FREE ON CINEEG.DE Yasujiro Ozu - The Only Son

When I brought our pre-war Ozu films from the Chinese Boying Label to the video store, my colleague Sulgi cried. Well, that's an exaggeration. Anyway, he looked at them all! The great Ozu arranges his pictures. He selects few elements, which he presents all the more effectively. Yasujiro Ozu is the most relaxed filmmaker of all! He cultivates his favorite themes and compositions and arranges them again and again. Is it the same movie every time? A stupid statement. It's all about nuances! "The tragedy of life begins with the bond between parent and child" - that's how he introduces The Only Son. Ozu always focuses on parents and their children. And the grandchildren. Mostly, children sacrifice their happiness for their parents. Or vice versa. In the wrong belief in what the other person wants, they make sacrifices. It's always marriage, children, and independence. Care and success. I think I've seen about 20 ozu movies. Some three times. That doesn't make me an expert yet, but as a video store owner I'm familiar with his viewing habits. What I notice is that his very early silent films are already mature. Everything depends on how a recording is put together. Ozu shoots at eye level with his protagonists. Often they squat. Often the shots begin before the characters enter the picture. And then they leave the picture again (while the camera holds it for a moment). Then Ozu briefly uses some music that sounds quite western. But his pictures never attract attention. Everything happens very unobtrusively. When you watch the film a second time, you notice how much he likes to frame his pictures. Anyway, Ozu finds countless variations within his rules. And for us there is time to think (this is exciting; much more exciting than a modern film!). The Only Son is about the only son of a widow. She works in a silk factory. A hard work. This is how she feeds her child. The son finishes school, follows a beloved teacher. His future lies in Tokyo. Years go by. Then his mother comes for a surprise visit. They're happy, they love each other. But there's a surprise. The son now has a family of his own. How come he never invited the mother? Because he's poor, has a badly paid job? Why didn't he ever tell her? Because he lives in such a dreary neighborhood? One day they'll talk to each other. The mother encourages him to persevere. He who has lost his courage. Tokyo is no place for him. He says there's no place for him here. Do you recognize the teacher? He's played by Chishu Ryu, who worked with Ozu many, many times. Not only are the subjects the same, but so are the actors. That's why I feel so at home in an Ozu film. If you research on imdb, you will notice that the two of them even worked together 52 times! Ryu always seems reserved and polite. He doesn't seem to be acting at all. Just like Ozu doesn't seem to be acting. In fact, I think Ozu made his movies just for me. But everyone thinks that when they see an Ozu film. You watch it with a good friend. With Ozu. You look inside his characters because they're not acting. If a bad director directed it, The Only Son would be sentimental. Not with Ozu. It sounds serious here. And look, even my teapot appears! Ozu shows this teapot in many films. In the film, it appears here and there. It seems that it can move. In a very late Ozu film, you can see that it is red. Of course it is. It's the colour of artists.