Yasujirō Ozu
Known for Directing
Born
December 11, 1903
Died
December 12, 1963 (age 60)
Birthplace
Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
Filmography
105 films, 1 show
Known for Directing
Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He began his career during the era of silent films. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in the 1930s. Marriage and family, especially the relationships between the generations, are prominent themes in Ozu's work. His most lauded films include Late Spring (1949), Tokyo Story (1953), Floating Weeds (1959), and An Autumn Afternoon (1962). His reputation has continued to grow since his death, and he is widely regarded as one of the world's most influential directors. In the 2012 Sight & Sound poll, Ozu's Tokyo Story was voted the greatest film of all time by world directors.
Born
December 11, 1903
Died
December 12, 1963 (age 60)
Birthplace
Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
Filmography
105 films, 1 show

An Autumn Afternoon
1962 · 1h 53m
country: Japan
Widower Shuhei Hirayama's caretaker is his 24-year-old daughter, Michiko. Gradually, he comes to realize that Michiko should not be obliged to look after him for the rest of his life, so he arranges a marriage for her.

The End of Summer
1961 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
The family of an older man who runs a small sake brewery become concerned with his finances and his health after they discover him visiting an old mistress from his youth.

Late Autumn
1960 · 2h 8m
country: Japan
A woman and her daughter are each forced to contend with an increasing pressure to marry, particularly from three men who knew her late husband.

Floating Weeds
1959 · 1h 55m
country: Japan
A theater troupe master's visit with his old flame unintentionally sets off a chain of unexpected events with devastating consequences.

Good Morning
1959 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
A lighthearted take on director Yasujiro Ozu’s perennial theme of the challenges of intergenerational relationships, Good Morning tells the story of two young boys who stop speaking in protest after their parents refuse to buy a television set. Ozu weaves a wealth of subtle gags through a family portrait as rich as those of his dramatic films, mocking the foibles of the adult world through the eyes of his child protagonists. Shot in stunning color and set in a suburb of Tokyo where housewives gossip about the neighbors’ new washing machine and unemployed husbands look for work as door-to-door salesmen, this charming comedy refashions Ozu’s own silent classic I Was Born, But . . . to gently satirize consumerism in postwar Japan.

Equinox Flower
1958 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
Wataru's outwardly liberal views on marriage are severely tested when his daughter declares her love for a coworker and is adamant to live her own way, instead of agreeing to an arranged marriage. Outwitted by his female relatives, Hirayama stubbornly refuses to admit defeat.

Tokyo Twilight
1957 · 2h 21m
country: Japan
Two sisters learn about the existence of their long-lost biological mother, but the younger is unable to accept the fact that she was abandoned as a child.

Early Spring
1956 · 2h 25m
country: Japan
A young salaryman and his wife struggle within the confines of their passionless relationship while he embarks on an extramarital affair.

Tokyo Story
1953 · 2h 17m
country: Japan
The elderly Shukishi and his wife, Tomi, take the long journey from their small seaside village to visit their adult children in Tokyo. Their elder son, Koichi, a doctor, and their daughter, Shige, a hairdresser, don't have much time to spend with their aged parents, and so it falls to Noriko, the widow of their younger son who was killed in the war, to keep her in-laws company.

The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice
1952 · 1h 56m
country: Japan
The arranged marriage between a capricious woman from Tokyo high society and a quiet rustic man is tested by a marital crisis.

Early Summer
1951 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
In postwar Tokyo, Noriko lives with her extended family. Although she enjoys her career and her social life, her more traditional family worries about her single marital status at the advanced age of 28. 40-year-old business associate Takako proposes, Noriko's family press her into accepting, but when her widowed childhood friend Kenkichi returns to the neighborhood, she finds her heart leading in another direction.

The Munekata Sisters
1950 · 1h 52m
country: Japan
Setsuko is in an unhappy marriage to Mimura, an unemployed, alcoholic engineer. She had always been in love with Hiroshi but both failed to propose when Hiroshi left for France a few years ago. But now he's back and Mariko tries to reunite them, although she too is secretly in love with Hiroshi.

Late Spring
1949 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
Noriko is perfectly happy living at home with her widowed father, Shukichi, and has no plans to marry -- that is, until her aunt Masa convinces Shukichi that unless he marries off his 27-year-old daughter soon, she will likely remain alone for the rest of her life. When Noriko resists Masa's matchmaking, Shukichi is forced to deceive his daughter and sacrifice his own happiness to do what he believes is right.

A Hen in the Wind
1948 · 1h 24m
country: Japan
Tokiko patiently awaits her husband's return from WWII when her four-year old son falls ill. She takes him to the doctor but has no means of paying, so she resorts to prostitution. A month later, her husband returns to find his desperate wife, who tells him the truth. Together, they must deal with the consequences.

Record of a Tenement Gentleman
1947 · 1h 12m
country: Japan
A hard-hearted old woman in a bombed-out Tokyo neighborhood reluctantly takes in an abandoned boy, leading to a heartwarming bond between them.

There Was a Father
1942 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
Shuhei Horikawa, a poor schoolteacher, struggles to raise his son Ryohei by himself, despite neither money nor prospects.

Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family
1941 · 1h 45m
country: Japan
After the death of her husband, an elderly woman and her youngest, unmarried daughter are forced to sell their house to cover his debts and decide to move in with one of the former's children, each of whom is scarcely happy to accommodate.

What Did the Lady Forget?
1937 · 1h 11m
country: Japan
A professor, Komiya, and his bossy wife, Tokiko, are to look after Setsuko, their high-spirited niece from Osaka. Despite being a minor, Setsuko is a liberated woman who does whatever she wants, including smoking. She even convinces Koyima to take her to a geisha house. When she gets rather tipsy, the professor calls Okada, one of his students, to take her home. The wife becomes suspicious of Setsuko when she sees Okada bringing her home.

The Only Son
1936 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
A rural widow sends her only son to Tokyo to receive a better education. Years later, she visits him and finds he has become a night school teacher struggling to support his wife and son.

The Lion Dance
1936 · 24m
country: Japan
Famous kabuki performer Kikugoro IV performs the Lion Dance, in which a young girl is possessed by the spirit of a lion and transforms into the demonic beast.

College Is a Nice Place
1936 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
In a Tokyo boarding house a group of students and recent graduates struggle to complete their studies and find jobs. Considered a lost film.

An Inn in Tokyo
1935 · 1h 20m
country: Japan
An unemployed Japanese man and his two sons wander the industrial flatlands of Depression-era Tokyo, until he chances upon an old friend and befriends a woman and her daughter, who are in a similar predicament.

An Innocent Maid
1935 · 1h 7m
country: Japan
In a back alley of the Shitamachi district of Tokyo, Kihachi bears witness to a series of romantic complications involving the inhabitants of the neighborhood. Considered to be a lost film.

A Story of Floating Weeds
1934 · 1h 26m
country: Japan
An aging actor returns to a small town with his troupe and reunites with his former lover and illegitimate son, a scenario that enrages his current mistress and results in heartbreak for all.

A Mother Should Be Loved
1934 · 1h 14m
country: Japan
A young man discovers that the woman who raised him is his stepmother. His stepbrother, who is unaware of the revelation, resents his mother for always punishing him more severely than his stepsibling.

Passing Fancy
1933 · 1h 41m
country: Japan
In Depression-era Tokyo, a struggling middle-aged single father with a young son comes across a homeless young lady and convinces a bar owner to take her in.

Dragnet Girl
1933 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
A gangster tries to find redemption with the inadvertent help of an innocent shop girl and his jealous girlfriend will do anything to keep him.

Woman of Tokyo
1933 · 47m
country: Japan
Ryoichi and Chikako, brother and sister, live together. Chikako toils during the day and, at night, prostitutes herself to fund his college tuition.

Until the Day We Meet Again
1932 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
A young man falls in love with a prostitute and is disowned by his family. He is then drafted, and heads off to war. Script exists - considered to be a lost film.

Where Now Are the Dreams of Youth?
1932 · 1h 26m
country: Japan
When a young man inherits his father's lucrative business, he cheats the system to set up three of his college friends with jobs.

I Was Born, But...
1932 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Brothers Keiji and Ryoichi move to a new neighborhood in the Tokyo suburbs after their father, an office clerk, is promoted. The boys join the local gang as lowly new kids and emerge as natural leaders after defeating a bully. While visiting the home of their father's boss, the brothers witness the ridicule their father endures to please his superior. Angry and embarrassed, the boys find their naive ideas about power being challenged.

Spring Comes from the Ladies
1932 · 1h 14m
country: Japan
A student comes up with various schemes to avoid paying a tailor the money he owes him. Considered to be a lost film.

Tokyo Chorus
1931 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
During the Depression, a young man struggles to provide for his family after he is sacked for defending an older colleague.

The Sorrow of the Beautiful Woman
1931 · 2h 38m
country: Japan
Two people are fascinated by a sculptor's statue. The film is lost.

The Lady and the Beard
1931 · 1h 15m
country: Japan
Graduate Okajima finds his old-fashioned beard makes life difficult in a comedy exploring the tension between tradition and modernity.

Young Lady
1930 · 2h 15m
country: Japan
Lost film. Two reporters find that they are repeatedly beaten to the scoop by a new female journalist, 'young miss'. They decide to team up with her to investigate a secret club for wealthy voyeurs. Considered to be a lost film.

The Luck Which Touched the Leg
1930 · 1h 14m
country: Japan
A salaryman finds some money in the street and gets a reward for returning it to its rightful owner. However his colleagues immediately start borrowing money and selling him things he doesn't need, much to his wife's annoyance. Considered to be a lost film.

The Revengeful Spirit of Eros
1930 · 28m
country: Japan
A young couple jump into the sea as part of a suicide pact. The man is rescued and subsequently discovers that his lover is also alive and working in a dance hall. Considered to be a lost film.

That Night's Wife
1930 · 1h 6m
country: Japan
In Depression-era Japan, a man commits a robbery to save his critically ill daughter and escapes with the funds, but complications arise.

I Flunked, But...
1930 · 1h 5m
country: Japan
After the plans of a group of college students to cheat on their final exams goes awry, they're left to reassess their lives and educations and get back on track.

Walk Cheerfully
1930 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
Raucous small-time thief Kenji falls in love with sweet and simple Yazue, but when she finds out what kind of guy he really is, she leaves him until he proves to be honest. Kenji soon finds it's not so easy to get rid of one's past.

A Primer on Marriage
1930 · 1h 11m
country: Japan
Bored in his marriage, a dentist flirts with a young woman on a train. However he soon finds himself embroiled in a series of misunderstandings with his wife, the young woman and her husband. Considered to be a lost film.

A Straightforward Boy
1929 · 14m
country: Japan
A kidnapped boy proves to be more than his abductor can handle.

The Life of an Office Worker
1929 · 57m
country: Japan
When Tsukamoto is made redundant he cannot bring himself to tell his wife. Instead he investigates other employment opportunities. Considered to be a lost film.

I Graduated, But...
1929 · 11m
country: Japan
Tetsuo Nomoto, a young college graduate tries to find a decent job by himself. Later on, he will marry his girlfriend, Machiko, whom he hides the fact that he has no job. Hardships come quickly, which forces Machiko to find a job in a bar.

Fighting Friends
1929 · 15m
country: Japan
Two friends accidentally run into a young, homeless woman, so they take her in.

Days of Youth
1929 · 1h 39m
country: Japan
University friends Ben and Shūichi unknowingly vie for the attention of the beautiful Chieko while on a skiing trip.

Treasure Mountain
1929 · 1h 7m
country: Japan
A young man falls for one of the geisha working in the house where he lives. However, the romance doesn't find favour with his father or current girlfriend. Considered to be a lost film.

Physical Beauty
1928 · 55m
country: Japan
A hen-pecked man works as his artist wife's model and a house-husband. When her patron flirts with her and humiliates him, he decides to get revenge by trying his own hand as a painter. Considered to be a lost film.
Couple on the Move
Couple on the Move
1928 · 41m
country: Japan
When a woman unfairly suspects her husband of flirting with a shop assistant, she decides to flirt with their landlord to get revenge. Considered to be a lost film.

Pumpkin
1928 · 43m
country: Japan
Comedy about a young man juggling several girlfriends. Considered to be a lost film.

Wife Lost
1928 · 55m
country: Japan
A married man falls for a dancer and his wife's uncle hires a private detective to spy on him. Considered to be a lost film.

Dreams of Youth
1928 · 56m
country: Japan
Lost silent film

Sword of Penitence
1927 · 1h 10m
country: Japan
Two criminal brothers try to go straight but face opposition from one of their criminal cohorts. Considered to be a lost film.