i have a possibility to choose out of about 10 of Ozu's films and i wanted to ask for some hel and guidance.
just about which ones are better and which less, also if there are anyones i should watch before the othes? i mean trilogies, sequels etc.
it will be of great help if you would reply.
thx.
Early Summer is a great film to start with.
- No animal was hurt during the making of this burger -
I started by watching Tokyo Story cos that was the most famous one. But I recommend starting from that trilogy of his, with Late Spring. Then I believe Early Summer, then Tokyo Story
shareIt's Late Spring -> Early Summer -> Tokyo Story. And it's not really a trilogy except for the fact Setsuko Hara plays a woman named Noriko in all three. But I think this is generally good advice. I too watched Tokyo Story first, and I agree with the popular opinion it's his best, so if you're gonna completely decide whether to continue with the director based the first film you see, that'd be the one to go with. But Late Spring and Early Summer, of the 9 Ozu films I've seen, are definitely among the great ones, and it might be rewarding to start with those, and get a sense of Ozu's style before jumping into his masterpiece.
So yeah, I agree with this post, for people looking to delve into Ozu's movies. They're all three pretty similar though, so for people more wanting to taste-test different sorts of Ozu films, I need to watch more to comment on his silents, but Good Morning and Floating Weeds are definitely great ones amongst his later colour films, on the same level I think as Late Spring and Early Summer.
--- grethiwha -------- My Favourite Films:
http://www.imdb.com/list/Bw65XZIpkH8/
After watching all of his available movies, some 2x, I recommend watching these in the order they are made. It is interesting to see the transition from B/W to color, and to follow his family dramas into more and more modern post-war Japan.
get the Criterion versions, and after finishing a film, rewatch with with the commentary. You will learn a lot and come to enjoy them more. After doing this a few times you'll not need to keep doing it.
Be aware that the plots develop slowly, and often for the first 30 minutes or so you may not know who everyone is and exactly what the 'plot' even is! I almost gave up my first time-thank goodness I didn't!
They are like Japanese poetry-not meant to be loud or full of action (and they did have their Samurai movies, you know) but rather to unfold, a series of images, with a lot left out, to in the end leave a bittersweet taste/feeling.
Anyways, I rec'd:
Late Spring (1949);
Early Summer (1951);
Tokyo Story (1953)-best known, and maybe the saddest;
Early Spring (1956);
Tokyo Twilight (1957);
Equinox Flower (1958)-first color;
Good Morning (1959)-more of a comedy, a remake of an early 1930's film;
Floating Weeds (1959)-my personal least favorite :(
Late Autumn (1960);
End of Summer (1961;
An Autumn Afternoon (1962)