It has taken me some time to get to the work of Yasujiro Ozu, one of the most lauded filmmakers of all time. His TOKYO STORY appears on many best of all time lists. His style was completely original in its time and influences can be seen in many current Asian filmmakers' work as well as Jonathan Demme.
Leisurely the story begins establishing the small Japanese fishing village setting. A traveling kabuki troupe arrives in town, which is going through a heat streak. Soon troupe leader Komajuro (Ganjiro Nakamura, KWAIDAN) emerges as our central character. The beginning reminded me of how in a Robert Altman film we take peeks into the lives of various characters. Turns out that Komajuro had an affair with teahouse worker Oyoshi (Haruko Sugimura, RED BEARD) and their son Kiyoshi (Hiroshi Kawaguchi, THE GREAT WALL) believes that his father is his uncle, who he hasn’t seen in 12 years. When the troupe’s lead actress and Komajuro’s mistress, Sumiko (Machiko Kyo, UGETSU), finds out, she is furious and plots to have pretty young actress Kayo (Ayako Wakao, AN ACTOR'S REVENGE) seduce Kiyoshi.
Ozu’s visual style is colorful and poetic. Many scenes often close with an elegiac shot that compliments or counters the meaning or mood of the previous scene. But the most striking stylistic choice is the framing of medium close-ups, which often has the actors just looking off camera. It brings a haunting intimacy to many of film’s more dramatic scenes. As for the film’s drama, Ozu doesn’t pump up the melodrama, but presents it naturally with restraint.
This even keel approach carries over to the Komajuro character. In many films, we either get one-note characters or one’s with extreme highs and lows. Komajuro is kind, goofy, sad, angry, furious, etc. over the course of the film. His range of emotions help richly define who he is as a person. Little exposition is needed because we learn a great deal about him through his reactions and his interactions with the other characters. Details about the characters’ past are revealed naturally and prove nice surprises through the course of the narrative. Komajuro is a fascinating character. On the surface he puts on a happy face, but underneath he doubts his worth, which leads to him refusing to reveal his identity to his son.
In addition to what makes up one’s identity, the main theme is the conflict between the young and old generation. There is a great scene were Komajuro and Kiyoshi go fishing and Kiyoshi questions the quality of the troupe’s dated play. The story nicely weaves Komajuro’s self-doubt into his relationship with his son. Underlining the complexity of the characters, Oyoshi is a kind, pleasing woman, but she will act decisively when she feels it is needed.
A subplot deals with the troubles of living as a traveling actor. It’s a tough life with little pay, which makes finding love very hard. A trio of male actors, not only serves as a comical chorus, but provides a window into the main character’s feelings, as well as, in general, the life of itinerant actors, which in Japan are known as floating weeds. Ozu equally presents well-developed characters, as well as a portrait of a lifestyle.
Upon their time of original release, Ozu’s films were not distributed much outside of Japan, because they were considered “too Japanese.” This was probably due to Ozu’s more casual and natural style, which has more in common with current independent productions than the high drama of 1950s Hollywood cinema. In this, FLOATING WEEDS feels contemporary and retains universally relevant.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
