being high-quality movies, further adding to the sense that when selecting a title from Ozu's ...
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10 Deservedly earning its reputation for being Yasujirō Ozu's heaviest film, Tokyo Twilight may not be an easy watch, but it is an undeniably absorbing one. It follows two sisters who learn about their long-lost mother who left them when they were much younger. The older sister doesn't take the news terribly, but it heavily impacts...
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10 1962's An Autumn Afternoonended up being the last movie Yasujirō Ozu ever made, as the director passed away the next year on his birthday at the age of 60. It ended up being a tremendously bittersweet swansong for the director, with the plot centering on an aging widower making arrangements to marry off his only daughter, despit...
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10 Like An Autumn Afternoon, Early Summer also revolves around the conflict caused by a family trying to select a romantic partner for their daughter. Unlike An Autumn Afternoon, however, Early Summerhas the daughter as its protagonist instead of centering things on a significantly older parent. Ozu's three highest-rated films acco...
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10 Arguably Ozu's first post-WW2 masterpiece - and one of the best films of the 1940s - Late Springis yet another compelling and engaging family drama from the great director. Its plot involves numerous people who want a young woman in her late-20s to marry, yet she doesn't seem to want a relationship and is instead happy to contin...
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10 Tokyo Story is undeniably Yasujirō Ozu's most famous film, and it's not hard to see why it's also his highest-rated on IMDb. It's a gentle yet very sad movie about two grandparents visiting their family, only to find that they receive little attention from their children and grandchildren, who all seem to be preoccupied with oth...
- Jeremy Urquhart
- Feature Writer/Senior List Writer
Jan 12, 2021 · By Hanah Johnson. Published Jan 12, 2021. One of the most influential directors in the world, the works of Yasujiro Ozu are still considered some of the best movies ever made. A prolific director during the decades before and after the Second World War, Ozu's work is very distinctive from conventional Hollywood cinema, both in its storytelling ...
- Hanah Johnson
An Autumn Afternoon (1962)- The End Of Summer (1961)
- Early Spring (1956)
1. Zange no yaiba (1927) 70 min | Drama. 6.5. Rate. Ishimatsu is out of jail and wants to rebuild his life. But his brother, Sakichi, and his old partners are not going to allow it. Directors: Yasujirô Ozu, Torajirô Saitô | Stars: Hikaru Kitchôji, Kunimatsu Ogawa, Eiko Atsumi, Kanji Kawara. Votes: 58. Lost film. 2. Dreams of Youth (1928)
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His most widely beloved films include Late Spring (1949), Tokyo Story (1953) and An Autumn Afternoon (1962). Widely regarded as one of the world's greatest and most influential filmmakers, Ozu's work has continued to receive acclaim since his death.
1. Tokyo Story (1953) Not Rated | 136 min | Drama. 8.2. Rate. 100 Metascore. An old couple visit their children and grandchildren in the city, but receive little attention. Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Chishû Ryû, Chieko Higashiyama, Sô Yamamura, Setsuko Hara. Votes: 64,037. Tokyo Story. Blu-Ray (4K Remastered Edition, 2020) (BFI) (UK) 2.
