Ohayô

For viewers who have seen only one or two of Ozu's statelier films -- say, "Tokyo Story" or "Equinox Flower" -- "Good Morning" will be a surprise. Two children take a vow of silence to coerce their parents into buying a television set: that's pretty much the whole plot. But what happens as a result affects almost every aspect of life in the nondescript, gossipy, elbow-to-elbow suburb in which the boys' family lives.

This is a comedy, and like all good comedies it's very serious. The boys' act of rebellion is very un-Japanese, and it threatens many of the politely ritualistic social behaviors that mask and deflect the tensions in Japanese society. Whole alliances among the village's women teeter and threaten to topple. The family's authority structure is upended, with the all-powerful father crumbling against the stubborn silence of two little boys.

What wins in the end is love -- or rather (Ozu must have found this particularly funny) love and television. The resolution will probably tear you up (it has brought moisture to the eyes of everyone I've seen it with) but it represents enormous changes in Japanese society -- the collapse of patriarchal authority, the invasion of foreign culture, and especially English-language culture, and the inexorable rise of that great leveler of aesthetics, television. Ozu saw the future, and he wasn't in it.

So naturally, he presents all this in a gentle, even sweet-natured comedy. There may be greater Ozu films, but it's hard to think of one I actually like more than "Good Morning."

In a small community of workers in Japan, two brothers decide to not speak because they want to force their parents to buy a television.

With this single storyline, Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu exposes a delightful and critical view of the behavior of the Japanese working class under the American influence in the post-WWII. Once again the major concern of Ozu is with the family and human relationship. The situation of the retired people is magnificently pictured through the desperate men looking for a job; the domination of the USA in Japan is represented through the need of private English classes for the two brothers, and the translation of documents to English; superfluous consume of the American society is represented through the importance of the useless television for the younger generation, while their parents are concerned with have some savings for their retirement. The destructive little gossips, the difficulties of communication, and many other problems of relationship are also shown in this little gem. For movie lovers like me, I regret to inform that this is the first DVD of the great director released in Brazil. Only in festivals, and occasionally in cable television, Brazilians have the chance to see the work of this great director. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Bom Dia" ("Good Morning")

Ozu said he wanted to make a film about people's inability to express the important things, but natter on about unimportant gossip. This all comes out thanks to two boys that really want a TV. They enter into a vow of silence until their TV comes. This silence is misconstrued by the neighbours, who think their mother is angry at them. They begin to gossip amongst themselves and rumors soon start. Meanwhile, the young boys' aunt and teacher are attracted, but fail to act on their emotions. This is a lovely little film, filled with some great humor. Though, I must admit, there was a bit too much focus on the poo/farts jokes. The two boys, especially the youngest, are very cute and make their efforts to get a TV seem less brattish. It's really sweet to see how dedicated the parents are, and even though the kids are kind of mean, they do appreciate the gift in the end. There's no escaping Ozu's look at the clashes between old and new, with the TV looming over all procedures as something that will change life. A little gem, if not one of Ozu's classics.

Although I appreciate Ozu's film style & quality, I've never been a big fan due to the generally melodramatic themes of his movies.

OHAYO is quite different. The multiple comic themes range from fart jokes & clueless gossiping neighbors to fears of obsolescence in a rapidly changing society.

Particularly prescient is the early awareness of the Baka (idiot) power of television. In Japan it has been common for decades to have TV sets mounted in temples & shrines so that the Kami (spirits) can watch.

We in the U.S. have long been "a nation of 100 million idiots" (and then some) from our obsession with constant entertainment especially in the form of TV. Our children whine & act petulant unless they have their own TV & DVDs in their rooms & even when riding in the car. In many homes the TV is constantly on, regardless of what might be happening either on the boob-tube or outside (such as visitors calling).

Ozu saw it coming almost half a century ago.

"Good Morning," is one of my favorite's films.

It means a lot to me personally, because -like all of Ozu's work- it demonstrates a brilliant understanding of the complexities of being human. It contains simple wisdom, humour, and kindness; and sadly the whole of cinema history has provided us with very few films which can make such a claim. Ozu celebrates the beauty of middle-class existence, all the while delivering a profound criticism of our tendency to permit "small talk" to dominate conversations. Ultimately though, it is the humour which makes "Good Morning" my favorite's Ozu picture, for it is a very funny movie. Very funny and very satisfying! I can hardly imagine an open-minded person not enjoying it.

Because many North American viewers have a reluctance to watch films more than a few years old, or in languages other than English, Ozu's exposure here is still extremely limited. That is unfortunate because Ozu's films are quite universal.

I feel confident that anyone could appreciate Ozu's genius in this film.