Kurosawa and Ozu: Two Faces of Japanese Cinema

A video essay analyzing Rashomon (1950) and Tokyo Story (1953) in the context of Japanese Art History.

[@dimitrisalomao]

Hey everyone, I hadn't realized that this video got this many comments, so I never thought to check and answer haha Regarding some of the comments: I totally agree that Mizoguchi needs to be in that discussion. If I had more time, I'd certainly include him. This was a university project of mine that required a comparison between two artworks (hence, only two examples). Glad to hear you all liked it, and all the constructive feedback was awesome! I never thought to continue making videos like this, but your comments are definitely making me at least consider it.

[@FreeFilmHeritage]

Thank you for this video! I agree that Mizoguchi is very important to Japanese cinema, however, your video is called "Two Faces of Japanese Cinema", not "THE Two Faces of Japanese Cinema". And with respect to you considering making more of these videos, either about Japanese cinema just cinema in general, I give you my support!

[@mamabari07]

Excellent work! Keep it up..

[@ScrewyDriverTheMan]

Yeah OLD Japanese cinema. TRUE Japanese cinema is IMAMURA and ITAMI

[@arryacc]

Just seeing these last shots from Tokyo Story makes my eye water. What a beautiful beautiful cinematic masterpiece.

[@omeshsingh8091]

"Mizoguchi's greatness was that he would do anything to heighten the reality of every scene. He never made compromises… Of all Japanese directors, I have the greatest respect for him... With the death of Mizoguchi, Japanese film has lost its truest creator." - Akira Kurosawa

[@christiangasior4244]

Yeah he is usually considered the third great master. After that you have Naruse and Miyazaki and plenty of other masters. I love Foreign cinema, especially Japanese cinema. Still, Ozu is my favorite for the calm he brings me. He puts me in a meditative state.

[@piktip]

Thanks so much for making & sharing this video. It's insightful. Those are beautiful movies (and directors).

[@heinrichvon]

There are a lot of good ideas in this brilliantly edited video. The notion that the opposition between Kurosawa and Ozu is not between "Western" Kurosawa and "Japanese" Ozu, but rather between two kinds of "Japaneseness" is a view I endorse. One cavil: the author of this video claims that Kurosawa was not concerned with the individual and that Ozu was. For me, the opposite is closer to the truth. Kurosawa says explicitly in his autobiography that, after the war, he wanted to make films that asserted the value of the individual. Whereas Ozu, though he filmed stories about Japanese people of all ages and classes, invariably perceives and displays them as part of the larger unit of the family, and their actions and sufferings only make sense in that context, not as individuals per se. But otherwise, the Otoko vs. Onna dichotomy that the author presents here makes sense. I also thought the bibliography at the end was a nice (and useful) touch.

[@mckavitt]

heinrichvon Absolutely. Altho’ I would add that we get to know & care about each character in Ozu’s films as well.

[@jamesjoelholmes4541]

Nicely done! Two of film's best makers I can think of. Thank you for putting this together!

[@TheCpHaddock]

I really wish you'd continue making videos like this! Very interesting comparison between these two giants of cinema...

[@roblikesmusic9476]

Truly insightful. Thank you. I feel incredible after watching this video.

[@EdwinSmeets]

One of the best essay I ever saw ! congratulation

[@jayarajankv2897]

interesting analysis. simply amazing

[@hattorihanzo8385]

Well Done, Dimitri. I was mesmerized not just with the visuals of the masters, but also with your great analysis... make more such videos!!!

[@Any_Friday]

Excellent video of appreciation and understanding of two great masters

[@doktoryok]

rational analyses which have various questions within curiosity that includes respectful approach.thanks mate.

[@monkeyfruitm4n783]

All along, I was so moved not only by the movies (spevially Ozu's) but for your caring analyssis. Subbed

[@mikeinthemiddle]

This is a great, informative video of two master filmmakers! As a former film student and now a working filmmaker, it's awesome to be reminded - through videos like yours - why we love film! Thanks a lot for that! :)

[@daroldcruz8349]

Wow!!!! Good job (Y) loved your analysis. Definitely want more of this please.

[@cynthiap7741]

Well done! Enjoyed watching very much. Thank you!

[@cowsaysboo]

Kurosawa is the best director of all time. It saddens me that not many people know his name nowadays. Ozu is amazing as well, I loved Tokyo Story

[@matty6878]

Ghost of Tsushima helped introduce his name to a new audience in an homage to his style.

[@Drums_of_Liberation]

​@@matty6878yeah but who other than Kurosawa fans actually used the Kurosawa filter?

[@nathanakpe4897]

​@@Drums_of_Liberationmultiple people loved the black and white mode

[@Patricia-bk1en]

Thanks for this knowledgeable and interesting video!

[@kimbenbow1358]

Wonderful analysis. Thank you for sharing.

[@melodramacaminante]

Thanks for making and sharing this, Dimitri. Greets from Argentina.

[@markpaulantony4237]

thank you for the insight. need to watch this!

[@heothoem8692]

Thank you for a wonderful video !

[@gingrsnap1951]

Amazing video, love the depth of study and thought that went into this essay. Domo

[@dimitrisalomao]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@earthrooster1969]

Thank You! For this beautiful docu on these two masters ..

[@sharonazar1]

Beautifully and powerfully crafted!! Thank you so much!!

[@greggvanvranken6482]

Outstanding analysis of a very old debate. Deserves a lot more views.

[@cuervacho]

Great work my friend. Thanks for the effort

[@beeurself8947]

I love Rashomon! I am greatful you picked exactly this movie! and good video in general as well

[@oliviaborghi1349]

Very kind and thoughtful essay. Thank you for sharing

[@MarkKeuthan]

Very nicely done. Insightful and compelling.

[@vertigq5126]

Great video! Your take on Rashomon was especially interesting. Thanks for sharing this with us man! Keep up the good work and God bless you :)

[@dfdanfads]

Exquisite research and conclusion

[@Rubytuesday957]

This was very good, thank you.

[@lemoncake011]

This needs far more views, good stuff.

[@tayoo.1965]

im surprised this doesnt have a 500k-1mil already

[@sunilkamesh]

the amount of clarity you bring to this topic is amazing ..and doing so without using cliches like "perspectives" while describing rashomon ...pls review Ikiru...

[@scottw.kekamaamona9577]

Mahalo! Great analysis and thoughts.

[@kamilziemian995]

Great analysis, just great.

[@LarryParamedic1]

Wonderfully done, Thank You..

[@cherylm2C6671]

I like this. Thank you for your posting. But there's so much mercy in Rashomon, unmentionable mercies, and judgements too.

[@christopherphillips9891]

SO beautiful. It took me four nights to watch. I looked at some scenes or dialogue lines multiple times. As Ronald Richie wrote (paraphrasing): American films are about action, European films are about character, Japanese films are about ATMOSPHERE. It is certainly true of this masterpiece.

[@johnradovich8809]

Excellent! Thank you.

[@manuelgonzales2570]

Excelente análisis. Muchas gracias!

[@bradenwells520]

This is great man.

[@CarlosChavez-eq9sp]

This is beautiful.

[@TimothySielbeck]

Well done. Thank you.

[@graybow2255]

I've watched several of the "greatest" Japanese films but for me none beats The Human Condition.

[@f.boogaloospook2318]

Kino kobayashi and nakadai

[@mcedizulu5311]

Thank you!

[@graybow2255]

@@mcedizulu5311 What for?

[@mcedizulu5311]

@@graybow2255 no one talks about that movie enough, or about Kobayashi.

[@sirgriffith7122]

Yes, The Human Condition is simply magnificent. My personal favourite film.

[@mom0murxsaki]

Awesome video!! I really liked how you did a very complete research on japanese culture (: Also music and edition were beautiful

[@dimitrisalomao]

Thank you so much :))

[@rajneeshparmar537]

Loved it man , please make more videos on movies.

[@furnacecreek1035]

Very good scholarship. I'm glad you covered the "non-Japanese-ness" of Kurosawa and the humility (floor POV) and transience ("aware") of Ozu. Very good post! Thank you!

[@aratdhar4015]

Really enjoyed watching this video......I am a fan of Ozu's films.....good luck for your future projects👍👏 🙂🙏

[@jfl100]

I appreciate your insight into these two directors, and these two films, all of which I have held close now for many, many years. Your presentation here feels like we are having a conversation, a chat between two folks intimately familiar with the subjects, who rarely sit down with anyone else who understands. Thank you. I cannot recall from memory any Ozu film that "crosses over" from onna to otoko, but I have to wonder now if maybe Kurosawa did not cross over to onna when he created Ikuru. And if we allow that, then there perhaps are others as well, especially in the earlier days?

[@jacobbecker1905]

I dig the Max Richter piece! Great vid and analysis!

[@antoniocoppola7644]

What makes the two artists absolutely identical is the magic hug which softly surrounds the wiewer makeing him/her aware of it just when "the end" appears on the screen.

[@charlie-obrien]

I am an admirer of Ozu's films, Late Spring and Floating Weeds, being my favorites. I have never watched an original Kurosawa film and now it is time to explore his work.

[@manish2310]

Amazing presentation

[@42kellys]

I liked your video, although I only learnt about Tokyo Story from you having only seen Rashomon. Thank you. I am pondering on whether to watch Tokyo Story or not.

[@fernandovilla9931]

Un placer ver tu video! Y muy buen análisis. Saludos desde Argentina!

[@kinodino2200]

Fantastic video

[@mariamartaaguirre2361]

Loved it!👏👏👏

[@diegoabw]

thank you!

[@allertonoff4]

insightful article .. 10/10

[@atmantipheret456]

Thank you, thank you. I have for years observed the masculine vs. feminine approaches of Kurosawa and Ozu and also seen it in relation to Western art and literature, as with Melville's _Moby Dick_ of action packed adventure upon the grand quest of conquering the ultimate truth vs. Jane Austin's _Pride and Prejudice_ (and other novels) with a Fitzwilliam Darcy character and the eligible daughter Elizabeth available for marriage, with all the action transpiring within the drawing room, yet a world of action and insight into the human condition occurs and unfolds on those pages.

[@zebragiraffe1]

Thank you, Dimitri!

[@timothy9734]

Thank you!

[@molesticles]

Really well done video. I'm surprised I haven't stumbled on this video essay before. I actually hadn't watched an Ozu movie before today and I honestly didn't enjoy iit in even an intellectual or spiritual sense. But your video was valuable. I hope you're still creating content.

[@thiccboss4780]

*17 seconds in, subbed* don't care if it'll take 7 months until the next 20 minute film dissection, but it'll be worth it when it gets here

[@dimitrisalomao]

Valeu, Zé Ninguém! Brasileiro? I made this video for a class, and wasn't planning on doing any more, but comments like this really motivate me to give it a shot. Thank you so much.

[@oquemeamarraaoracionalesba9788]

Escuta, Zé Ninguém!

[@lizardman7364]

awesome video my dude

[@AkihitoKoriyama]

素晴らしい内容でした

[@lorenzmueller2355]

Splendid video! Really wants me check out Tokyo Story! Thanks a lot.

[@THinleyDhendupTopper]

Thank u Yuri

[@rnilu86]

Thank you so much

[@mamabari07]

Brilliant..

[@monalisaarshnirvi2953]

Wow I liked this.

[@SCHMIELSHOW]

Really enjoyed this. I haven't checked out Ozu's work at all and only just heard of him yesterday. Looks like his work isn't available for streaming anywhere but it does seem like a lot of his movies have been uploaded to KZbin so I'll have to check them out.

[@massive351]

SCHMIEL SHOW if you're in college, check your schools online library, mine has a lot of his films

[@NoName-xc6cg]

Why is every Japanese movie ive ever watched a banger

[@michaellipton6277]

Hey, cool video. One caveat to keep in mind is that Ozu loved American films. Particularly Buster Keaton and D.W. Griffith. But he was constantly consuming western films and his visual style was informed by that. Wish you mentioned Mizoguchi as he was considered the most "Japanese" of the three. It's weird how Ozu is considered to be a textbook example of a "Japanese" director. Maybe he drew more attention to everyday mannerisms and customs that Kurosawa sometimes liked to brush by. Anyways, great job.

[@HP_____]

Agreed completely!

[@carrerlluna66]

Well said.

[@billa6825]

Thank you. My ignorance is slightly less monumental due to your effort.

[@stokescroftmuseum]

thanks

[@Lusiada1955]

And Kenji Mizoguchi?!!!!!!!! He is so great as Ozu and Kurosawa.

[@juomariturmio]

Masaki Kobayashi is right up there also, and I would argue he is even more important than the two of these as his best movies combine the drive and moral questions of both directors.

[@CINAMASTER1]

He’s better than both and that says so much

[@Azathoth13]

especially his Harakiri, a masterpiece.

[@user-gg6sh7wr6d]

Mikio Naruse should also be in the conversation, as well as Mizoguchi and Kobayashi

[@pranavanand4305]

It seems unfair to talk about how Japanese cinema was without analyzing Kenji Mizoguchi. After all, he is known as the most "Japanese" filmmaker of the 3. Still, great video

[@mckavitt]

Pran97 Yes, indeed. But the maker of this documentary isn’t pretending that his purpose is to talk about Japanese cinema alone, but to compare & contrast Kurasawa & Ozu. There should be documentaries about the great Mizoguchi. I saw a v good one recently,

[@ericholland9802]

I completely agree.

[@ichtsh]

Nagisa Oshima and Hiroshi Teshigawara

[@MAQUIYA]

I will add Mikio Naruse and Kaneto Shindo.

[@kammerspielfilms]

Imamura, Shinoda, Misumi, Ishii x2, Okamoto, Ichikawa, Fukasaku, Gosha, Kobayashi and Suzuki also deserve a credit.

[@TrevRockOne]

Everyone whining that the video isn't an exhaustive history of all great Japanese directors. Ozu and Kurosawa really are the two greatest Japanese filmmakers. They're also polar opposites within the context of Japanese cinema, so it is worthwhile and good to compare them in particular.

[@Narutero98]

You should espend more time producing this kind of video essays, please. Please. Please. Please.

[@dimitrisalomao]

Thank you so much! :)

[@theblondedirector]

this is not a cool video, its a intense video thanks for your efforts. loved it Akira is the best director of all times for me.

[@Piolin768]

Hi, thank you so much for uploading! Question: do you mind sharing some of these books that you mention in the video? Thanks.

[@marioriospinot]

Nice.

[@coffeehito]

However, for instance in Tokyo Story wabi-sabi is not exactly about the ephemeral in life in the Western sense of "memento mori" but instead about the fact that growing of life and decaying of life belong together as an eternally continuing circle of life and in that sense the gift of the mother's watch to the daughter in law with the wish to her to forget about her late husband and marry anew means the continuum of life and not the end of it;

[@b.terenceharwick3222]

Sad and transient beauty. Yet a fulness in emergent moments Ineffable challenge of understanding the human heart through individual characters Feminine and Masculine stories: Interweaving of private affairs and public stage of action Personal and cultural imperfection in life yet a universal message at once

[@atsukorichards1675]

Very interesting! One thing - I suggest you to use もの (hiragana) instead of 物 (kanji), for 物 tends to mean a solid object/thing and in this case もの can be a situation, feeling and so on. And you also can write もののあはれ, too, which is the old way of spelling but still popular and used.

[@jakobkristensen9445]

Akira Kurosawa was a real master, but i actually think Ozu is the greatest Japanese director of alle time. Mizoguchi is great too.

[@Clinkety]

Jakob Kristensen Don't forget Teshigara and Kobayashi.

[@oriondestro]

Fantastic research and point of view, great job sir. Also, what's the name of that beautiful music playing when you start talking about Kurosawa, starting when you see him at the Oscars on (3:30 mark). I've heard it before and always wanted to know what it was, thanks.

[@thechurchofsolange58]

The music piece is called 'on the nature of daylight' composed by Max Richter. It was also played in Villeneuve's movie 'Arrival'.

[@juliussw9153]

as many others have pointed out, the japanese golden age of cinema has at least two other (although less prolific but still) super important directors: kenji mizoguchi and masaki kobayashi

[@mckavitt]

Excellent analysis, based on comprehensive research, intelligent reflection & sensitivity, even tho’ you are American. ☺️😉😊

[@WillN2Go1]

3:30 "Kurosawa 'the least Japanese of Japanese film directors.' This makes me chuckle. When I was in college there was (allegedly) a Donald Ritchie quote: "Kurosawa was the most Japanese of Japanese film directors." A college professors said this more than a few times. Any of us who'd seen even one Ozu movie knew this couldn't possibly be the case and just figured that it was a simple mistake that got repeated by a lot of people who didn't know better . Kurosawa is of course Japanese, but he's also more universal. Keep in mind that in his youth, Kurosawa considered himself to be a Marxist, so he set out to express the universal condition of humans. I laughed when I read the non-Chinese scriptwriter of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon saying that asking him to work on this script was like someone not an American trying to make a Western... Well, what's the best Western? Yojimbo. Sergio Leone (still not an American) proved it again. Tampopo is what you'd get if you were Japanese and said, "I'd like to make a Western in Japan,' (and it's billed as the First Noodle Western") a terrific movie, but Yojimbo went a level deeper and told a Japanese story that was also an American Western. I don't know where you got the bit about people thinking Ozu's tatami level shots aggrandizing his characters. I've not once heard this. I've always heard it explained as 1. something Japanese viewers would understand and feel respected for, but technically 2 it's about the midpoint floor to ceiling, this is the best height to show an interior while keeping the verticals straight up and down. Even when we look up from the floor in a room we don't perceive the corners of rooms converging. As a photographer after many years, somethings that don't seem to bother anyone else can be constantly annoying. So Ozu by not bothering with dissolves, camera movement, different lenses... everything matches, there are no disruptive 'effects' that are common with wide angle lenses. (Every source I can find on the web says Ozu used a 50mm lens. I remember it as a 58mm lens.) btw the 'cherry blossom festival' in Onomichi in the Tokyo Story clip. This is the end of the cherry blossoms in bloom because the shot is the petals falling off the blossoms. I think an another way to look at this subject might be to compare Japanese filmmakers with Canadian. How hard have Canadians been trying for how long to 'double' Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal as New York or other US locations? I can't think of a single Japanese film that ever attempted this.

[@ayannandi1453]

This threw perspective. Wish we could talk more in person on nuances of Japanese culture and films... do you have any idea of Shindo's movie "Oni Baba"?

[@telephilia]

It's actually a triumvirate with Mizoguchi also.

[@Pululapu]

Great job. I need to see more of Ozu. Please, can you tell the name of teh song at the minute 13:00. Thanks.

[@leobergmiller873]

I think Seven Samurai is Kurosawa's masterpiece

[@Drums_of_Liberation]

I'd call Seven Samurai his magnum opus.

[@Perspectiveside]

“Maybe exist some different in relation with me (Kurosawa) and Mizoguchi, for example his main characters are women’s, and the world that he describe its the world of the woman’s, the businessman, the middle class, etc. The woman’s are not my speciality”. Kurosawa in a interview with Donald Ritchie 1960

[@AlonsoRules]

These two are the Senna and Prost of Japanese cinema