IMDb > Tokyo-Ga (1985)
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Tokyo-Ga (1985) -- Moved by the work of director Yasujiro Ozu, Wim Wenders travels to Japan in search of the Tokyo seen in his films.
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Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   632 votes
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Director:
Wim Wenders
Writer:
Wim Wenders (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Tokyo-Ga on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
26 April 1985 (USA) more
Genre:
Documentary more
Plot:
Moved by the work of director Yasujiro Ozu, Wim Wenders travels to Japan in search of the Tokyo seen in his films. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
hit-and-miss video travelogue more (5 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Chishû Ryû ... Himself

Werner Herzog ... Himself
Yuuharu Atsuta ... Himself
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
92 min
Country:
USA | West Germany
Language:
English | Japanese | German
Color:
Color
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Brazil:12 | UK:U | Finland:S
Filming Locations:
Tokyo, Japan
Company:
Chris Sievernich Filmproduktion more

Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:
References Sans soleil (1983) more

FAQ

do you feel a bit like a boy in this film?
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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
hit-and-miss video travelogue, 1 June 2008
5/10
Author: CountZero313 from Japan

Wim Wenders attempts to turn his first trip to Japan into a homage to Ozu and an exploration of Japanese modernity, contrasted with the images of a bygone era glimpsed in Tokyo Monogatari.

This is a deeply personal film, an unabashed pilgrimage by Wenders in search of his muse. His rambling narration, impenetrable at times, offers little insight on Japan. What first-time visitor can encapsulate a city as complex as Tokyo? The film works better on the subject of Ozu, the interviews with actor Chishu Ryu and cinematographer Yuuharu Atsuta offering glimpses of Ozu the man behind the icon. They also reveal the affecting power of cinema, both men clearly humbled and moved by the experience of collaborating with Ozu. The bottom line, however, is that this is a film about Wim Wenders, about his nascent stage as a filmmaker and how that came to fruition in the way it did. Fans of Wenders, rather than Ozu or Japanophiles, are the audience for this film.

Technically the film offers up a few gifts, the prime example being a glimpse of the craftsmanship that goes into the making of the ubiquitous wax food in restaurant display windows. Unlike the weekend rockabilly dancers, crowded commuter trains, or oppressive concrete and steel structures, this sequence brings something both long-term residents and those ignorant of Japan will find fresh and illuminating. Unfortunately, elsewhere the film is interspersed with interminable footage of being in a taxi, being in a train, men hitting golf balls... all protracted shots for no other reason than to add a touch of Ozu to the film. A funky, slightly disturbing score helps make these sequences bearable.

Tokyo-Ga is recommended for Wenders fans, and perhaps as nostalgia for anyone who spent a brief time in Japan in the mid-Eighties.

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Werner Herzog is in Tokyo Ga? don-lope-de-aguirre
Where can I find this? bulldogproductions
Coming from Criterion in May thedavidrobson
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