FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE THE BEST MOVIES IN OUR VIDEO STORE PT.9 Yasujiro Ozu - Tokyo Story (engl. subt.) 

No story could be easier: The grandparents travel to the city to visit their children and grandchildren. But they are busy, which upsets the old people. Quietly, without anyone admitting it, the visit misses its purpose of togetherness. After the return the grandmother dies and now it is up to the children to undertake a journey. Ozu has made one of the greatest films of all time from these elements; a story that lasts a long time and arouses deep emotions. Tokyo Story ignores the moments that other films would have sought: The big cinema scenes. He doesn't want to reinforce our feelings, he wants to excite understanding. Tokyo Story achieves this to such an extent that I had to cry during almost the entire final and was sure: Yes, this film gives me insight. May I overcome some of my mistakes! The characters are universal, almost like looking into a mirror. Ozu's drama represents our nature. It's not like we're alienated from our families. We hide ourselves from them so as not to face the questions of life about love, work and death. But a 60-year-old Japanese film is able to uncover this escape in empty phrases! Ozu proves to be not only a great director, but also a successful teacher, because his film becomes our friend. Tokyo Story begins with bittersweet (Western) music, which is never used for the purpose of capturing emotions. Ozu loves clouds, smoke and empty streets like no other director he awakens APPROVAL with every setting. His camera almost always moves at eye level with the protagonists and is almost never moved. Each setting looks like its own composition, you almost want to frame it as an image. Ozu loves silence, movement is only ever produced by the figures. The grandfather smiles a lot when he listens - after all, he answers "Yes". But in his view we see that what he says does not correspond to what he means. Rather, we feel how he protects himself from revealing his true feelings. "Yes" expresses regret about it. Sometimes Ozu discovers details in the picture like this beautiful teapot. It's almost as if the camera found her and now presents her. When the family members sit together, we usually see several in the picture. Feelings are encoded in their conversations, even exaggerated statements are only there for the purpose of concealment. During the funeral of the grandmother, the family gathers and again we see them in front of us - in a row. But this time her tears are real. Chishu Ryu as grandfather decides the film: "Living alone will be very difficult for him, the days will be very long.