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Chishu Ryu, Chieko Higashiyama, Sô Yamamura, Setsuko Hara, Kyoko Kagawa ... see more see more... , Haruko Sugimura , Shiro Osaka , Toru Abe , Kuniko Miyake , Mitsuhiro Mori , Zen Murase , Teruko Nagaoka , Nobuo Nakamura , Toyoko Takahashi , Hisao Toake , Eijirô Tono , Mutsuko Sakura

As with much of director Yasujiro Ozu's work, a plot summary of this film does not do justice to the emotional power that Ozu lends to this sad, understated tale. An elderly couple, Shukichi (Chishu R... read more read more...yu) and Tomi Hirayama (Chieko Higashiyama), leaves their small coastal village in southern Japan to visit their married children in Tokyo. Their eldest son, Koichi (So Yamamura), a doctor running a clinic in a working-class part of town, is too busy to show them around town, and their eldest daughter is occupied with her beauty salon. Only their widowed daughter-in-law, Noriko, played memorably by Setsuko Hara, is willing to take time off work to show the couple the sights of Tokyo. The older children arrange for their parents to visit Atami Hot Springs, but the unimpressed couple soon returns to Tokyo. Tomi stays with her daughter-in-law while Shukichi goes out drinking with some of his buddies, and the bunch complains about their vague sense of disappointment toward their children. Later, he stumbles into his daughter Shige's (Haruko Sugimura ) house late at night. On the way back to their village, tragedy strikes. The callous inattention that son and daughter paid to their parents becomes unamendable. Shige and Koichi quickly return to their busy lives in Tokyo after the funeral, as Noriko and youngest daughter Kyoko (Kyoko Kagawa) remain. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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93% liked it

9,135 ratings

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37 critics

Unrated, 2 hr. 14 min.

Directed by: Yasujiro Ozu

Release Date: November 3, 1953

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DVD Release Date: October 30, 2003

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Flixster Reviews (817)

  • axadntpron
    February 16, 2012
    axadntpron
    A beautiful film about the ever-changing nature of life and a people on the mend after the cataclysm of World War 2. This exploration of life's unpredictability and the consequent generational discord is treated solemnly, but with a warm sense of understanding that permeates the ... read morescreen. The characters are often distraught by the hand they have been dealt, but they seem to have an odd grasp of it. Pain and joy often come hand in hand and Ozu magically captures this push and pull between happiness and sorrow flawlessly. He also succeeds in making these grand statements about change, death, selfishness, guilt, generational disputes, and life's disappointing continuity, without feeling too didactic.
    On top of these qualities, the way Ozu plays with space is something I have never seen before. Even in the most intimate of places, we can become disoriented. Although we often take the same steps over and over again, life is always a labyrinth of constant change.
    Like Kurosawa's Stray Dog, Ozu also focuses on the oppression of the heat. From the kids worrying about how to get rid of the parent's burdensome visit, to the Grandparent's trip to a spa meant for a younger generation, each character clutches a fan, attempting to comfort themselves from the uncomfortable atmosphere. It is just one of the many symbols of a people trying to do what they can to cope with such a tentative existence.
    I can see why this film has been raved about over the many decades since its initial release. It's message is timeless, but the approach feels so fresh. It is an outstanding film and one that should not be missed.
  • SirPant
    February 14, 2011
    SirPant
    Only Ozu could make such an uplifting and heartwarming film and include the line 'Isn't life disappointing?' as it's conclusion (said with a smile though I might add). It's never condemning or preachy, it is what it is, a window into the past that should be cherished.
  • animegirlaya
    October 13, 2010
    animegirlaya
    I first watched Tokyo Story in a classroom some time ago and witnessed something curious.
    Is such a brilliantly devised movie though it takes more then 1 watch to fully get it the movie is no doubt one of the greatest in cinema.
    Tokyo Story takes a deep look at familial relati... read moreons in post-war Japan. Simply, two aging parents live far away from their children, who are in a quickly modernizing Tokyo. The children in Tokyo are quite selfish and focused on their own busy lives in the hustle-and-bustle of the city. The key character in this film, though, is Noriko, the widow of one of the parents' sons who died in the war.

    Elderly couple Shukishi and Tomi Hirayama live in the small coastal village of Onomichi, Japan with their youngest daughter, schoolteacher Kyoko Hirayama. Their other three surviving adult children, who they have not seen in quite some time, live either in Tokyo or Osaka. As such, Shukishi and Tomi make the unilateral decision to have an extended visit in Tokyo with their children, pediatrician Koichi Hirayama and beautician Shige Kaneko, and their respective families which includes two grandchildren. In transit, they make an unexpected stop in Osaka and stay with their other son, Keiso Hirayama. All there children each trying to figure out what to do with their parents while they continue on with their own daily lives.

    Ozu Yasujiro is considered to be one of the world's greatest filmmakers and Tokyo Story is considered his masterpiece. There is no reason to deny this. Ozu's camera is often viewer to feel like they are sitting right with the characters. His films are also often slowly paced and meditative, choosing to avoid showing important events which later are revealed through dialogue. Ozu's direction of children has always been brilliant, they are never a weak point in his films and he often bases his stories on child characters (though not here).

    Tokyo Story will not appeal to everybody, especially today. The typical moviegoer will either dismiss the film because it is "old" or "black and white," or find it boring. To the cautious and attentive viewers who allow themselves to connect with the characters and feel the story, Tokyo Story is a rewarding experience. Tokyo Story, along with Ozu's other films, is a good example of film as an art. Aimed at telling a story and depicting true life on camera, it is much less of the "entertainment" experience that people have come to expect from the movies today. This is one of the greatest films ever made.
    Keiko's score 100% ( I did this review in class after watching it sorry if there are lots of errors I didn't have time to correct it as I was handing it in).
  • flixsterman
    November 27, 2009
    flixsterman
    Not at all what I expected. Maybe that's because so many of my friends rated it five stars. Maybe because it's on so many lists of favorite films. I was fully prepared to be blown away by another Seven Samurai or Raise the Red Lantern and this just isn't that kin... read mored of film.

    Is this a meaningful motion picture? Absolutely. It's a window into 1950's Japanese society when the social structure was rapidly evolving. The extended family dynamic of the rural populous was under siege by the new mindset of industrial, more urban communities. Grandparents, once thought of as valuable and honored members of the household, were now being viewed as burdens and financial liabilities. Ozu doesn't dramatize or expound on this cultural shift, he simply frames it. He shows you 'what is' with minimal inference. In this respect, Tokyo Story is a masterful bit of film making.

    Would I recommend this film to a fellow cinemaphile? Absolutely.

    Would I recommend this film to one of my non-Flixster friends? The casual movie-goers who think that the pinnacle of production is either American Pie or (gasp!) Twilight? Absolutely not.
  • sanjurosamurai
    May 12, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    a profound and beautifully told story that lives up to the hype and challenges even the most well meaning children on issues of honoring their parents. the story is stirring, especially as it picks up steam from its slow start. the actors capture their characters hearts well, a... read morend the film brings back visions of the life checking thoughts brought on by ikiru. this film begs the question, "how shall we then live?"
  • bottcorecords1
    March 14, 2009
    bottcorecords1
    Directed by legendary director Yasujiro Ozu, Tokyo Story is the story of an aging Japanese couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their children. On the surface, it's a film about the banalities of life, visiting family, trying to find things to entertain out-of-town guests with, et... read morec., but in the end it goes much deeper. First the couple stay with their doctor son, his wife and their two bratty kids (there's a particularly touching scene when the grandmother takes the youngest grandson for a walk and wonders aloud if he'll grow up to be a doctor like his father). Then it's off to stay with the disinterested daughter at her beauty parlor. She sees her parents as a burden and pawns them off on the daughter-in-law. The daughter-in-law lives alone as her husband, their son, has died in the war, but it's she who shows them the most affection. Their two "real" children conspire to send them off to a spa, so that they'll be out of the way, but the spa is overrun with young people who play loud music and party all night, so they decide to split up and stay with separate relatives to be less of a burden. The grandmother goes back to the daughter-in-law and the grandfather looks up old friends and promptly gets drunk. He makes his way back to the beauty parlor much to the daughter's disappointment. The movie takes a surprising emotional turn at the end, just when you think it's taking you one way, it reveals its true path, the one it was on all along. The moment it unfold it's petals. On the surface, it's a movie about the eternal generation gap, and traditional Japanese values falling by the wayside, but it's really serving as a warning. Painful truthes might always be relevant.
  • hunterjt13
    November 3, 2008
    hunterjt13
    Technically and thematically the film is quite heartfelt, poignant, and moving, and it was especially relevant to the author of the satirical phrase "find a place to park the old people." However, the film is altogether too slow and the script is quite meandering with many point... read moreless lines.
  • Saxia
    November 3, 2008
    Saxia
    The firtst Ozu movie for me, and I'm in :) It's a movie from 1953, but it's themes are very contemporary. I Thought it was very moving.
  • webalina
    November 3, 2008
    webalina
    I heard so much good about this film on this site, I had to check it out. Good movie, but it didn't blow me away like it did some people. It was interesting to me how the parents were treated as such throwaway items. I thought that in Japan, elderly people were treated with more ... read morerespect. I guess as they became more culturally Westernized and got busier, their attitudes on parents "being in the way" changed as well.
  • kiriyamakazou
    November 3, 2008
    kiriyamakazou
    A quiet masterpiece. Nice masterful film making at its most restrained. Nothing fancy, just a simple story beautifully told. Ozu is pure genius.

View All Tokyo Story (Tôkyô monogatari) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Eric Hynes
November 23, 2010
Eric Hynes, Village Voice

Ozu's long shots, knee-high camera placement, and collapsed perspective -- as gorgeous and unsettling as a Cézanne -- gather power over the duration, but time itself is the master's most potent weapon. Full Review

Colin Covert
December 30, 2004
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Ozu doesn't sentimentalize or condemn; he merely observes human nature with calm and clarity. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 15, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It ennobles the cinema. It says, yes, a movie can help us make small steps against our imperfections. Full Review

Roger Greenspun
May 21, 2003
Roger Greenspun, New York Times

Luminous in its freedom from the sentimentality or the satire that so often obscure an artist's vision of normal living. Full Review

Christian Blauvelt
November 24, 2010
Christian Blauvelt, Slant Magazine

In this exquisite merging of specific and universal, infinite and infinitesimal, Tokyo Story perhaps most clearly illuminates that Ozu is not the most Japanese of filmmakers, but the most human. Full Review

Anton Bitel
September 1, 2010
Anton Bitel, Little White Lies

Ozu has made a film as simple in form and complex in nature as life itself. Here, every viewer is cast as a tourist, and yet will feel right at home. Full Review

Jeffrey Overstreet
May 18, 2010
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer

These characters never surprise us with anything showy, lurid, or sensational. They're ordinary human beings, treated with fierce attention that feels like deep respect. Full Review

Wally Hammond
January 5, 2010
Wally Hammond, Time Out

This remains one of the most approachable and moving of all cinema's masterpieces. Full Review

Tim Robey
January 5, 2010
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph

Ozu may have made subtler films, but the clarity of his social critique here is wrenching and unassailable. Full Review

Edward Porter
January 5, 2010
Edward Porter, Sunday Times (UK)

Newcomers to Ozu must be prepared for a rigidly controlled work with no mobile-camera shots. This style elegantly frames the delicate performances, which in turn do justice to the wisdom and compassio... Full Review

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