The Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family (1941)

When the patriarch of the Toda family suddenly dies, his widow discovers that he has left her with nothing but debt and married children who are unwilling to support her--except for her most thoughtful son, just returned from China.

Director:

Yasujirô Ozu

Writers:

Tadao Ikeda, Yasujirô Ozu

Stars:

Mieko Takamine, Shin Saburi, Hideo Fujino

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mieko Takamine	...	Setsuko Toda
Shin Saburi	...	Shojiro Toda
Hideo Fujino	...	Shintaro Toda
Ayako Katsuragi	...	Mrs. Toda
Mitsuko Yoshikawa	...	Chizuru
Masao Hayama	...	Ryokichi
Tatsuo Saitô	...	Shinichiro
Kuniko Miyake	...	Kazuko
Yoshiko Tsubouchi	...	Ayako
Michiko Kuwano	...	Tokiko
Chishû Ryû	...	Friend
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chiyoko Fumiya	...	Take
Chôko Iida	...	Kiyo
Yaeko Izumo	...	Shige
Shohichi Kawamura	...	Suzuki

Storyline

When the patriarch of the Toda family suddenly dies, his widow discovers that he has left her with nothing but debt and married children who are unwilling to support her--except for her most thoughtful son, just returned from China.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

11 May 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family

Filming Locations:

Shochiku-Ofuna, Ofuna, Kanagawa, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shochiku

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There has been speculation that Ozu's direction of this film related to his own family's situation where his sister-in-law (married to his older brother) and mother did not get along.

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Connections

Version of Over the Hills (1911)

User Reviews

King Lear in Japan

When a respected businessman dies unexpectedly, his affairs turn out to be in disorder, and his sons sell off most of his goods quickly. His widow, Ayako Katsuragi, and her youngest, unmarried daughter, Mieko Takamine, become houseguests of their siblings.... but they show little filial love. Will Shin Saburi, the wastrel son, inspired by his father's death to go off to China and work hard, turn out to be this Japanese version of KING LEAR's Cordelia?

Ozu hadn't completed a film in four years. When he came back to the studios to make this, his style had shifted and settled. Now, although he still hung his studies of familial relationships on sturdy plots, he had settled on what would become his postwar trademark of long, still shots from a low perspective. There's clearly a bit of wartime propaganda in the movie, telling Japanese civilians that there's endless opportunity in China to get ahead without worrying about getting into those awkward situations of losing face.

Ozu would make another movie the following year, then not another until 1947.... first problems with Japanese censors, and then clearing his name with the American Occupation forces. However, here we see the mature Ozu. He was excellent. He would only get better.