Country
Japan
Production Year
1953
Running Time
136
Genre
Drama
Age
13+
family, elderly, love, marriage
Shukichi (Chishu Ryu) and Tomi (Chieko Higashiyama) set off on a trip to Tokyo to visit their children.
The elderly couple have spent most of their lives in Onomichi, Hiroshima. The Tokyo trip might be a memorable experience to cherish for the rest of their lives.
Upon arriving in Tokyo, their eldest son and daughter prioritize maintaining their own lifestyles over spending quality time with their parents.
Despite an amiable reception, Shukichi and Tomi feel an absence of sincere warmth, leaving them disappointed. They cut their stay short and return home.
Before long, the son and daughter in Tokyo receive a telegram from their young sister Kyoko (Kyoko Kagawa) in Onomichi, informing them that their mother is critically ill.
Director
Yasujiro Ozu
Yasujiro Ozu was born on December 12, 1903 in Tokyo. In 1927, he made his directorial debut with a period drama (his only one), The Sword of Penitence. After the war, teaming up with Kogo Noda, a screenwriter, they created masterpieces such as “Late Spring,” “Early Summer,” and “Tokyo Story,” where they superbly depicted Japanese families and the relations between the parents and children. While his reputation was at its peak, Ozu died of cancer on December 12, 1963, on his 60th birthday.
