The Brothers And Sisters Of The Toda Family

The Brothers And Sisters Of The Toda Family (1941) directed by Yasujiro Ozu prefigures his greatest success in the west, 1954's Tokyo Story in this depiction of poor treatment of a parent by her adult children. The film was produced during wartime, so the fact that the war is such a minor aspec tof the film says a lot about Ozu's attitude toward this endeavor. At the same time, there must have been some aspect of the film that was deemed worthy for the nation to see since the film industry was under such close scrutiny of the government censors. I suspect that concept was filial piety-the idea of respect and deference toward elders. There are some traces of the aggressive colonial expansion reflected in the business interests of the youngest son of the family who scolds the older siblings for not taking proper care of his mother and youngest sibling. He vows to take them back with him to occupied Manchuria-colony of the Japanese empire, which seems benign in this film. But I suspect Chinese viewers might have a different perspective on this solution in the film. That being said, the film reflects many of the Ozu cinematic techniques such as still life transitional pictures and low camera angles. For many, this might be considered a minor Ozu film, but it reflects many of his most important cinematic techniques and is reflective of the wartime period in which he was forced to film.