Another classic from Japanese master-director Ozu, our eye was caught by this line in the Filmhouse’s introduction to the latest film in their Ozu season: “Please note: Contains comic flatulence“. Not that this would nessiarily put us off a movie, it was somewhat… unexpected! Ozu’s poetic style of sedate, observational film-making seemingly lends itself to ’serious’ subject matters, but this moving is a comedic gem.
“Ohayo…” (Good morning… 1959) is a beautifully realistic slice of Japanese life, set in and around the breakfast tables of shoulder-to-shoulder suburban family homes. As seems to be a trait of Ozu films, the families are transitioning from the old to the new: Following the two young brothers who, making excuses about English lessons, sneak to neighboring tatami-floored house to watch Sumo on a new TV. When their father puts his foot down, the children refuse to speak again until they get their own way. At times brilliantly funny, the interplay between the nosy gossiping neighbors, the hard-working modern parents with one foot in tradition, the children bemused by the mundaneness of adult conversation, Ohayo will have you fascinated from the opening shots. Talking of which, Yasujiro Ozus sparse but beautiful filming style works perfectly here, leaving the characters shine.
“Ohayo” is part of the “Yasujiro Ozu: From Spring to Autumn” season at the Edinburgh Filmhouse Cinema.
Yasujiro Ozu is an influential Japanese director, best known for his film “Tokyo Story” (Tokyo monogatari). Shot in 1953, this beautifully detailed film follows an elderly couple leaving their hometown to visit their grown-up children in Tokyo. The children are busy, wrapped in their own lives, with little time to spend with their aging parents who seem to of a different era. Post-war Tokyo is bustling and chaotic, and the clash between ‘old world’ and ‘new world’ plays out in the subtle relationships between the family.
Tokyo Story was filmed in (at the time) a quite revolutionary style, shot knee-height with stationary cameras, and at times lingering voyeuristically long after the participants long since vacated the scene. The style adds to the crushing summer atmosphere and the mostly unspoken conflict between tradition and a blossoming modern world.
Yasujiro Ozu passed away in 1963, but left a catalog of exceptional and highly personal films.
Footnote
If you are an Edinburgh (Scotland) resident, you can currently catch many of Yasujiro Ozu’s films at the Filmhouse Cinema from January 3rd until February 4th.
The Japanese Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, has started his own Twitter (@hatoyamayukio) and Blog (http://hatocafe.kantei.go.jp/). With falling popularity, Yukio Hatoyama has already used his blog as a platform to apologise for the recent funding scandal. It’s part of an interested trend around the world where politicians strive to find new ways of communicating with increasingly apathetic and younger voters using popular social platforms such as Twitter.
Saturday Dec 5, 2009. Posted by MisaMisa under Events
I guess the saying “It’s never too late to say sorry” has a whole new meaning when you do it in front of a camera to be seen by anyone.
December 10th has been recently designated as Gomenne no hi（ごめんねの日), or “Sorry Day” by The Japan Anniversary Association. This is one of the registered themed days you can celebrate throughout the whole year thanks to JAA to promote the culture of Japan. It isn’t a National holiday as such but it gives people the chance to consider their past actions and whether they need to say sorry. Unlike in western cultures, saying sorry is important part of Japanese daily life and used so widely that its meaning become more than just a simple sorry. Visit the site Gomenne.jp counting down to December 10th and see curiously apologetic girls.
Some of the other registered days caught our attention so far include: May 23rd “Love Letter Day” courtesy of Shochiku, July 20th “Hamburger day” courtesy of Mcdonalds and Nov 11th “Pocky & Pretz Day” courtesy of Ezaki Glico.
And if you fancy adding your own celebration, visit the JAA’s web site and fill in an application form with details of your celebration (for a small fee).
Welcome to the BiteSizedJapan Blog
BiteSizedJapan is a new member-contributed culture magazine exploring all aspects of Japanese culture and customs in easy to digest bites. From anime and manga, to the latest pop music, inspirational literature and art, BiteSizedJapan has a little bit of everything.
This blog features news, updates and fun things that catch our eye as we gather our resources together for our first ever issue! In April 2010 we’ll be launching issue 1 with lots of neat surprises. Meanwhile you can follow our progress here, or check out our Flickr (flickr.com/photos/bitesizedjapan) for sneak previews, or why not follow us on Twitter (@bitesizedjapan).
