InnovationoverImitation:SimpleyetEffectiveFilmmakinginTokyoStory
Manyfilmmakershavemasteredtheartofstorytelling,whetheritbethroughdynamic cameraangles,dramaticchiaroscurolighting,oranotherelementoffilmmakingthathasbeen learnedanddevelopedovertime.Itislesscommon,however,tofindafilmmakerwhohas masteredstorytellingbydoingless.EsteemeddirectorandscreenwriterYasujiroOzuonce stated,“Ihaveformulatedmyowndirectingstyleinmyhead,proceedingwithoutany unnecessaryimitationofothers.”(IMDB).Thisisevidentinhiswork,asheisseengoingdirectly againstthebiggestfilmmakinginnovationsofhistime,whilestillcreatingartwithmeaningand depth.
IntheimmediateyearsafterWorldWarII,Japanwasundermilitaryoccupationbythe AlliedPowers.Thislastedfrom1945until1952,forcingJapantoberebuiltandgreatlyaffecting thecountry'seconomy,morale,andmanyindustriesincludingfilm.Japanwasexperiencing drastichistoricalchangesandtraumaandwithmanypeoplecravingnormalcyandorder,thefilm productionscenereadjustedaccordingly.Japanesedirectorandscreenwriter,YasujiroOzu,spoke tothepeopleofJapanthroughhisuseofspecificnarrativeelementsandcinematictechniquesto createfilmsrelevanttotheJapaneseexperienceofthistime.Ozu’s1953film,TokyoStory,is oneexampleofawell-receivedandhighlysuccessfulpost-warfilm,howeverOzuusesmany unconventionalcameratechniquesandlacksthepropagandismfoundinmanyotherpost-war films.ItrejectedtheseelementsbysimplyreflectingthestateofJapanasacountry,providing solaceandunityinthesufferingandrebuildingthattookplaceintheireverydaylivesbeyond thewar.TokyoStorywentontobecomeaglobalsuccessinapost-warworldandthroughthis film,wecanseetheearlyeffectsandvalueoftherejectionofconventionaltechniquestocreate somethingauthenticandrepresentativeofhumanity.Thisisexecutedthroughaseriesof
calculatednarrativeelements,cinematictechniques,productiondesign,specificeditingstyle,and thedistributionofthefilminapost-warworld.
AfterWorldWarII,Japanrequiredalotofrebuildingandrehabilitation.Withmillionsof refugeesbeingsentbackaftersurroundingcountrieshadbeenliberatedoroccupied,andfood suppliesbeingcutofftothecountry,Japanesepeoplewerefightingfortheirsurvival,letalone anysenseofsafetyandnormalcy.AmericacameinwiththeintentionofdemocratizingJapan, bringingfoodaidtoastarvingcountrywastheirfirstmove.TheEmperoratthetimewasleftin place,whilereformstookplaceinanattempttodemilitarizeandreformthecountrysociallyand economically.Thismeantcensorshipandpropagandawereveryprevalentandusedtobenefit thesereforms,eventhroughcinema.Inthe2019book“WhatisJapanesecinema?:ahistory,” authorsYomotaInuhikoandPhilipKaffendiscussthelawsofcensorshipandtheactivitiesof Japanesefilmmakerspost-war.InuhikoandKaffendiscusstheactoftheCivilianInformation andEducationDivision(CIE),anorganizationthatwentontohavefullcontrolovertheentire Japanesefilmindustry.Beforeevenbeginningtheproductionprocess,thescriptandconcept neededtobefullytranslatedintoEnglishandgrantedapproval.Afterthefilmwasmade,ithad togothroughasecondcensorshipscreeningbytheCivilCensorshipDetachment(CCD),where militaryfigureshadfullrightstopreventrelease(Inuhiko,Kaffen,2019).InuhikoandKaffengo ontospeakaboutsomeofthespecificregulationsputonJapanesefilmthroughthesefiltersof censorship,whichisessentiallyanythingthatdidnotgivetheUnitedStatesanadvantage.“The listbeganwiththingsthatofferedpraisefornationalism,patriotism,orfealtytofeudalthought, butitalsoincludedsuchcategoriesasrevengestories,storiespraisingsuicide,oranyworksthat encouragedcrueltyandimmoralviolence.”(Inuhiko,Kaffen,2019).Thisprocesswasfullof difficulthoopsforfilmmakerstojumpthrough,whichwasquiteanordealespeciallyhavingjust
enduredawar.Intheirbook,InuhikoandKaffengiveshortdescriptionsofthewhereaboutsof certainJapanesefilmmakersduringandattheendofthewar.Around1945,ItissaidthatOzu was“Inaprisoner-of-warcampinSingapore,OzuYasujirwatchedHollywoodmoviesdayafter day”(Inuhiko,Kaffen,2019).Itwaseightyearslater,in1953,thatOzu’sfilm Tokyo Story was released.
Tokyo Story followsanelderlyJapanesecouplelivinginthesouthofJapan,whotravels tovisittheirchildrenandgrandchildreninTokyo.Theyarrivetobeimmersedinthefast-paced livesoftheiroff-springandstruggletofeelwelcomedandrelatedto.Theyfeeltheweightof theirgenerationaldifferencesandthetensionofchangingfamilydynamics.Itisasimple,yet deeplyemotionalstoryaboutthepassingoftimethatleavestheviewer’shumanityawakened, knowingthatthisislikelythelasttimethiscouplewillvisittheiroff-spring.It’sanauthentic representationofthecycleoflifeandhowhumansmustadapttotheinfinitechangeshappening aroundusconstantly.
Allthethemespresentin Tokyo Story arepresentedsimply,yeteffectively.YasujiroOzu chosetoshootalmostalloftheinteriorshotsfromaniconiclowcameraangle.Onereasonfor thiswasthatitmatchedtheeye-levelofsomeonekneelingonatraditionaltatamimat.Forthis reason,itbecameknownasthe“tatamishot.”Thelowanglealsogivestheaudiencethe perspectiveofbeingthereinthescene.Itisalmostasifthecameraisshowingthepoint-of-view ofanobjectinthehouse,simplyobservingtheeverydayinteractionswithinthefamily.Ozualso capturesdeepemotionandmeaningwithinstaticcameraframes,notmovingthecamera,but focusingonthecomposition.Thisisanunconventionalapproach,comparedtotheothercamera techniquesandstandardsthatwerealreadysetandcontinuingtobedevelopedatthistime.For example,theworkofD.W Griffithhadmadegroundbreakingadvancementsinediting,camera
techniques,andoverallnarrativefilmmaking.ManyfilmmakerstookafterGriffith,particularly inhisuseofparallelcutting,theextremeclose-upshot,andthesceniclongshot.Ozu,having madethisfilmlongafterGriffithhadestablishedthesetechniques,tookamoreunusualroutein howheshot Tokyo Story,howeverthisdoesnotmeanthestorytellingwaslesseffective.Inmany ways,thetechniquesusedinthisfilmwerecontrarytothestandardsset,butthatisexactlywhat makesthisstorysosimpleandendearing.Itisshotsimilarlytoadocumentary,allowingpeople inallstagesofthelifecycletorelatetothesechargersandthisworldthatfeelsorealand authentic.
Althoughthecameraplaysahugeroleintheauthenticityandsimplicityofthisfilm, therearemanyotherfactorsthatplayintoitspertinence.Transitions,music,dialogue,blocking, pacing,andproductiondesignareallvitalcomponentstocreatingsuchacompellingstory Ina technicalsense,thewaythisfilmisshotandcuttogetherisratherplainandsimple,themusicis nostalgicandfamilier,andtheblockingandstagingofactorsisnaturalandlively.Theseareall thingsthatareconsistentwiththeworkofOzuandthoughtheyseemsmall,whencombinedthey haveagreateffect.Inregardtoproductiondesignhowever,thisisastand-alonecomponentasit arguablycarriesthemostweight.Theinteriorsandhomesinthisfilmarehyper-presentandplay arolealmostasimportantastheactorsthemselves.GrahamCairnsinhis2014article“Historical cinematicspace:thearchitectureofcultureinJeanRenoir'sLeGrandeIllusionandYasujiro Ozu'sTokyoStory,”discussesthedeliberateuseofspacetotellastory.Cairnspointsoutthat emptyroomsofthehomeareshotforheftylengthsoftimeandthensplicedtogether.Thisis combinedwiththeconsistentwaisthighcamerashots,whichallowtheviewertofeelasifthey arepartofthehomeitself,watchingthisfamilyslowlydiverge.Thehomespresentedinthisfilm
aremodularandangular,withroomsseparatedbytheslidingdoorsthataretraditionallyfoundin Japanesehomes.
“Allofthisgeometricalmodularitynaturallyaddstothepotentialcomplexityofthe spatialtemplatethatOzufollowsinhisfilming,presentinghimwithvariouswaysto frameobjectsandactionsintermsofthismundaneyetpotentdomesticstructure…Ozu ishousinghisdramawithinaculturallyspecificcinematicon-screenspacefullyimbued withtheformalkinesisoftraditionalJapanesearchitecture.Actionsthemselvesthus becomestructurallyJapanese,againsttheWesterntraditionofseeingandbehaving” (Cairns,2014).
Therepetitionofsquaresandcornersalsohelpstoorienttheviewerinthespace,notonly showingthevalueoftraditionheldbythecharactersandtheirhome,butanchoringtheaudience asapartofthehome.OzuhonorstraditionalJapanesearchitectureinTokyoStory,whilealso introducingthemesofgrowingup,growingold,andgenerationaldisconnects.
TokyoStorywasreleasedinJapanin1953,nearlyadecadeaftertheendofWorldWarII, however,thefilmwasnotreleasedoutsideofJapanuntilafterYasujiroOzu’sdeathin1963 becausedomesticcriticsdeemedthefilmsoauthenticallyJapanesethatitcouldn’tbeappreciated bytheWest.Uponinternationalrelease,TokyoStoryreceiveduniversalacclaimand appreciation.Thisfilmisfullofbeautifulmomentsandstillinspirestheworkofmanytoday.
YasujiroOzuhasdonewhatfewcansaytheyhavedone,hehasmasteredtheartof tellingastorysimply,yeteffectively.Bypavinghisownwayratherthanfollowingthestandards andtacticsofhispredecessors,hecreatedoneofthemosticonic,meaningful,andbeautifulfilms inthehistoryofJapanesefilm.InPostWorldWarIIJapan,whenthecountryfacedanewnormal underU.S.occupation,Ozucreatedartforeveryone.Throughstrategiccameraangles,talent
direction,productiondesign,andhighlightedelementsofhumanityandJapaneseculture,Ozu willforeverbeknownasoneofthegreatestdirectorsinalloffilmhistory.
Cairns,Graham.“HistoricalCinematicSpace:TheArchitectureofCultureinJeanRenoir’sLe GrandeIllusionandYasujiroOzu’sTokyoStory.”Film&History,vol.44,no.2,Center fortheStudyofFilmandHistory,2014,pp.22–44.
Cook,DavidA.AHistoryofNarrativeFilm.Fifthedition.,W.W.Norton&Company,2016.
Inuhiko,Yomota,andPhilipKaffen.WhatIsJapaneseCinema?:aHistory.Columbia UniversityPress,2019,https://doi.org/10.7312/yomo19162.
“YasujirôOzu.”IMDb,IMDb.com,https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0654868/quotes.