The Polite and Heartbreaking World of Yasujiro Ozu

Can smiles and nods make us cry? For decades Yasujiro Ozu pointed his camera towards Japanese society, exploring its facade and values with a subtly critical eye. Politeness is the rule, appearance is key and traditions must be followed - but is it right, and does it make our protagonists happy? Behind the smiles, nods and politenesses we do time and time again see the heartbreak and sharp critique, and occasionally, from the mouth of children, harsh truths will be brought home. In this episode, we are breaking down Ozu's 4 biggest films: I Was Born, but ... (1932) Late Spring (1949) Tokyo Story (1953) An Autumn Afternoon (1962) Incredibly, these 4 films, his most acclaimed, take us from his breakthrough film until his very last, and allow us to explore his work in 4 different decades: the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. We will also take a detour into [b]Early Summer[/b] (1951), to complete the Noriko trilogy, as well as a quick pit-stop at [b]Good Morning[/b] (1959), the colourful re-imagining of some of his ideas from I Was Born, But ... We will trace the development of his style and how he became the Ozu we know and love, as well as highlight our favourites, talk through the heartbreaks and discuss why he affects us the way he does.