#Tomio Aoki

[muhammadgiovanni]

Tomio Aoki in Mikio Naruse’s “生さぬ仲” (No Blood Relation) 1932.

[moviesiveseenandwanttoremember]

Yasujirō Ozu’s “突貫小僧” (A Straightforward Boy) November 24, 1929.

[dare-g]

I Flunked, But... (1930)

[byneddiedingo]

Does any filmmaker have a clearer, less sentimental view of the moral conundrum of childhood than Yasujiro Ozu? We tend to think that because children are innocent they are naturally good, when in fact their egotism leads them into trouble. In Ozu’s I Was Born, But… (1932) and Good Morning (1959), the naive self-centeredness of children causes problems both for them and for their middle-class parents. Much the same thing happens in An Inn in Tokyo, one of Ozu’s late silent films, but the consequences are more serious. Kihachi (Takeshi Sakamoto) is a single father down on his luck, trudging the road through an industrial district in search of work, accompanied by his two small sons, Zenko (Tomio Aoki) and Masako (Takayuki Suematsu). Kihachi is a loving father – there’s a wonderful scene in which he pretends to be drinking sake that Zenko is serving him, after which the boys pretend to eat the food they can’t afford – but perhaps a little too indulgent. The boys capture stray dogs which they turn in to the police because there’s a small reward, part of a rabies-control effort. But when Zenko collects the reward, he spends it on a cap he has wanted, instead of the food and shelter they need. Later, when Kihachi goes to a job interview, he tells them to wait for him by the side of the road with the small bundle that contains all of their possessions. But after a while they decide to follow him, and squabble over which one is to carry the bundle. Zenko takes off, leaving his younger brother behind, but Masako abandons the bundle, and when they go back to retrieve it, it’s gone. And when they are left with only enough money for either food or lodging for the night, Kihachi unwisely leaves the decision up to the boys, who naturally choose the immediate gratification of food – leaving them out in the cold when it starts to rain. The film is often compared to the neo-realist films of Vittorio De Sica that were made more than a decade later, and it has the same graceful sensitivity to the plight of the underclass that De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves (1948) demonstrates. Life improves for a while for Kihachi and the boys when he meets an old friend who helps him get a job. But in the end he is undone by his own kindness: He has met a young woman with a small daughter on the road, and when the little girl falls ill with dysentery, Kihachi resorts to theft in order to help her pay the hospital bills. In a heartbreaking ending, he turns himself in to the police. The performances are quietly marvelous, and while the existing restored print still shows the ravages of time, it’s still possible to appreciate the cinematography of Hideo Shigehara, who collaborated frequently with Ozu in the pre-War period.

Tokyo no yado (An Inn in Tokyo). Yasujirō Ozu. 1935.

[howardhawkshollywoodannex]

Tatsuo Saito as Yoshi, father of two sons in I Was Born But.... (1932). Tatsuo had 228 acting credits from seven films in 1925 to 1967. Later in his career he had a few English language roles, including Lord Jim (1965 with Peter O'Toole).

[yxsu]

Okaeri, Makoto Shinozaki, 1995.

[mclegsmrloui]

Tokyo no yado (1935) Director: Yazujirô Ozu, Actores: Takeshi Sakamoto, Yoshiko Okada, Tomio Aoki.

Recientemente restaurada, esta hermosa obra japonesa, la única película muda que se conserva de Ozu, es un retrato sutil y bello (como la mayoría de la literatura nipona) de la infancia, el amor y la pobreza, que nos brinda una mirada única del Japón de la entreguerra, recuperada de entre las cenizas del país hipermoderno de la actualidad: una visión que nos hace dudar, incluso, si un lugar como el que hoy lleva a cabo los Juegos Olímpicos, tuvo un pasado como aquel.

En un suburbio industrial de Tokio, un hombre y sus dos hijos vagan con la esperanza de que el padre encuentre trabajo. Mientras los días pasan y no lo consiguen ven su dinero filtrarse de sus manos; los niños, llenos de esperanza, le dan alientos a su padre, quien no tiene más que darles que habitación en un hotel desvencijado y comida de vez en cuando. Los niños buscan perros en la calle, pues por llevarlos a vacunar contra la rabia les dan cuatro centavos. Un encuentro fortuito les cambia la suerte, y pretenden extenderle esa esperanza a quien la necesita tanto como ellos en su momento.

Una historia sumamente tierna y bella, se siente en parte como un sueño idílico, o quizás como la memoria de un verano caluroso en el que el sol quema la piel y parece no ocultarse nunca, esta película muestra la hermosura de la infancia, al punto en el que los adultos desearían varias veces ser niños de nuevo, una historia que, a pesar de lucir esperanzadora y llena de luz, no deja de ser un recordatorio de la inminencia de un mundo distinto: la velocidad con la que la salud se deteriora, lo rápido que nos volvemos adultos, y el resonar de una guerra que, tarde o temprano, vuelve a llegar.

[randomrichards]

I was Born, But

[rachelmygod]

Tokkan kozô (Yasujiro Ozu, 1929) 

[lairreparablefugadeltiempo]

Dekigokoro (Ozu Yasujirô, 1933)

[eigakan-no-neko]

Ozu - “I was Born But...”

This is definitely one of the more engaging silent movies I have seen. Even though I have not seen many silent movies, the acting and the filming style made it easy to interpret the story without any sound. The story could still be followed if they chose to omit the dialog cards. The expressions from the actors added to this as well. Tomio Aoki (the youngest brother) and Hideo Sugawara (the oldest brother) are probably some of the best child actors I have seen. Their expressions and movement was a major part in conveying the story.

Though this movie came out in 1932, the plot is both timeless and is present in almost every culture. The boys are faced with bullying while the father is stuck in a job that while he doesn’t enjoy it, it provides enough money for him and his family. Coming to terms with how the father doesn’t make as much money as his boss is something or even concept of ones supposed place in society is something deeply relatable to many people. The children basing the father’s importance when compared to the other children’s fathers careers was a simplified version of the class system. Learning how to be happy with what they have is also a very universal theme.

On the cultural elements, I couldn’t tell if the boys wanting to be generals in the end of the movie was because of the growing nationalism in Japan or if the boys simply saw that as impressive careers. The sparrow egg was lost on me culturally and I assume it’s probably just some kind of superstition that kids believe in. A superstition from my childhood that’s probably comparable was pulling apart pine needles. A quick explanation for that would be longleaf pines have needles that grow in clusters of three. Three kids would pull one needle and whomever got the leaf with the stem (we called it the booger) on it had to stick in their nose or else they had bad luck for the day. I assumed the thing where they lay down and another kid points their finger at them was a variation on engacho (they do this in Spirited Away). The pinky promise part actually surprised me since I thought that was more of a western thing.

Another thing of note when considering the year this movie came out is the noticeable shift towards western fashion and architecture. I do not know the terminology for the specific rooms and furniture so I will just refer to closest equivalent found in American homes. The hearth is definitely something that would not be found in Japanese homes today unless it’s a family home located probably somewhere in the countryside. I didn’t expect to see a white picket fence in the yard of the home. It honestly looked a little strange and out of place with the traditional style home. Tatami floors and sliding paper doors are something that are still present in newer homes in Japan today. It seems to be a 50/50 chance that you’ll find a purely western style or mostly western with Japanese furnishings and architecture mixed in. The clothing was definitely more western than traditional when looking at the children’s home and school clothing and the fathers suit for work. The women and some of the towns people are seen wearing either kimono or have a maekake on. I couldn’t tell if there was any symbolic meaning to this or if this was just simply what people wore as at the time.

[moviesiveseenandwanttoremember]

Yasujirō Ozu’s “出来ごころ” (Passing Fancy) September 7, 1933.

[byneddiedingo]

Hideo Sugawara, Seiichi Kato, and Tomio Aoki in I Was Born, But.... (Yasujiro Ozu, 1932)

Cast: Tetsuo Saito, Tomio Aoki, Mitsuko Yoshikawa, Hideo Sugawara, Takeshi Sakamoto, Teruyo Hayami, Seiichi Kato. Screenplay: Akira Fujimi, Geibei Ibushima. Cinematography: Hideo Shigehara. Art direction: Takashi Kono. Film editing: Hideo Shigehara. 

The family was source and inspiration for many of Ozu's greatest films, but he often focused on the problems caused by the elders in a family, as in Tokyo Story (1953) and The End of Summer (1961). The family is supposedly the basic element in society, but Ozu's films often show how society itself strains familial relationships: Elders who have outgrown their usefulness can become obstacles to a family's ongoing concerns about fitting into and making a way in the larger society. I Was Born, But.... turns things around by focusing on children, whose self-centeredness can be as troublesome to the family dynamic as that of the very old. Ozu's films are about expectations that can never be quite fulfilled, and in no part of life are expectations more important than childhood. That makes the film sound more grimly serious than it is, for on the surface I Was Born looks an awful lot like American-style comic films about kids -- the Our Gang and Little Rascals comedies, for example. It focuses on Ryoichi (Hideo Sugawara) and his younger brother, Keiji (Tomio Aoki), who have just moved to the suburbs with their father, Yoshi (Tatsuo Saito), and mother, Haha (Mitsuko Yoshikawa). The boys are unhappy with the move, partly because the local kids bully them as newcomers, but also because Ryoichi in particular resents Yoshi's expectations that he'll get high marks in school. Eventually, after playing hooky and being scolded, they begin to adjust, and Ozu's picture of boyhood becomes lighter and more amusing. We see them adapting to their new corner of society: They overcome the bullies and make friends with Taro (Seiichi Kato), who just happens to be the son of Yoshi's boss. But then Taro lets them come over to his house on an evening when his father is showing home movies to Yoshi and some other employees, and Ryoichi and Keiji are embarrassed when some of the films show their father making funny faces and clowning for the boss and co-workers. It's an eye-opener for Ryoichi especially, who becomes aware of his father's place in the corporate hierarchy. Back home, he demands to know why his father isn't a corporate executive instead of a middle manager, and Yoshi is hard-pressed to explain this particular fact of life. The boys pitch a tantrum -- Keiji always following his older brother's lead -- and Yoshi spanks Ryoichi, only making matters worse. By the film's end, the boys and their parents have reconciled, but one senses that everyone has learned one of those lessons that only life can teach. I Was Born, But.... is one of Ozu's late silent films, and it's masterly in provoking serious thought about a near-universal experience while being engagingly entertaining. It's also very much of its pre-World War II time. Perhaps only in hindsight do audiences notice the hints of Japanese militarism in the story: the military-style drills that the small boys undergo at school, and the fact that when Yoshi asks his sons what they want to do when they grow up, they want to be generals. The performances of the young actors are extraordinary, as is the cinematography of Hideo Shigehara.

[hjfoley]

The Hero of Tokyo 1935 The story focuses on the widower Nemoto, ostensibly a businessman, who has one son, Kanichi, the hero of the title.

[howardhawkshollywoodannex]

Tomio Aoki and Hideo Suguwara are brothers Keiji and Ryochi in I Was Born But...(1932). Tomio had 171 acting credits from 1929 to 2004. Hideo has 18 acting credits from 1930 to 1940. Hideo will turn 99 on Jan 3, 2023.

[junkielee]

[Last Film I Watched] I Was Born, But... (1932)

[Last Film I Watched] I Was Born, But… (1932)

English Title: I Was Born, But… Original Title: Otona no miru ehon – Umarete wa mita keredo Year: 1932 Country: Japan Language: Japanese Genre: Comedy, Drama Director: Yasujirô Ozu Writers: Akira Fushimi Yasujirô Ozu Geibei Ibushiya Music: Donald Sosin Cinematography: Hideo Shigehara Cast: Tomio Aoki Hideo Sugawara Tatsuo Saitô Mitsuko Yoshikawa Zentaro Iijima Seiichi Katô Shôichi Kofujita Seiji…