#Tomio Aoki

[byneddiedingo]

Tomio Aoki in A Story of Floating Weeds (Yasujiro Ozu, 1934)

Cast: Takeshi Sakamoto, Choko Iida, Koji Mitsui, Rieko Yagumo, Yoshiko Tsubouchi, Tomio Aoki, Reiko Tani. Screenplay: Tadao Ikeda, Yasujiro Ozu. Cinematography: Hideo Shigehara. Art direction: Tatsuo Hamada. Film editing: Hideo Shigehara.

This is the first, silent version of a film that Ozu remade with sound and in color in 1959, when it was released as Floating Weeds. Yes, 1934 is late to be making silent films, but Ozu was following the lead of the Japanese film industry, which didn't switch to sound until 1931 -- and Ozu waited till 1936 to make a talkie. Takeshi Sakamoto plays Kihachi, the head of a troupe of traveling players who find themselves in a village where Kihachi has a former mistress, Otsune (Choko Iida), with whom he had a son, Shinkichi (Koji Mitsui). The now almost-grown son has always known Kihachi as "Uncle," because Kihachi has kept his parentage secret, not wanting him to follow in his footsteps as an actor. But when Otaka (Rieko Yagumo), an actress in the troupe and Kihachi's most recent mistress, discovers the secret, she decides to take revenge by asking a younger actress, Otoki (Yoshiko Tsubouchi), to seduce Shinkichi. The revenge backfires when Otoki falls in love with the young man. As usual, Ozu's sympathetic view of human relationships carries the film, giving depth to the somewhat slight story. And the glimpses of the world of the traveling players is both fascinating and funny. The lovely cinematography is by Hideo Shigehara, who filmed and sometimes edited many of Ozu's pre-war movies.

[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.

[mariocki]

Shukujo Wa Nani O Wasureta Ka (What Did The Lady Forget?, 1937)

"That's something you don't understand yet, Setsuko. It so happens that some men treat their wives badly, but that's not a good thing. Wives should be respected."

[byneddiedingo]

Takeshi Sakamoto and Tomio Aoki in An Inn in Tokyo (Yasujiro Ozu, 1935) Cast: Takeshi Sakamoto, Yoshiko Okada, Choko Iida, Tomio Aoki, Kazuko Ojima, Chishu Ryu, Takayuki Suematsu, Screenplay: Masao Arata, Tadao Ikeda, Yasujiro Ozu. Cinematography: Hideo Shigehara. Art direction: Tatsuo Hamada. Film editing: Kazuo Ishikada. Music: Keizo Horiuchi. 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.

[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.

[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…

[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.

[saetorimedia]

For the 14th time CAMERA JAPAN brings Japan a bit closer with not only movies but also a small taste of Japanese culture. This year’s theme was Youth because with the rapidly ageing population and low birth rate some might wonder what the Youth is doing. No worries though, because Camera Japan has showed us they are doing a great job and need to be heard more!

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Before going to this event a difficult decision has to be made, which movies are you going to see? So many interesting choices and not enough time, especially if you can’t attend every day. More people had this problem but sometimes you just have to make those choices and deal with it. Luckily you can make this choice before travelling to Lantaren Venster because the schedule was online for quite some time already. A thing you noticed when you walk in is that the atmosphere is completely different from your regular cinema. Quite some people were regular filmfestivals visitors and it’s no surprise why, people are here for the movies and not for the popcorn.

Although people didn’t eat popcorn there were plenty of ways to fill your tummy between all the movies, lectures and workshops. Lantaren Venster had a small restaurant and there was a small friendly Japanese themed market filled with taiyaki, sushi and delicious cake rolls. You knew exactly when movies ended, it got crowded and people had to line up for food. So be smart and buy your treat inbetween movies. Talking about movies, what’s a filmfestival review without reviewing a few movies? We went to 12 Suicidal Teens, Penguin Highway, I was born but.. and Short Shorts.

12 Suicidal Teens Before the movie started the audience was greeted by a CJ staff member (which gives a very personal touch) with a short introduction: “This is one of the most scary titles CJ have ever showed but it is not that scary as you might think. Don’t let the title scare you.” This movie is about 12 teenagers gathering in an abandoned hospital to commit suicide but they stumble upon a dead body of a boy. This makes a total of 13 teenagers attending the gathering while that wasn’t the plan. Together they have to figure out what’s going on and who among them might be the murder before continuing their original plan. In almost 2 hours you’ll learn the reasons why they want to commite suicide, it lets you think together with the main characters to solve the mystery with some twists and you’ll learn that we all are in a way connected behind our masks. Like the staff member said, it wasn’t scary but it can be an emotional trigger for those who are sensitive like me, yet I really enjoyed the movie and its twists (especially the thing at the end) Score: 7.5/10

Penguin Highway My mouth went open from astonishment when I heard this movie was sold out and so were the CJ staff members: “We knew that cats are popular but penguins are too!” There also was an introduction given about Studio Colorido, a promosing new studio that might be on the same level as Studio Ghibli soon so we have to keep an eye on them. I can understand why they mentioned that, the animation is smooth and pretty to look at. But what is this movie about then? Well, one day, a group of penguins appeared in fourth-grader Aoyama’s neigbourhood. Everyone notices them and despite this rare occurance they are very cute. Aoyama is young, boob-obsessed whizz-kid. and wants to solve this mystery with rigorous scientific methods and principles. But what he doesn’t know is that he is in for a much larger adventure involving penguin eating monsters and a mysterious woman (which is his dentist he’s in love with). Overall the movie is very good, animation and soundtrack is of very good quality and there is a lot of modern humor in it. But I still have no idea what’s going despite that the mystery is solved so I guess you have to have a lot of fantasy… Score: 8.0/10

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Lecture: 47 ronin and expositions Need a break from the movies? Luckily there were many other activities and one of them was a lecture about the famous 47 ronin story. The lecture started with a short summary of the story which then turned into an analysis of different version of the story. Some of those versions got translated into books and movies and we got to see a few examples. I was amazed by how many versions there were but sadly not all could be addressed since time was short. After the lecture I visited the 2 expositions which were spread through the building in places were a lot of people walk by. The Cosplay is Art exhibition wasn’t my cup of tea, maybe because I have seen too many cosplay photography, it just didn’t spark me. On the other hand the A Copy of Truth exhibition by Jelle Hooks was really good. The photos show alienated youths who want to stand out. Despite the photos being taken in black/white you could feel the colour, every teenager had their own story. His book was for sale during the event and he also still sells them on his website if you’re interested. What I did miss by both exhibitions was some kind of introduction or name of the work. You just walked by, took a quick look and that was it. They also had the popular MangaKissa where you can sit and read some manga’s and disconnect from the event for a little while and they also had a few art exhibitions and workshops. For the workshops you had to buy tickets seperately in advance. They had an origami workshop on friday, a bento workshop on Saturday and kids day and film brunch on Sunday. We’ve not seen kids day so packed however.

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  I was born but.. This black and white silent movie from 1932 by Yasujiro Ozu which was accompanied by a quartet who played music live to fit the movie. No matter how much I liked the music I felt like it didn’t really match the movie at all and I was missing some fun sound effects. But I enjoyed both a lot

The Yoshi family has just moved to the Tokyo suburbs, close to where the father Kennosuke’s (Tatsuo Saitō) direct boss, Iwasaki (Takeshi Sakamoto), is staying. Kennosuke’s two young sons Keiji and Ryoichi (Tomio Aoki and Hideo Sugawara) are supposed to be going to school, but owing to the threats of a group of neighborhood and school bullies, they decide to play truant. After the teacher speaks to their father, Keiji and Ryoichi have no choice but to go to school. They attempt to eat sparrow’s eggs to get stronger so that they can get back at the boys, but an older delivery boy Kozou (Shoichi Kofujita) decides to help them out to threaten the bullies, and they emerge as the top dogs amongst the gang.

One of the neighborhood kids is Taro (Seiichi Kato), whose father is Iwasaki himself. The boys argue amongst themselves who has the most powerful father. Not long after, they visit Taro’s home, where the office workers have gathered under Iwasaki, who screens some home movies for the amusement of the gathering. The two brothers witness on film how their father, who to them is stern and whom they look up to, plays the buffoon before his colleagues and boss.

Humiliated, they go home and decide that their father isn’t such an important person after all. They throw a massive tantrum, and confront their father asking him why he has to grovel under Taro’s father. Kennosuke answers that Taro’s father is richer and holds a higher position than he does. Dissatisfied with this answer, the two decide to hold a hunger strike. Ryoichi gets a spanking from his father, but after the children have gone to bed, the father confides in the wife that he does not enjoy doing what he does. Both wish for a better future for their children.

The next day, the children attempt a hunger strike during breakfast, but succumb to a dish of onigiri. Kennosuke manages a reconciliation with them. The children say they would like to be a lieutenant general and a general respectively. On their way to school, they see Taro’s father in a car, and they urge their father to go up and greet him. As Kennosuke takes a convenient car ride to work, the brothers walk to school with Taro and the rest of the gang. Score: 7.0/10

  Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia As the titel depicts, this was a lot of shorts. it had movies of around 20 minutes or less. I’ll summorize them by movie.

Beard and Raincoat by YAWATA Kimi, 2018, 12 min This…generally weird. as the name predicts. It was about a girl who had a beard fetish and the bearded guy who had a raincoat fetish. The bearded guy however was the brother of the girls boyfriend who ended up finding out and they ran away together in the end but I’m not sure how it ended because it was kind of weird. Score: 5.0/10

MOON RABBIT by HO Kae, 2018, 15 min I feel like this movie wasn’t totally honest about the end.. I felt really conflicted in the end. The story starts with a mother coming to her family house with her two half japanese half american kids. The older brother and his cousin hang out and the young girl wants to hang out too while her mom tells her father that she and her husband broke up. The young girl comes out with her hair all messy and a shocked face. Ending in her telling her mom that her brother told her the Moon Rabbit doesn’t excist. Score: 6.0/10

No One But I Know by KAMIJO Daisuke, 2019, 25 min This movie really looks promising, It’s about a boy who’s stepdad gets murdered and his mother gets charged with it. In the end, he tried to protect his mother but fails in the end and protects the killer instead. Score: 8.0/10

What Meiling Decided by KUJIRAOKA Hironori, 25 min This had a good start but a weird ending, I’m interested into this becoming a full on movie. Score: 7.0/10

Lovers and Coffee by SHIRAO Ayuka, 2018, 5 min This was a really short one, playing in the future where coffee is banned from the world. A couple smuggles it and drinks one cup each month. However the worst ever cop shows up and leaves without making an arrest… It was funny and dumb at the same time Score: 5.0/10

Blue Hands by YAMANAKA Yu, 2019, 20 min I absolutely loved this, Blue hands is about a son talking about his father who carried on his fathers legacy with an indigo dying company. His hands, over time have stained the indigo blue. It tells the story of how his father lost his wife to death, then almost his company due to other companies and his son due to neglect and endangerment. But it shows the fathers pure love for his son and the sons pure love for the father. It was absolutely beautiful and I saw many people around me wipe away their tears.  It was shot perfectly and would love to see it again. Score: 10/10

Camera Japan This event will hold their 15th anniversary next year and every year they’re looking for volunteers. The most important thing when you apply for a volunteer is to remember to stay professional, follow the guidelines and make sure every visitor has a great experience. The group of volunteers every year is amazing and being part of such a group is truly an honor. If you would be interested in joining the coming year make sure to continue checking out their website and facebook page so you can be in time and sign up.

  For the 14th time @CAMERAJAPAN brings Japan a bit closer with not only movies but also a small taste of Japanese culture. This year's theme was Youth because with the rapidly ageing population and low birth rate some might wonder what the Youth is doing. No worries though, because Camera Japan has showed us they are doing a great job and need to be heard more! Read our guest and volunteer expierence here! For the 14th time CAMERA JAPAN brings Japan a bit closer with not only movies but also a small taste of Japanese culture.