The Beauty of Ozu

Yasujiro Ozu is a world-renowned Japanese film director whose many masterpieces have left their mark on cinema history.

Ozu incorporated his personal tastes and the things he admired into his films to the greatest possible extent. His movies are imbued with his aesthetic sensibilities and interests, from surface details such as fashion, interior design, and everyday goods to the deeper nuances of actors’ appearances, mannerisms, tones of voice, and dialogue, especially those of actresses. The screen presence and distinctive qualities of film stars such as Setsuko Hara, Kuniko Miyake, Chishu Ryu, Shin Saburi, and Eijiro Tono emerge naturally from the atmosphere of Ozu’s films.

This is a fresh collection of essays on Ozu’s films. Divided into four chapters, it discusses the aesthetics of objects in his films, his choices of actors and actresses, and the distinctive qualities of movement and dialogue in his shots.