From the South Bank to 1950s Tokyo

Today I went to see Tokyo Story at the British Film Institute on the South Bank. The outing wasn't just a nice trip to the pictures for me. Those of you who read yesterday's blog entry will know that I was taking the underground by myself for the first time in ages and purposely making myself go into crowded areas of London. I'm really pleased to report that both the tube journey, and navigating Waterloo station at 5pm did not cause me much trouble. I didn't feel too nervous or get panicked which is a big improvement from before Christmas.

I took some photos of the South Bank whilst I was up there, I'll have to post them later though as my lap top won't upload them to my blog right now.

Tokyo Story is being shown as part of the BFI's Ozu season. I hadn't seen any of Ozu's films before so wasn't sure what to expect. Tokyo Story (Tokyo Monogatari) is magnificent. Set in post war Japan (it was filmed in 1953) the film deals with themes familiar to me from the small amount of Japanese literature I've read. Themes of rural vs urban, the passing of the old ways, the drifting apart of generations of parents and children. The film is delicate, dignified, and very moving. There is a quality to the film that is reminiscent of the novel Kokoro

I also think the film is totally universal. The older parents who just want some quiet time with their family, the grown up children who are busy with their own lives and children, the resentments of children towards the parents misdemeanors. The gulf between the generations, the marching inevitable progress of the urban over the rural are surely themes everyone can recognise.

There is a wonderful scene where the old father comes home to his daughters house in Tokyo drunk with his drunk buddies in tow. His daughter does not see the funny side of this at all, and although she's portrayed as selfish and unsympathetic her fathers drunkenness when she was a child is alluded to more than once in the film. A child can not forgive the parent for being imperfect.

Setsuko Hara is sublime as Noriko, the actress is rather intriguing as she gave up acting after Ozu's death in 1963 and has refused any publicity since then. She lives in Kamakura, one of my favourite places.

If you are lucky enough to live near a cinema that is showing Tokyo Story I can't recommend it enough.