Sunday, May 5, 2013

A Comment on "Tokyo Story"



What was your reaction to viewing “Tokyo Story”? Explain why you have the reaction and, using Roger Ebert’s review as a guide, comment on something he has said in your reaction.

3 comments:

  1. As a married man of some 30 years I felt this movie deeply indeed. Roger Ebert ends his review with a line of dialogue from a grieving husband that I will remember for a long time: "Living alone like this, the days will get very long." Yasujiro Ozu knows people, that I can say for sure. Through his quiet work in “Tokyo Story,” the director made me feel like an observer of reality, a reality that helps us, as Ebert says so eloquently, to “make small steps against our imperfections.” I recognize all the kinds of people I meet regularly in my working life as a teacher and in my personal life as well. And, like Ebert, I was “near tears” for much of the last 30 minutes on screen. On returning home that night I said to my wife that we must watch “Tokyo Story” together some time. It will not be easy and I am not ready to do it just yet. But, for sure, it will be a richly rewarding experience for us who will soon face many of the same challenges as the adult children in the film.

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  2. Roger Eber said: "Tokyo Story" moves quite slowly by our Western standards, and requires more patience at first than some moviegoers may be willing to supply." And he wrote the review in 1972nd! Today is 2013th, and for us the movie's pace is even many times slower than it was for him. But what is interesting, it was not difficult to hold the attention at all. Yasujiro Ozu shows us the pure life, he touches many universal questions: what's stay when the children go? what's stay when the parents go forever? how important is to be proud of your children no matter what? Roger Ebert mentioned some scenes "that will be hard to forget", I agree with him on many, but also want to add some. I liked the scenes in which old couple were sitting in peace, exchanged only few words. It was not because they had no more to say to each other, it's because they had reached a degree of understanding, when it does not need words to understand each other. Also it was interesting to notice many details of Japanese lifestyle. I liked how Yasujiro Ozu's cameraman put on a first row some simple things, such as buckets.

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  3. I am so happy that I did not watch that sad movie to the end, but still I got some sad feeling through Ebert’s comment. I was not expecting death in that movie until Galina’s last words about death of one of them on last class. Ebert’s comment, “They speak of their regrets that they did not do more for her; but they also manoeuvre quietly for some of her possessions,” it’s really common parts of family movies who wants to possess something form their parents, and someone who has far relation to parents helps them. So they were like a burden to them and they do not need their care and love anymore just their possession. 117 words

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