Ozu - Vol. 2 Details

Flavour of Green Tea Over Rice

Flavour of Green Tea Over Rice is an honest and beautifully observed tale of a marriage that has ground to halt. Touching and honest but also filled with humour and vivacity, this film is a real delight. Great dialogue, flawless performances and Ozu’s masterful direction make the film a truly absorbing and rewarding experience. It may not be as well known as Tokyo Story and Late Spring but by no means is this a minor work. Anyone already familiar with Ozu’s delicate style will love both this and Record of a Tenemant Gentleman; and those who have yet to experience the work of one of the true greats of cinema could do worse than begin here.

[Highly rated reviewer]

record of a tenement gentleman

This is just a review for the first film. About half way through, i was thinking this film should be subtitled... How NOT to raise a vulnerable child..but i persevered.

I'm unfamiliar with the works of Ozu but this was a charming little story. It became a small morality tale which was well-crafted. Its nothing to blow you away or even has a twist - just simple. I'm not too familiar with post-war Japan but i would suggest at the time, there was a message pertinent as to how society should be treating children.

The reason for that is because the Director seems to work really hard to examine all the characters and how they are affected by this situation. The commune which is being inhabited appears to be directly affected by the addition of the 'orphaned boy' and you see this in the growing concerns of the community in marked contrast from the indifference at the beginning. The most interesting bit is how that is exactly in line with how the widower's character develops throughout.

There are some really excellent stand-out scenes in this which actually don't feature the boy at all. This is why i suggest the story is just a coincidental thread tying these characters together. The dinner party scene was almost from the vantage point of another child. It stood out personally for me the most.

I think this film and possibly the DVD series will be something of an acquired taste. I contrast this a lot to the work of the other director i'm more accustomed to, Akira Kurosawa. The only film which is similar is one of my favourites, Ikiru, but this is on a much, much smaller scale, focusing on that specific little commune through the lense of the relationship between the spinster and the boy.

Ironically, another reviewer here is entitled 'Jim Jarmusch'. Thats the other director who comes into my mind, notably coffee and cigarettes. Many of the scenes being shot with a fixed camera staring into the room and intruding into the little conversations.