Good concept, poorly executed.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

I don't know if it has to do with some of the translation into English, but some of the dialog in this film seems to me to be plainly offensive. For example, when the old woman Tomi Hirayama (Chieko Higashiyama) speaks to her daughter-in-law Noriko (Setsuko Hara), who's husband, the older woman's son, had died, she makes the remark "What a treat to sleep in my dead son's bed". What??!! I thought that was terribly insensitive.Or when the family members discuss the mother's passing, Shige (Haruko Sugimura) states that she wishes the old man had died first. She qualified her statement with a logical reason, but gee, that just sounded so awful bad, but in her case, Shige had already established that she wasn't very politically correct among her family members.And then there's the old man himself, Shukichi (Chishû Ryû), who attempts to convince his daughter-in-law Noriko to remarry. With seeming indifference to the death of his own son a year earlier, he says "Forget about Shoji, he's dead." Do you think Noriko had to be reminded of that depressing fact? I know this, a movie is getting to me when I have to get up and pace around the room in order to force myself to stay with it. I pretty much understand what the director was trying to achieve here by showing the indifference siblings can show toward their elderly parents. How they'd rather not be bothered unless there's something in it for them. And obviously I'm at a disadvantage by not knowing the Japanese culture and it's approach to the concept of dying. But this just didn't strike me as being the noteworthy film it's hailed to be with it's position in the IMDb rating system. Sometimes I find a second viewing of a film to help with my appreciation of the effort, but this one I'll be giving a pass.One final observation - what's the obsession with fanning one's self throughout the picture?

If there were ever a film to define the phrase "Less is more" it would be Tokyo Story. It's so simple yet I find it unbelievably compelling and moving. This is mainly thanks to the nuances of the cast that portray so much emotion. For example, Chishu Ryu's subtle performance conveys everything. In a scene where he is plainly nodding, deep down inside you can feel all the sadness and pain he is feeling and it hits you hard. Ozu also never makes the film feel overly sentimental with earned emotional moments and explores the human condition so beautifully. A true masterpiece of cinema.

A retired couple, Shūkichi and Tomi Hirayama (played by Chishū Ryū and Chieko Higashiyama respectively) live in the town of Onomichi in southwest Japan with their daughter Kyōko (played by Kyōko Kagawa). They have five adult children, four living. The couple travel to Tokyo to visit their son, daughter, and widowed daughter-in-law.Their eldest son, Kōichi (So Yamamura), is a pediatrician, and their eldest daughter, Shige (Haruko Sugimura), runs a hairdressing salon. Kōichi and Shige are both busy, and do not have much time for their parents. Only their widowed daughter-in-law, Noriko (Setsuko Hara), goes out of her way to entertain them. She takes Shūkichi and Tomi on a sightseeing tour of metropolitan Tokyo.Kōichi and Shige pay for their parents' stay at a hot spring spa at Atami, but the parents return early because the nightlife at the hotel interrupts their sleep. When they return, Shige explains that she sent them to Atami because she wanted to use their bedroom for a meeting. Tomi goes to stay with Noriko, whose husband, her son, died eight years ago in the war. Tomi advises Noriko to remarry. Shūkichi, meanwhile, gets drunk with some old friends, then returns to Shige's salon.

TOKYO STORY is a film that has a moderate tone, unobtrusive style and quiet family story. An elderly couple from the provinces coming to Tokyo to visit their grown children. The story shows how the children, preoccupied with their daily lives, do not show enough care for their parents, as opposed to the former daughter-whose husband died in the war. At first glance, everything in this film seems simple and clear, but on the other hand is a sensitive topic and family discord, somewhat generational conflict with fairly deep emotions without excessive melodrama.Staff are interesting, a little strange, however, show sincere emotion without many words. Of course, you need to understand Japanese culture, which I somehow fascinated. The story can be identified three generations of which is the oldest in a harmonious relationship. Although it can be concluded that it is not always the case. The younger do not have time for yourself and not for others.Most people do not live. Survive. Understanding and tranquility in fact represent the fund in relation to the sentiment and satire. People consciously or unconsciously influence the lives of others. People woven in one's life are there, even when they are not physically present.Setsuko Hara as Noriko Hirayama really is a beauty. She plays a woman who has all the prerequisites that clearly says "Life is disappointing", but again full of mercy, kept calm and beautiful smile that does not come off from the face. Well, sometimes that smile accompanies large tear.