“Isn’t life disappointing?” says one of the characters in the film Tokyo Story (1953). Made with a brilliance that only a few film makers can conjure, the film succeeds in evoking an emotional response from the audience that rightly meets the gravity of the subject matter being portrayed. The execution of the film is neither too melodramatic, like the contemporary Indian film, called Baghban so as to make the audiences unnecessarily cry a thousand tears half way through the story line nor is the subject matter dealt with so lightly so as to render the audiences indifferent.
The emotional response that Tokyo Story (1953) ignites cannot be simply categorized into a euphoric or a gloomy feeling. It doesn’t make you want to burst into noisy tears nor does it make you want to instantly get up and impulsively want to change things. No. The film is about observing and accepting the grim reality of existence. Parents grow old, children grow up, the divide between the two incessantly continues to increase, expectations lead to disappointment, relationships fall apart and people die but life, goes on. In broad terms, this is the narrative that is followed by the film but in a way that engages the audience to the point where you start feeling a certain affinity for the characters.
One of the characteristic Japanese shots, called the tatami-mat shot, where a low camera angle is taken of the scene is abundantly used in the film implying that Yasujiru Ozu, the director sought to show none of the characters above or below anyone in status or power. In fact, one can point out that Tokyo Story (1953) has neither a villain nor a hero. Even the negligent attitude of the children is explained by Noriku, the daughter-in-law as a matter of fact. Albeit a little sorrowful, the audience is led to accept that this is how reality works and the attitude of Shikuchi is mirrored into the moods of the audience, who ends up admitting that living alone is difficult but that he “will get used to it.”
One of the initial observations I had about the film was that it is slow-paced. However, a number of critics have attributed it to the overall mood of the film which is “calm” and “grim”. There are minimal to negligible camera movements in the film and in my opinion, this serves to keep the attention of the audiences to the narrative being shown rather than how the film is made. The absence of camera panning and tilting has been compensated by sharp editing. The editing of the film has been done so dexterously so as to maintain the flow of the narrative without resulting in any jump cuts.
Long shots appear frequently throughout the film mostly to establish the location or the setting while the characters mostly appear in close up or medium close up shots to focus on the expression and to build upon the personality of the characters. The married daughter, for example is seen being irritated and scornful a number of times when her parents are around. Emphasis is also placed on the rooms, particularly after they have been emptied and all of the aforementioned styles of making a film have been attributed as Ozu’s characteristic style of film making.
Another point of interest in the film is that some of the events are not shown but are just talked about. For instance, the journey of the parents to Tokyo and then back to their home is not shown. Also, that Tomi falls ill is told to the audience by the dialogues between the children and is not actually shown in the scenes. It’s quite evident that the film does not intend on being over dramatic and does not thrive on heavy emotional outbursts. As a result, the emotions of the audience are not deliberately evoked but are rather built up as the film progresses.
The film also makes use of symbolism to accentuate its narrative. What’s also interesting is how the opening and the closing scenes of the film are quite similar as they both show a train and a boat in successive shots. The boat sailing away at the end of the film, in my opinion symbolizes the loneliness that awaits Shikuchi after the death of his wife, Tomi while according to critics it refers to the fact that life goes on, no matter what. The shots of the train that appear in the beginning and the end of the film, also arguably could be symbolizing the start and end of the narrative.
With respect to its social relevance, the film provides an insight into the post-war state of Japan and how during the respective period, Japanese way of life underwent a loss of cultural values. At the same time, western influences and ways of living were met with great acceptance so much so that a disintegration of Japanese culture came about. Even though the film intended to portray the social scenario existent in Japan, the generational conflict is shown with such mastery that the film has found favour universally.
For me, the most outstanding point about the film is how closely it is interwoven with reality. The limited camera movements, the lighting and the sound score which is strictly put in where needed all combine to produce an effect that is at once real and hard hitting. Unlike most of the other films on the theme, it attempts to give no false sense of hopes almost as if it’s stating a fact which can neither be bent nor destroyed. The film leaves you with an array of mixed emotions and by doing so almost appears to be a manifestation of life itself rather than just a film.
Without a doubt, Tokyo Story (1953) is one of the most brilliantly made films of all times. The message that it portrays is subtle and yet it hits hard. In a span of two hours and few minutes, the film makes the audience a part of itself. The tatami-mat shots makes you feel as if you are right there with their characters, though your story comes at a halt and it is the characters that you want to know more about. Bringing the analysis to an end, I’d just say that life maybe disappointing but Tokyo Story (1953) certainly isn’t.
