Rating: 
Summary: Ozu's Remarkable Style Scores Again!
Review: A previous reviewer is right, there is much more here than meets the eye and it is told in such a unique way, you'll be thinking about it for days afterwards. Set in a small urban 'village' of complexes in the Japan of the early 1950s,the story introduces several families in this small community and follows one in particular whose two lively sons have become obsessed with their neighbor's television. Skipping their lessons, they sneak off to watch sumo wrestling on the tube. When punished and forbidden to go to the neighbors, the boys throw a tantrum and demand their own television. The father is adamant that this thing that will "create a million idiots" is not coming to his home. The boys throw a bigger tantrum and the father tells them in no uncertain terms to shut up. The boys respond that it is adults who talk too much - saying good morning, fine day, how are you, and other cliches that to them are silly and meaningless. Declaring they will not speak at all, they proceed to do just that with some interesting consequences. Gentle, funny (especially when your realize why they push each other's foreheads and why the neighbor boy keeps asking for clean pants) and overall a truly touching film that you leave with a smile.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice, but Slow
Review: Admittedly, this is the only Ozu film I've seen. But I do have an opinion on it. The film eventually adds up to something, a slightly interesting meditation on the nature of small talk and personal happiness. But it's too slow a journey along the way. I had to watch the film in about 5 runs, I kept drifting to sleep along the way. Also, the stuff about the kids' digestive systems and the one who kept soiling his pants was very strange, it must be something that really does not translate from Japanese culture to other viewers.
Rating:
Summary: Nice, but Slow
Review: Admittedly, this is the only Ozu film I've seen. But I do have an opinion on it. The film eventually adds up to something, a slightly interesting meditation on the nature of small talk and personal happiness. But it's too slow a journey along the way. I had to watch the film in about 5 runs, I kept drifting to sleep along the way. Also, the stuff about the kids' digestive systems and the one who kept soiling his pants was very strange, it must be something that really does not translate from Japanese culture to other viewers.
Rating:
Summary: Funny as anything
Review: For those of you who think foreign films are devoid of humor - see Good Morning. This films is funny, charming, and real. The characters are likeable and believable - characteristic of all of Ozu's work. If you like Itami's films (Tampopo, The Funeral, Minbo), you will like Ozu's films.
Rating:
Summary: CHILDREN ON STRIKE
Review: I'm not a specialist of Ozu's cinema so don't count on me if you are waiting for an accurate analysis of GOOD MORNING. It just happens that I'm curious and that I like to discover new directors. Yasujiro Ozu's GOOD MORNING is a comedy. So you will smile a lot during the movie while you discover how lived japanese people of the lower classes in the early sixties. Tradition versus modernism is the eternal problem, modernism being symbolized here by a television set desired by the children of an average family living in the suburbs of a great city. The new generation is learning english at school and one feels that Japan will never be the same when these children will be at command. Yasujiro's cinema is very static, with no camera movements at all. You are going to be hypnotized by long shots of faces or landscapes until you finally appreciate these subtle minutes of silence that the japanese Master will offer you by the dozen. If you are not specially zen these days, you'd better wait for another moment to watch GOOD MORNING. In my opinion, the colours haven't stood the test of time very well and the copy is not perfect with black and white spots at times and also white vertical lines during long minutes. No extra-features with this Criterion release except for english subtitles. A DVD reserved to the very curious ones.
Rating: 
Summary: A small film about big things...
Review: Set mainly in four homes in a small 1950's Japanese village, Yasujiro Ozu's Good Morning (Ohayo) is an exceptionally wise comedy. It appears outwardly gentle, but hides a great deal of political content. Sure, there are some jokes about bodily functions here, but much of the film's humor comes from the pretense that makes a fart joke a faux pas, not from the flatulence itself. That seems to be Ozu's game. He takes down our defenses by showing us characters that are exceptionally mundane working-class folks, then uses their petty concerns to make broader social commentary. That he seems to think their concerns are petty is a suspicion that occasionally arises, but generally he seems to legitimately care about the characters on display. He takes the camera literally down to the level of a seated character, and his camera looks at them head-on while they speak. He seems to suggest that he's interested in examining these normally unexamined characters, but his stylistic choices could easily be interpreted as condescension. After all, that same focused attention almost feels like a study of these "common" people. That he feels compelled to study them so intently suggests he might not quite relate to or understand them. The temptation certainly exists to just read Good Morning as a slice of life tale that shows the foibles of the people in the town, but there may be a bit more to it than that. Although Isamu, the small child who follows his brother throughout the film is adorable, the goal of their protest (they want a television) seems less than noble. Also, Isamu's mimicry appears to be endearing, but isn't it also a tad creepy that he's being led into a strike that he doesn't quite understand? This ambiguity seems to extend to the other characters. Ozu brings up the effects of Japan's mandatory retirement several times during the film. He seems quite critical of the system, as it forces "retired" workers to act as door-to-door salespeople that seem to function more as a burden than a service to their customers. Still, when his main adult characters realize their own retirement is impending, they simply shrug it off without any real planning. He doesn't necessarily decry their behavior, but the film almost seems as contemptuous of it as it is of the system that forces the predicament. The film's greatest amount of vitriol is spent condemning the communication gap between generations. Quite simply, the film thinks true communication between generations is impossible. It could be argued that Ozu raises such issues precisely to show that his love for this class of people extends beyond whatever faults they might have. Still, the decision to end many of his scenes the way he does makes the film feel less like a collection of slices of life and more like judgements of that lifestyle. I haven't seen enough of Ozu's to judge his attitudes, but his established reputation as a great cinematic humanist seems somewhat simpleminded. As admittedly funny as it is, Good Morning doesn't seem content to simply giggle at the poor folks, but instead creates a profoundly stated comic view on society. This is a much more complex, ambiguous, and challenging film that most reduce it to. The reason for the 4 star review? The print is less than perfect... Still, a highly recommeded film.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: There is nothing 'minor' or 'little' about this movie; it is thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying. Very good print quality. The more Ozu available on DVD (especially if released by Criterion), the better.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: There is nothing 'minor' or 'little' about this movie; it is thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying. Very good print quality. The more Ozu available on DVD (especially if released by Criterion), the better.
Rating:
Summary: Carefree Childhood
Review: This film describes the heroic battle that two little boys fight against their father who refused to buy them a television set. It demonstrates that persistence pays off, no matter how fierce the resistance. Minoru Hayashi(about 12) and his little brother Isamu (about 6) live together with their parents in a little house. Impossible to keep one's privacy in this settlement. Nothing remains unobserved, everybody knows who went where and who bought what. The gossip blossoms and the phantasy of the housewives is lively. The biggest telltale is irritable and touchy Mrs. Haragushi: What has become of the dues for the women's club? Does Mrs. Hayashi suspect her of having bought her new washing-machine with the (embezzled) fees? When Mrs. Haragushi's mother reveals that she simply forgot about the receipt, her daughter takes it out on this poor old woman. She shoud go to a home for the aged, because "old people belong there". How unfair, since she needs her mother's pension...There is also Mr. Tomizawa. He worked for 30 years in wind and rain and now his pension is barely enough not to starve. He is desperate and drinks...There is also the "scandalous" family: the Maroyamas. They are slovenly and SHE has even been seen in a bar...But their household is the most popular with kids, because they have a television set. No matter how often their parents admonish them to make their homework, the boys always sneak away... Minoru and Isamu find their life so tedious that they howl. Their father thinks that tv turns people into imbeciles; His sons think that he is just stingy and mean. When he orders them to shut up Minoru protests: What HE has to say is just as important as all those "empty phrases" adults use: good morning, how are you, etc...He calls for a speaking strike - if necessary for 100 days. Minoru and Isamu remain persisent: They make no reply when their pretty young aunt offers them cookies. Nervy to watch their parents eat those cookies and make remarks about the "wonderful silence"...Next morning they forget to greet Mrs. Haragushi who spreads the news that Mrs. Hayashi is so "revengeful". Mrs. Hayashi is astonished to get back everything she borrowed her neighbors: the bottle of beer, the bus-ticket, the fish that a neighbor's cat has stolen...The boys keep their silence during classes, and since their parents cannot understand their pantomime, they owe the school their board. Mr. Tomizawa finds a new job at last: He sells electrical appliances. Mr. Hayashi wants to help him and decides to buy his wife her long-desired washing-machine. She reminds him that his own retirement age is near - a thought he tries to repress... Two little boys chatter happily and behave well. Their question "Will the tv be connected when we come back from school?" sounds like an order. Their father tries to make a serious face: "I hope you will work harder now" - but he can't stifle a smile... For many decades Ozu's films were overshadowed by Kurosawa's dazzling epics that took western audiences by storm. Ozu's films were considered "too japanese": plain fare, too simple for fastidious western tastes. Only recently critics learned to appreciate their qualities. The destiny of unassuming, often humble people who tempt providence strikes the right chord - at least with me. "Typically japanese" is probably the mix of politeness and scatological humor: a little boy is not "home-trained" - the last shot shows three shorts on a clothes-line. Some scenes are very clever: a peddler and an agent for alarm-systems work hand in hand. The peddler bothers housewives ("Did he threaten you?" "Yes. He forced me to buy an expensive pencil"), then the agent calls...A running gag (The boys drink pumice-stone dissolved in water(!)) becomes life-threatening: the mother suspects rats and decides to rub the stone with poison...The performances are wonderful. Chishu Ryu is one of my favorite actors, but the actress who plays Mrs. Haragushi's mother is grandiose.
Rating:
Summary: Great Film!
Review: This is a good film. It made me laugh, smile, and think about how Ozu portrayed life in that place and era. I have watched it three times in the last year, and I always pick something new up with each viewing. The absence of camera movement is refreshing, allowing one to see the details within the composition of the scene. I recommend this film highly.
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