Tokyo Story

The domestic dramas of Yasujiro Ozu (1903-1963) are gentle, reflective, and serene, expressing the deepest, most fundamental realities of human life--particularly the relationships of aging parents to their grown children--through silence and the simplest of gestures, building to quietly devastating conclusions. Though apparently provincial, their themes touch a universal chord, and while they represent the very antithesis of technical virtuosity, their spare, static style is intoxicatingly intense. This 1953 masterpiece follows a rural couple who visit their married son and daughter in the city, depicting the benign neglect with which the busy children treat their familial guests during their stay; indeed, the most gracious welcome comes from a widowed daughter-in-law. The focus, as the old father says to a friend at one point, is how hard it is to lose one's children and then live with them as they grow more distant and self-obsessed. Wise, wryly funny, and in the end heartbreaking, Tokyo Story is presented in this Criterion Collection set in a beautiful original aspect ratio full-screen transfer (with commentary by scholar David Desser), with a second disc devoted to a two-hour documentary on the director and a half-hour tribute film. My only quibble is with the unfortunate decision to go with white subtitles, which sometimes blend in with bright backgrounds and become illegible. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray/DVD Combo Review—Nov. 19, 2013—Criterion, 3 discs, 136 min., in Japanese w/English subtitles, not rated, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1953's Tokyo Story features a fine transfer and uncompressed monaural audio. Extras include audio commentary by Yasujiro Ozu scholar David Desser, the 1983 documentary “I Lived, But…” on Ozu's life and career (123 min.), a “Chishu Ryu and Shochiku's Ofuna Studio” 1988 archival featurette on the actor (45 min.), a 1993 “Talking with Ozu” tribute that includes reflections by filmmakers Claire Denis, Aki Kaurismäki, Wim Winders, and others (40 min.), and a booklet featuring an essay by critic David Bordwell. Bottom line: an excellent dual-format release of a Japanese film classic, this is highly recommended.]