Introduction to Yasujiro Ozu

Ozu Yasujiro was born in 1903 and died in 1963. from exactly a century ago. He loves life and has both compassion and infinite affection for the people under the lens. He photographed life in college, his father's story, and his warm family. But ironically, he never went to college, and his father rarely lived with him when he was alive. He never married, and lived only with his mother. Everything he didn't have came to shine on the screen.

He seems to be a born photographer. He has been diving into movies since he was in middle school. He has absorbed Western nutrients. After making several short films, he can create harmonious light and shadow on the screen. From grassroots themes to family scenes, from comedy to tragedy, there are more than 30 works that have been circulated to this day. Really, there is not a single bad one. Western commentators say that this Japanese film master is the most Japanese, but we don't realize it at all; he filmed stories about the last century when the family system has undergone tremendous changes, but we feel that those stories seem to be about ourselves today. Under the highly sensitive and insightful eyes, purified by simple and beautiful pictures, the emotions and stories of Kasa Chizu and Hara Setsuko will transcend regions and time, and make people think again and again... That kind of touching, or so-called The feeling is unmatched by watching other movies.

Life of Yasujiro Ozu

Born on December 12, 1903 in Tokyo.

At the age of thirteen, he entered Mie Prefectural No. 4 Junior High School (now Ise High School). He was a "problem student" from the beginning, unmotivated to learn, undisciplined, and addicted to drinking.

He has been passionate about movies since he was young, especially American movies.

In 1923, he was introduced by his relatives and worked at Shochiku-Kamata Photography Factory. Under his father's strong opposition, he began to work as a photography assistant, and was a colleague of "future directors" such as Shimizu Hiroshi and Gosho Heinosuke.

Served in the Army Logistics Department in 1925 and spent most of his time pretending to be ill.

In 1926, he returned to Shochiku Company and served as the assistant director of Okubo Tadatsumoto. Within a year, Shochiku president Shiro Kido invited him to direct. The first work "The Penitent Blade" was his only period film. He soon fell in love with the theme of "modern drama"; in 1929, he began to show his talent in "common people's drama", specializing in filming A film based on the daily life of Japan's middle and lower classes. His early work was heavily influenced by foreign films, especially a series of student comedies, as well as several cop films and melodrama.

A large number of sound films began to be shot in 1936 until the Sino-Japanese War broke out. His films were not commercially successful, but critics praised him. He was drafted into the army in 1937 and sent to the Chinese battlefield as an infantry corps commander. Two years later, he returned to Shochiku Company and was later transferred to Singapore to film a documentary promoting Yamato Tamashii. However, he took the opportunity to watch many confiscated American films. Japan was defeated and surrendered, and Ozu became a prisoner of war and was repatriated six months later.

In 1949, he reunited with his old screenwriter partner Takago Noda. All his subsequent films were written by Noda.

In 1958, he shot "Flowers of the Other Side", which was the first time he tried to use color film. In the late 1950s, he remade his beloved works from the 1930s and 1940s, such as "Good Morning", "Floating Weeds", "Autumn Harmony", "I Was Born But", "Floating Weeds Story" and "Late Spring" respectively. a copy of.

Died of illness on his 60th birthday on December 12, 1963. The ashes were placed at Engakuji Temple in Kita Kamakura.

Ozu received many awards throughout his life, such as the Minister of Art Festival Award and the Purple Ribbon Award for "Flower of the Other Shore" in 1958, the Art Academy Award in 1959, and the "Autumn Peace" in 1961. He won the Best Director Award at the Asian Film Festival and was elected as a member of the Academy of Arts in 1963. This was the first time a film director received this honor.