YASUJIRO OZU

Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBBBB

Original title:  Ochazuke No Aji

Japan, 1952.  Shôchiku Eiga.  Screenplay by Kogo Noda, Yasujiro Ozu.  Cinematography by Yuharu Atsuta.  Produced by Takeshi Yamamoto.  Music by Ichiro Saito.  Production Design by Tatsuo Hamada.  Costume Design by Taizo Saito. Film Editing by Yoshiyasu Hamamura.  

The possible disintegration of a marriage is charted in this brilliant film as a husband and wife have become immune to each other’s personalities, with him throwing himself into his work and she spending most of her time with her relatives or going to spa resorts with her friends. Meanwhile, her niece is rebelling against the arranged marriage that her family sets up for her and wants to choose a husband of her own. Photographed in beautiful black-and-white, this film shows the modernization of the new Japan while also putting across in such glimmering detail the age-old struggles of relationships. Ozu directs with a perfectly sharp focus on personal nuances, and the result is staggering.