The Only Son (1936)

A widow sends her only son away to receive a better education. Years later, she visits him, finding him a poor school teacher with a wife and son.

Director:

Yasujirô Ozu

Writers:

Yasujirô Ozu (short story) (as James Maki), Tadao Ikeda (adaptation)

Stars:

Chôko Iida, Shin'ichi Himori, Masao Hayama

Cast

Credited cast:
Chôko Iida	...	Tsune Nonomiya (O-Tsune)
Shin'ichi Himori	...	Ryosuke Nonomiya
Masao Hayama	...	Ryosuke Nonomiya, as child
Yoshiko Tsubouchi	...	Sugiko
Mitsuko Yoshikawa	...	O-Taka
Chishû Ryû	...	Professor Ookubo
Tomoko Naniwa	...	Ookubo's wife
Kiyoshi Aono	...	Matsumura, old man
Jun Yokoyama	...	Okubo's son (as Bakudan Kozô)
Eiko Takamatsu	...	Jokou
Seiichi Katô	...	Kinjo no ko (as Seiichi Kato)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tomio Aoki	...	Tomibo (as Tokkan Kozô)

Storyline

In 1923, in the province of Shinshu, the widow and simple worker of a silk factory Tsune Nonomiya (O-Tsune) decides to send her only son to Tokyo for having a better education. Thirteen years later, she visits her son Ryosuke Nonomiya (Shinichi Himori), and finds that he is a poor and frustrated night-school teacher with a wife, Sugiko (Yoshiko Tsubouchi), and a baby boy.

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Plot Keywords:

self sacrifice | motherly love | shinshu japan | taxi | school | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the last feature made at the Shochiku Kamata studio.

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Connections

Featured in A Train Arrives at the Station (2016)

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Soundtracks

Old Black Joe
Written by Stephen Foster

User Reviews

A simple Ozu masterpiece

"The Only Son" is Ozu's first "talkie" - and utilizes sounds/dialogue in a stylistic manner to tell a simple story. The beautiful simplicity that pervades the piece is classical Ozu, and amplifies the poignant tale of a mother coming back to visit her son, after sacrificing her livelihood to ensure he achieves higher education. When she realizes that he is unsatisfied with his life as a night-school teacher, a general melancholic tone begins to unfold through the progression of the narrative.

There are some fine indoor shots of the house where the son lives, and also, some greatly composed scenes of the run-down industrial neighborhood where the son goes out to buy "noodles" from a nearby stand. What's also memorable about the film is its excellent rendition of outdoor nature shots, one scene stands out in my mind where the son is having a discussion with his mother. There is also a great shot of the night-school teacher looking out dismal and lonely from the school-building to a city sign, which is juxtaposed against a dark, night sky.

The ending is nicely done, and overall, the film is crafted in that spare, simple perfection that is the stylistic hallmark of Ozu's cinema.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

1 April 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Only Son

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shochiku

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1