Yasujiro OZU
Born 1903; died 1963. He grew up in Tokyo
and went to school in Matsuzaka, where
he also worked as a teacher’s assistant in a
village school. In 1923, he began working
as an assistant cameraman for the film
company Shochiku. He later became an
assistant director, and in 1927 a director for
the company, which produced 51 of his 54
films. He began with comedies and moved on
to quiet dramas about families and society.
His minimalist, austere style has inspired
younger directors such as Wim Wenders and
Aki Kaurismäki.
Filmography
1927 Zange no yaiba
1928 Kabocha
1928 Nyobo funshitsu
1928 Wakodo no yume (Jugendträume)
1928 Hikkoshi fufu
1928 Nikutaibi
1929 Takara no yama
1929 Kaishain seikatsu
1929 Gakusei Romance: Wakaki hi
1929 Wasei kenka tomodachi
1929 Daigaku wa deta keredo (Ich habe promoviert, aber...)
1929 Tokkan kozo (Ein brauchbarer Junge)
1930 Sono yo no tsuma (Die Frau jener Nacht)
1930 Kekkongaku nyumon
1930 Hogaraka ni ayume (Gehen Sie ruhig spazieren)
1930 Rakudai wa shita keredo (Ich bin zwar durchgefallen, aber)
1930 Erogami no onryo
1930 Ashi ni sawatta kou
1930 Ojosan
1931 Shukujo to hige (Die Dame und ihr bärtiger Verehrer)
1931 Bijin aishu
1931 Tokyo no gassho (Der Chor von Tokyo)
1932 Haru wa gofujin kara
1932 Umarete wa mita keredo... (Ich wurde geboren, aber...)
1932 Seishun no yume imaizuko (Wo sind die Träume
der Jugend?)
1932 Mata au hi made
1933 Tokyo no onna (Eine Frau von Tokyo)
1933 Hijosen no onna (Eine Frau in der Gefahrenzone)
1933 Dekigokoro (Eine Laune/Eine plötzliche Eingebung)
1934 Haha wokowazuya (Eine Mutter sollte geliebt werden)
1934 Ukigusa monogatari (Geschichte v. schwankenden Gräsern)
1935 Hakoiri musume
1935 Tokyo no yado (Eine Herberge in Tokyo)
1936 Kagamijishi (Dokumentarfilm über Kabuki)
1936 Daigaku yoitoko
1936 Hitori musuko (Der einzige Sohn)
1937 Shukujo wa nani o wasureta ka (Was hat die Dame vergessen?)
1941 Todake no kyodai (Die Geschwister Toda)
1942 Chichi ariki (Es war einmal ein Vater)
1947 Nagaya shinshiroku (Erzählungen eines Nachbarn)
1948 Kaze no naka no mendori (Ein Huhn im Wind)
1949 Banshun (Später Frühling)
Bilder 6 bis 9
1950 Munekata kyoudai (Die Munakata-Schwestern)
1951 Bakush (Weizenherbst)
1952 Ochazuke no aji (Geschmack von grünem Tee über Reis)
1953 Tokyo monogatari (Die Reise nach Tokyo)
Bilder 1 bis 5
1956 Soshun (Früher Frühling)
1957 Tokyo boshoku (Tokyo in der Dämmerung)
1958 Higanbana (Sommerblüten)
1959 Ohayo (Guten Morgen)
1959 Ukigusa (Abschied in der Dämmerung)
1960 Akibiyori (Spätherbst)
1961 Kohayagawa-ke no aki (Herbst der Familie Kohayagawa)
1962 Sanma no aji (Ein Herbstnachmittag)
Late Autumn - Akibiyori (1960)
Seven years after the death of a close friend, three middle-aged men plan to arrange a marriage for the dead man’s daughter. But 24-year old Ayako doesn’t really want to marry; she would rather continue taking care of her widowed mother. So the three men decide that the best course is to marry off the rather comely mother, Akiko, before the daughter … preferably to one of them. More
Tokyo monogatari - Tokyo Story (1953)
The Hirayamas travel from their hometown of Onomichi to Tokyo tovisit their adult children. But the younger generation make them feelmore in the way than welcome. It also emerges that their son’s career asa doctor and their daughter’s as a hairdresser are nowhere near as successfulas the couple were led to believe from afar. The only one whoreally makes an effort to spend time with them is their daughter-in-law,Noriko, the widow of the Hirayama’s son who went missing in the war. More
Early Summer - Bakushu (1951)
The 1951 film, about a young woman named Noriko whose family is trying to marry her off, is one of Ozu’s later works. Noriko is played by Ozu’s favourite actress, Setsuko Hara, who died in September 2015 at the age of 95. The 4K digital restoration project by the well-known Japanese production company Shochiku was led by Ozu’s former assistant cameraman Takashi Kawamata and cinematographer Masashi Chikamori, known for his work as a DP on Yoji Yamada films. More
Late Spring - Banshun (1949)
Twenty-seven-year-old Noriko lives with her widowed father, a university professor, in a small house in the tranquil surroundings of northern Kamakura. He is completing a scientific manuscript, aided by his assistant, Hattori. Professor Sonomiya is concerned for his daughter s welfare, and one day suggests she marry Hattori. Noriko only laughs at his suggestion because she is quite happy with her life and knows that Hattori is already engaged. Her aunt Masa, the professor s sister, is the next person to try out her matchmaking skills, and she talks Noriko into meeting Mr Satake. More
I was born, but - Umarete wa mita keredo (1932)
Yoshii, his wife and their two sons, Ryoichi and Keiji, move into a Tokyo suburb. The head of Yoshii’s department lives nearby. When he invites Yoshii’s family and all the children in the neighbourhood to a film show at his house, Ryoichi and Keiji are thrilled to discover their father on the screen. But when he starts pulling all sorts of faces to please his boss and thereby – in the eyes of his sons – embarrasses himself in front of everyone, the two boys’ world is in tatters. Upon returning home, they demand an explanation for his undignified behaviour. More
