Title: The Beauty and Challenges of Urban Life: Exploring Yasujirō Ozu’s Masterpiece and the Meaning of Modernity
Introduction:
Cities have always been sources of fascination and inspiration, bustling with diverse cultures, opportunities, and challenges. In a world that is becoming increasingly urbanized, it is essential to understand the intricate dynamics of urban life. Yasujirō Ozu’s timeless masterpiece, “history of tokyo,” serves as a poignant exploration of the complexities that arise when traditional values clash with the demands of modernity. This article delves into Ozu’s film and unveils the hidden realities and virtues of urban living.
1. Forced Tolerance vs. Family Warmth:
Ozu’s film depicts an elderly couple from the provinces visiting their adult children in Tokyo, only to be met with forced tolerance rather than familial warmth. Their sense of obsolescence in the modern world becomes apparent, and they ultimately return home. This intergenerational conflict and the refusal to make a fuss showcase the pathos that often accompanies the abandonment of parents in urban settings.
2. Universality of Ozu’s Masterpiece:
“history of tokyo” may be hailed as one of the most acclaimed movies ever made, and its universality lies in its ability to resonate with audiences worldwide. Despite taking years to be distributed outside of Japan, the film’s portrayal of urban life and its impact on familial relationships is Shakespearean in its relatability. However, the film’s depiction of urban life as a moral cliché raises questions about the true nature of urbanity.
3. The Moral Achievement of Cities:
Contrary to popular belief, cities are not chaotic and lawless environments but rather moral achievements. The smooth functioning of cities hinges upon trust, goodwill, and enlightened self-interest. The millions of voluntary obligations that prevent cities from disintegrating are profound and require a deeper understanding. We must recognize the noble qualities that emerge within cities and foster a sense of appreciation for the intricate social networks they house.
4. Metrophobia: The Mistrust of Cities:
Throughout history, there has been a pervasive mistrust of cities, perhaps stemming from a fear of the unknown or a longing for a simpler way of life. The Industrial Revolution and subsequent events portrayed cities as alien assaults on the idyllic countryside, causing people to yearn for rural life. However, it is essential to challenge this narrative and acknowledge the benefits and value that cities bring to society.
5. Modern Connections and Duties:
Modernity reshapes connections and duties, going beyond blood ties or ethnic kinship. Urban life creates new social bonds that are just as poignant and meaningful, despite not being rooted in traditional familial relationships. These connections are defined by shared experiences, common goals, and collaborations that contribute to the vibrancy and resilience of cities. Understanding and celebrating these new forms of connectivity are crucial for embracing the beauty of urban life.
6. Overcoming Parents: The Universal Tax on Upward Mobility:
The process of overcoming one’s parents is an inherent part of upward mobility that transcends cultural boundaries. It is a universal tax that individuals must pay as they strive for personal growth and success. While this journey may be fraught with challenges, it is important to consider the alternatives. Static communities and rigid hierarchies limit personal development and restrict the diversity and progress that cities offer.
Additional Insights: The Safety and Allure of Cities
The anti-metropolitans often overlook the safety and allure of cities. Cities are not the chaotic and dangerous places they are sometimes portrayed to be. In fact, cities have achieved remarkable levels of order and harmony, relying less on coercion and more on trust and mutual cooperation. The stability of cities is a testament to the moral fabric that binds communities together.
Conclusion:
Yasujirō Ozu’s “history of tokyo” serves as a powerful exploration of urban life and the challenges that accompany it. By delving into the complexities of intergenerational relationships and contrasting traditional values with modern realities, the film invites us to reflect on the moral achievements and inherent beauty of cities. Through a deeper understanding of urban life, we can appreciate the richness and vibrancy that cities offer and embrace the connections and duties that arise within these dynamic environments.
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Summary:
Yasujirō Ozu’s timeless masterpiece, “history of tokyo,” sheds light on the complexities and virtues of urban living. The film explores the clash between traditional values and the demands of modernity, depicting an elderly couple’s visit to their adult children in Tokyo. Forced tolerance and a sense of obsolescence create intergenerational conflicts, showcasing the pathos of abandoned parents. However, despite these challenges, cities are moral achievements that rely on trust, goodwill, and enlightened self-interest. This article delves into the universal tax of overcoming parents and highlights the new connections and duties that emerge within cities. By challenging the mistrust of cities and recognizing their safety and allure, we can embrace the beauty and resilience of urban life.
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Due to several round anniversaries (70 years since its premiere, 120 since the birth of its director, 60 since his death), theaters project history of tokyo. In a decision I’ll regret this winter, I give up a couple of hours of vitamin D-providing sun to attend an evening screening.
Yasujirō Ozu’s icy masterpiece follows an elderly couple from the provinces who visit their adult children in the capital. His reception is one of forced tolerance rather than family warmth. Sensing their obsolescence in the modern world (even though General MacArthur has left town, his grandson is learning English), Mom and Dad return home. Intergenerational recriminations are still expected but, as always with abandoned parents, it’s the refusal to make a fuss that constitutes the pathos.
history of tokyo It might be the most acclaimed movie ever made. Certainly, though it took years to be distributed outside of Japan, it is Shakespearean in its universality. I wish her vision of urban life (that breaker of ties, that desecrator of simple virtues) was not a moral cliché.
The economic arguments in favor of cities (the benefits of agglomeration, etc.) are aired so frequently that they displace the most altruistic. So there it goes.
The fact that big cities are not total chaos is, above all, a moral achievement. It does not depend on coercion (no police force can control 10 million people) but on trust and goodwill or, at the very least, enlightened self-interest. And this from a species that did not begin to live in established populations until an hour or two ago on the historical clock. For all his nobility, the familial love that Ozu reveres is, or should be, hardwired. The millions of voluntary obligations that prevent a city from disintegrating are harder to understand and slower to prove.
The problem, in my experience, is that the anti-metros just don’t know how safe these places are. His grievance against the city is not, or not only, his wealth and haughty manners, but quite the opposite: his misery and agitation. “How can you stand it there?” someone will ask, from a deindustrialized abyss or from a town whose best restaurant is a Côte. Even allowing for some bragging (we all justify our residential choices to ourselves), I get your point. A place without a stable population, without a shared memory, should fall apart.
This is the old mistrust of cities. (I would call it metrophobia, but that means fear of poetry). The Industrial Revolution was, more or less Newtonian mechanics, Britain’s greatest feat. A graph of world living standards in the thousand years before 1750 is a more or less flat line. But the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games portrayed them as an alien assault, turning Eden into Manchester. Also in the United States, France and China during the Cultural Revolution, the “real” nation is considered to be the provinces. “But the bills are paid by us,” he would have said a while ago. Now I am more inclined to defend the honor of cities, not just their productivity.
Overcoming parents is a kind of duel prior to the current duel. It is also the universal tax on upward mobility, which is applied in all jurisdictions. But what is the alternative? Static communities? Know one’s place? It’s a strange moral view, but one with many supporters on the degrowth left and the far right. Neither side can see that modernity creates different connections and duties, which are more poignant, not less, for not being based on blood or ethnic kinship.
Except for one scene, Ozu’s camera, like a good son or daughter, never leaves its starting point. It is also low, as if the viewer were a guest in the house, kneeling on the tatami. Thus, as the screen suggests in all its stillness, it is how we must live.
Even the matriarch’s large, perky face is a visual code for small-town innocence. There she is, smiling through her little humiliations, too meek to ask the children for a little patience for her unimportant life. That too, in the end, is taken by the city. This is a timeless work of art whose emotional power comes from its emotional restraint. It almost doesn’t matter that he misunderstands us urbanites, I think, as I stumble blinking at a city that shouldn’t stick together, and does.
Email Janan at janan.ganesh@ft.com
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