Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story optimizes calm film grinding against the set grain of cliche Hollywood cinema. In general, I found the overall tone of the film tame. However, there were moments of genius aesthetic where the film challenged the standards of conventional Hollywood-- for that I'm not ashamed to say I enjoyed it. Tokyo Story vs. Hollywood Continuity... where's the realism?
Realism, in terms of cinema, is an extremely useful concept to asking questions and gaining insight to the world we live in. As Werner Herzog declared, realism is "the so called Cinéma Vérité iśrité?" With realism, we determine whether or not the characters, picture and story coincide with our said "reality". Ozu clearly breaks conventions of Hollywood by placing the camera low and breaking the 180 degree rule. Good or bad we must understand how Tokyo Story is similar and different than the mold Hollywood has set.
I, as well as most of my American friends, are used to the idea that a film should have much action and intensity to keep any viewer's attention. This is what Hollywood is about. In most Hollywood continuity films the main character encounters a problem and subsequently spends the entirety of the film searching to resolve the problem. Realism is seen in the believability of the plot to the characters and events. Hollywood is formulaic and predicted. The ideas stem from a select group of highly important individuals who feel they give American film goers what they want rather than what they need. In my mind Ozu is genius and progressive in thinking, challenging such ubiquitous norms set forth by studio executives in Hollywood.
Ozu's creation of realism differs from Hollywood by completely immersing the viewer in Japanese culture. A culture that takes on a more relaxed, slower pace, emphasizing family values and relationships. This is best seen in the camera's mechanical reproduction of reality throughout Tokyo Story. Shots that are stationary and scenes that do not completely reveal the characters encounters, leaves the viewer to fill in the pieces themselves. An average American viewer may be left puzzled but the avant-garde thinkers are inspired. Ozu's vision is uplifting and shows that a film does not have to abide by conventional standards to be well reviewed. Tokyo Story has seen the top ten list of Sight and Sound magazine twice and in essence, going back to the roots of what true film making and storytelling is. As artists we must embody the ideas of Ozu and challenge norms we know in life to get the result and ultimate impact we want to see.
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