I Was Born, But...

You always hit an age where of course you realize your father isn't the man you've built him up to be in your head but the bigger theme this touches on to me anyway is that you eventually hit a point where you realize the fruitless nature of your father's entire existence and in the same thought process your own.

There are some nice shots and some funny parts, and I thought it was a surprisingly (and pleasantly) humanistic film for its time, but I guess I have a problem in general with movies about small children, excepting the occasional 400 Blows. I don't find kids especially interesting or amusing. I'm more interested in the adults, and hence I much preferred the last 20 minutes of the movie to the preceding hour.

Ozu always had a marvelous eye, technically speaking, but his storytelling is consistently overly simplistic, bloated and even unintentionally condescending. Here we have a tale of childhood and class and family that pushes 100 minutes when it could be tautly told in a quarter of that time. There's probably nothing I like more than economical storytelling, and little i dislike more than its opposite.

As the title promises, Ozu takes the approach with which he had already followed so many stories of young men in or freshly out of college looking to find and make sense of their place in the world, and turns it towards two young schoolboys. Gentle and comedic, yet preoccupied with uncertainties about the future, and how to respect oneself, as often. And following quite a bit on the "work as [necessary?] humiliation" theme as seen in Tokyo Chorus.

This early Ozu is fascinating, partly because he stayed with many of the same themes over his career -- little moments of family life. But this one is also rather shocking as it has such a fluid camera and very short shots, so different from later films with cameras that seem to linger forever. I was most impressed with the choreography of the kids (perhaps easier in silent films where the director could be coaching). Fav moment: the look on the boys' faces seeing dad on film.

A pleasant, somewhat humorous tableau of pre-War Japanese family life, intersected by the domains of work and school. Although archetypical, his characters are framed (quite literally) in a relatable and warm way--a trait for which he would no doubt become renowned.

Yasujirô Ozu's "Little Rascals"

Pretty decent silent comedy/drama that combines comedy with sentimentality in the vein of a Chaplin. It's not as funny, though, and at times is a bit tonally awkward. Not a bad film by any means, though. Really interesting from Ozu, as it's totally unlike his later work.

Eu nasci, mas... estreava há 90 anos no Japão. Gosto de como esse filme trata a descoberta infantil ao capitalismo e suas reações. Vendo esse filme tentei rememorar na minha vida o momento em que passei a ter consciência de classe e vislumbrar qual era o jogo do capitalismo e sinceramente não sei, mas para as crianças de Ozu isso fica muito bem marcado. BlurayRip VXT.

12.16 Hobbit

It's hard to express the charm of this movie, which is ostensibly about two young boys adjusting to a new neighborhood, but Ozu uses that easy simplicity to reflect universal issues of social class and generally learning to cope with your lot in life.

It's basically the quintessential Ozu wrt to the themes he was tackling all through the his career, and is up there for my fav. Could use some more farts tho.

91.00

It's rare for a film to capture the whimsical but thought-provoking perspective of children and the hardened outsider perspective of adults - Ozu masters both here, effortlessly moving between the two leading to a fantastic climax when the two blend together and become hardly distinguishable.

I like this as a movie about the camaraderie between two brothers, and all of the joy that that inspires. Somewhat less convinced by how it tackles the idea of one generation inspiring the other, which is a theme better handled in Good Morning (which isn't really a remake of this but has enough surface similarities that some people call it a remake).

It's alright. I thought it was a kinda ho-hum drama about kids and family, not particularly insightful, pretty much my usual reaction to Ozu. But I can appreciate the simplicity of Ozu's subjects when compared with the extravaganza of his contemporaries in the west, and this one has a little bit of humor thankfully.

silent film

It's interesting seeing this early iteration of Ozu's storytelling, but it's also remarkable how developed it already is and how much it aligns with his later work. What separates this one is its modest sense of humor and that it takes the perspective of the children, which adds an interesting twist to Ozu's pet themes (the two child leads are a perfect fit, as well). It's clear by this time Ozu had already developed good comedic timing and was coming into his own with the more dramatic beats.

Star Rating: ★★★★1/2

I enjoyed it but didn't quite love it. The last little bit was easily the best part, and sometimes it was interesting watching the kids interact with one another. It's shot well, feels real and has good performances.

This is a very good silent film, it is well paced and the child actors are fantastic.

Probably better as a book.

the importance of being important. the humourous power struggle at school becomes an analogy for one's place in society, and the value that should be ascribed to it. the whole thing's a little bland, from camera to story, but it's nice enough and mildly insightful.

An amusing, light-hearted and thoroughly engaging little coming of age story that revels in the whimsy, naivete, and cruelty of adolescent boys. It's strange to see an Ozu film in which the camera is so mobile.

I think the latter part of this film is quite touching, when it focuses in on the boys having to come to terms with both their dad's place in the world and what that might mean for their futures also. That said the earlier part of the film was not as engaging, and I think just generally so much of Ozu's films are about the mix of things characters are saying and what is being left unsaid that it's hard for me not to find him working in silent cinema less satisfying by contrast.

The movie is divided in two parts. The first hour is about the two boys as they establish themselves in their world with a new school and neighbourhood. A lot of light comedy and charming sequences. It helps set up the second part of the movie, but at the same time a lot of it seems unnecessary for the main story and kind of makes the movie drift off-course. The last half hour as the boys rebel against the father was classic! It showed sincerity, warmheartedness and provides a few good laughs.

Qualifies as one of my favorite movies of all time. This 1932 masterpiece, now digitally restored with retranslated subtitles and a newly recorded score, is a silent film that doesn't feel silent at all.

Charming silent Japanese comedy. There's not much plot: two young boys tangle with bullies at their new school, and are disheartened by their father's sucking up to his boss. What makes the film work is its rich sense of character, especially where the children are concerned; Tomio Aoki and Hideo Sugawara are spot-on as the sons, but the whole cast does well. Yasujiro Ozu's direction has just the right light touch. I saw this with the benefit of benshi narration, which only adds to the fun.

#486

If you remember the TV program, *The Little Rascals*, this is similar except less silly. Ozu respect and non-judgmental approach to characters are still there. Finally, is there any director better at getting authentic performances from children?

Like a lot of Ozu, this seems to want to simultaneously satirize and romanticize family life & social mores. Ozu manages a pretty even balancing of the two urges here. This is pretty light fare, and the kids' cutesiness seems a little too choreographed but most of the humour works. I like the parallels between the worlds of kids & adults shown, and there are also some interesting observations about the image children hold of their parents, and the expectations parents have for their children.

482

This is pretty different from later Ozu but it still contains much of the generational commentary common in his pictures. Very well done, it's light but not slight, capturing a real slice of childhood and extending it to the power dynamics that exist throughout society.

429

Such a wonderful imagination & humor here.

# 460