OZU IN 6 FILMS
120th anniversary of the birth of Yasujiro Ozu
6 rare or unpublished films: Women and thugs , He was a father , Story of an owner , A woman in the wind , The Munakata Sisters , Last Caprice
Yasujiro Ozu [1903-1963) is today the most famous Japanese filmmaker in the world. From the same generation as Kenji Mizoguchi and Mikio Naruse, he filmed from the 1920s to the 1960s, working to invent his own style and his own grammar. A filmmaker of family and of the passing of time, Ozu recounted the 20th century in a way that was both minimalist and spectacular, making his contribution to the seventh art for eternity. On the occasion of the 120th anniversary of his birth and the 60th anniversary of his death, six rare or unreleased films are being released on the big screen in restored versions. From Femmes et voyous (1933), a silent thriller influenced by Hollywood, to Dernier Caprice [1961], a comedy with melancholy tones, via Il était un père (1942), a drama about filiation finally shown in an unpublished version, to Récit d'un propriétaire (1947), a tender comedy about childhood, Une femme dans le vent (1948), a moving marital drama, and Les Sœurs Munakata (1950), a comedy alert to generational differences, these six works allow us to understand the universal scope of the most eternal Japanese filmmaker.
Pascal-Alex Vincent is a professor at the Sorbonne Nouvelle. Author of two dictionaries of Japanese cinema (Carlotta Films editions), he has also made documentaries on the stars Akihiro Miwa, Kinuyo Tanaka and Keiko Kishi. This work is a complement to his book Yasujiro Ozu: a family affair (editions de La Martinière, 208 p., 240 photos).