Tokyo Twilight (1957)
"Tôkyô boshoku" (original title)

Two sisters find out the existence of their long-lost mother, but the younger cannot take the truth of being abandoned as a child.

Director:

Yasujirô Ozu

Writers:

Kôgo Noda, Yasujirô Ozu

Stars:

Setsuko Hara, Ineko Arima, Chishû Ryû

Cast

Credited cast:
Setsuko Hara	...	Takako Numata
Ineko Arima	...	Akiko Sugiyama
Chishû Ryû	...	Shukichi Sugiyama
Isuzu Yamada	...	Kisako Soma
Teiji Takahashi	...	Noburo Kawaguchi
Masami Taura	...	Kenji Kimura
Haruko Sugimura	...	Shigeko Takeuchi
Sô Yamamura	...	Seki Sekiguchi
Kinzô Shin	...	Yasuo Numata
Kamatari Fujiwara	...	Gihei Shimomura, noodle vendor
Nobuo Nakamura	...	Sakae Aiba
Seiji Miyaguchi	...	Policeman
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eiko Miyoshi	...	Midwife

Storyline

Two sisters live with their father. The younger sister is embroiled in an affair and becomes pregnant. The elder sister has run away from her husband and returned with her child to her parent's home. Both sisters are astonished when their mother, long thought dead, turns up alive. The sisters are even more stunned when they learn what their mother's life has been.

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Plot Keywords:

long lost mother | hidden truth | saké | secret | motherless daughter | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

19 July 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tokyo Twilight

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shôchiku Eiga

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in The Life and Works of Yasujiro Ozu (1983)

User Reviews

Another masterpiece by Ozu

This is my fifth Ozu film. And as I watch more of his movies my respect for his genius keeps on growing. He is more avant-garde than any other film maker I have seen.

While others use wars as backdrop to create a more touching drama, wars just find a small reference in his films even if his characters have lived through them. While other use death as a dramatic pivot for the whole movie, Ozu skips it altogether. People do die in his films, but they do it off screen. There are no famous last dialogs about life or last moments.

But despite these things or maybe because of these things, his movies are more poignant and touching than any other I have seen. I don't really cry while watching his movies. Instead they leave me in a strange tranquil state of mind, wistfully smiling.

Another thing to note is that while his movies reveal more about Japanese culture than any other movies I have seen, at the same time they are very universal.

If you haven't seen any movie by Yasujiro Ozu, I recommend starting with Tokyo Story or Good Morning. This one seems much longer as it takes some time to start and is devoid of humor. This is not meant as a criticism, Tokyo Twilight is still an amazing experience. But I think an average viewer should start with something else.