Good Morning (1959)

Two boys begin a silence strike to press their parents into buying them a television set.

Director:

Yasujirô Ozu

Writers:

Kôgo Noda, Yasujirô Ozu

Stars:

Keiji Sada, Yoshiko Kuga, Chishû Ryû

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Keiji Sada	...	Heiichirô Fukui
Yoshiko Kuga	...	Setsuko Arita
Chishû Ryû	...	Keitarô Hayashi
Kuniko Miyake	...	Tamiko Hayashi
Haruko Sugimura	...	Kikue Haraguchi
Kôji Shitara	...	Minoru Hayashi
Masahiko Shimazu	...	Isamu Hayashi
Kyôko Izumi	...	Midori Maruyama
Toyo Takahashi	...	Shige Ôkubo
Sadako Sawamura	...	Kayoko Fukui
Eijirô Tôno	...	Tomizawa
Teruko Nagaoka	...	Toyoko Tomizawa
Eiko Miyoshi	...	Mitsue Haraguchi
Haruo Tanaka	...	Haraguchi
Akira Ôizumi	...	Akira Maruyama

Storyline

This movie takes a look at a Westernized suburban area in Japan in the late '50s. It focuses mainly on the daily lives of a small community and the way its members interact. It also demonstrates the power of oral communication and the way in which small talk acts as a lubricant for our daily lives.

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Plot Keywords:

flatulence | urination | kameido station | schoolteacher | hotel chinzanso | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Yasujirô Ozu: [movie posters] Ozu pays tribute to his cinematic influences by putting all kinds of film posters all over the wall in his films. In this movie, there are two posters, one of The Defiant Ones (1958) (at 08:30) and one of The Lovers (1958) (at 08:07), both at the neighbors' house.

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Quotes

Isamu: I love you.

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Alternate Versions

The original American theatrical release prints were in black and white.

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Connections

Remake of I Was Born, But... (1932)

User Reviews

An Ironic Film About Language

It may have the skimpiest of plots--two young brothers take a vow of silence until their parents buy them a television--but Yasujiro Ozu's 1959 picture is anything but slight, taking on the subject of language (ironic, considering the story) with attentiveness and intelligence. In his deliberate, contemplative manner, Ozu presents a wry commentary on the ways even the most innocuous words can harm (gossip) or become the building blocks of a relationship (a budding romance is confirmed by a conversation about the weather); he also notes Japan's growing fascination with the English language (the older boy studies it) and the increasing obsession, now with fourteen years of distance from the war, with American technology--the suburban landscape is peppered with aerial antennas as television begins to permeate the culture. It's subtly beautiful: each shot is perfectly framed (the camera never moves) with an excellent use of depth that highlights exactly what the director wants you to see and giving you plenty of space to focus; it's easy to see how a master of today's Asian cinema such as Wong Kar-Wai would be profoundly influenced by Ozu's languid yet carefully observed filmmaking. A delight; it's also a fine introduction for younger viewers to the magnificence of international cinema.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

February 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Yasujiro Ozu's Good Morning

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shochiku

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1