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

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

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #84.

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Quotes

Keitarô Hayashi: Someone said TV would produce 100 million idiots.

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Alternate Versions

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

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Connections

References The Defiant Ones (1958)

User Reviews

Good Morning (1959)

Ozu said he wanted to make a film about people's inability to express the important things, but natter on about unimportant gossip. This all comes out thanks to two boys that really want a TV. They enter into a vow of silence until their TV comes. This silence is misconstrued by the neighbours, who think their mother is angry at them. They begin to gossip amongst themselves and rumors soon start. Meanwhile, the young boys' aunt and teacher are attracted, but fail to act on their emotions. This is a lovely little film, filled with some great humor. Though, I must admit, there was a bit too much focus on the poo/farts jokes. The two boys, especially the youngest, are very cute and make their efforts to get a TV seem less brattish. It's really sweet to see how dedicated the parents are, and even though the kids are kind of mean, they do appreciate the gift in the end. There's no escaping Ozu's look at the clashes between old and new, with the TV looming over all procedures as something that will change life. A little gem, if not one of Ozu's classics.