Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice (1952)
"Ochazuke no aji" (original title)

A childless middle-aged couple faces a marital crisis of sorts.

Director:

Yasujirô Ozu

Writers:

Kôgo Noda, Yasujirô Ozu

Stars:

Shin Saburi, Michiyo Kogure, Koji Tsuruta

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Shin Saburi	...	Mokichi Satake
Michiyo Kogure	...	Taeko Satake
Koji Tsuruta	...	Noboru Okada
Chikage Awashima	...	Aya Amamiya
Keiko Tsushima	...	Setsuko Yamauchi
Eijirô Yanagi	...	Naosuke Yamauchi
Kuniko Miyake	...	Chizu Yamauchi
Kôji Shitara	...	Koji Yamauchi
Chishû Ryû	...	Sadao Hirayama
Yûko Mochizuki	...	Shige Hirayama
Hisao Toake	...	Toichiro Amamiya
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Matsuko Shiga

Storyline

Takeo, a capricious wife from Tokyo high-society, is bored by her dull husband, a quiet and reliable company executive raised in the country (Shin Saburi) After a crisis, she understands better his true value. A parallel sub-plot shows her niece rebelling against the tradition of arranged marriages.

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Plot Keywords:

food in title | drink in title

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

20 November 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tea Over Rice

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shôchiku Eiga

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Gaudeamus igitur"
Performed by Koji Tsuruta

User Reviews

A Good Ozu Film

This film mines much of the territory of Ozu films, including the complex relationships of the major characters, the resistance of a young lady to agree to an arranged marriage and the aesthetics of everyday living amongst the working classes. The film has two main stories, parallel to each other, running through it: Takeo, who is bored with her husband who is very simple in his needs, lies to him so she can go to a spa with her friends. Their niece, the pretty Setsuko, is the one who is resisting the arranged marriage meeting. How the two stories bisect is typical Ozu, creating conflict and anger. This film is not as good as much of Ozu's output at the time, but that includes "Tokyo Story", "Early Summer" and "Late Spring", which are standout classics. The great Setsuko Hara is not in this film and the equally great Chishu Ryu is a bit player, but I think you'll still find this film worthy of your time. If you haven't seen an Ozu film, start with "Tokyo Story" or "Late Spring" (others too, including "Good Morning" and "Autumn Afternoon") but give this a try. I don't think you will be disappointed.