Eiga Reviews (the '30s and the '40s): The Only Son (1936) / There Was a Father (1942) - The Criterion Collection Series #524

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“The Only Son (1936) / There Was a Father (1942) – The Criterion Collection Series #524” is highly recommended!

TITLE:The Only Son (1936) / There Was a Father (1942) – The Criterion Collection Series #524

DURATION: The Only Son (83 Minutes) / There Was a Father (87 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Black and White, Japanese with English Subtitles, 1:33:1 Aspect Ratio

COMPANY: The Criterion Collection

RELEASED: 2010

The Only Son

Directed by Ozu Yasujiro

Short Story by Maki James

Adaptation by Ikeda Tadao, Arata Masao

Music by Ito Senji

Cinematography by Sugimoto Shojiro

Edited by Hasegawa Eiichi, Mohara Hideo

Production Design by Hamada Tatsuo

Set Decoration by Hamada Tatsuo, Hino Yoshiatsu

Costume Design by Saito Taizo

There Was a Father

Directed by Ozu Yasujiro

Written by Ikeda Tadao, Ozu Yasujiro, Yanai Takao

Music by Saiki Kyoichi

Cinematography by Atsuta Yuharu

Edited by Hamamura Yoshiyasu

Art Direction by Hamada Tatsuo

Set Decoration by Hashimoto Shotaro, Shimizu Toshiaki

Costume Design by Saito Taizo

The Only Son

Starring:

Iida Choko as Nonomiya Tsune (O-Tsune)

Himori Shin’ichi/Nonomiya Ryosuke

Hayama Masao as Nonomiya Ryosuke (Child)

Tsubouchi Yoshiko as Sugiko

Yoshikawa Mitsuko as O-Taka

Ryu Chishu as Professor Ookubo

There Was a Father

Starring:

Ryu Chishu as Horikawa Shuhei

Sano Shuji as Horikawa Ryohei

Saburi Shin as Kurokawa Yasutaro

Sakamoto Takeshi as Hirata Makoto

Mito Mitsuko as Hirata Fumiko

Otsuka Masayoshi as Hirata Seiichi

Himori Shin’ichi as Uchida Minoru

Tsuda Haruhiko as Ryohei (child)

These rare early films from Yasujiro Ozu (Tokyo Story, An Autumn Afternoon) are considered by many to be two of the Japanese director’s finest works, paving the way for a career among the most sensitive and significant in film history. The Only Son and There Was a Father make a graceful pair, bookending a crucial period in Japanese history. In the former, Ozu’s first sound film, made during a time of intense economic crisis, a mother sacrifices her own happiness for her son’s education; the latter, released in the midst of World War II, stars Ozu stalwart Chishu Ryu (Late Spring, Tokyo Story) as a widowed schoolteacher trying to raise a son despite financial hardship. Criterion proudly presents these nearly lost treasures for the first time on home video.

Yasujiro Ozu is one of the world’s beloved directors. Having made many films since the 1920’s up to his final film “An Autumn Afternoon” in 1962, his works have been appreciated by viewers and critics for his family comedies but also his serious family storylines such as “Late Spring”, “Early Summer” and “Tokyo Story” (to name a few).

The Criterion Collection has been one of the major forces in America of bringing Ozu’s films stateside and not just the popular films, Criterion Collection has released his silent films as well through their Eclipse Series cinema line.

Back in 2010, the Criterion Collection released a two film box set “The Only Son / There Was a Father” featuring two films, one created in 1932 and 1942.

Both films of how a parent makes a decision to give all to their children for their education, so they can be better people.

“Hitori musuko” which translates to “The Only Son” revolves around Nonomiya O-Tsune (portrayed by Iida Choko) who raises her son by herself. They live in a rural area and she works hard at a silk production factory to provide for her son Ryosuke (portrayed by Hayama Masao (young) and Himori Shin’ichi (adult)). Heridea was to have her son work as he finished elementary school, because they live in poverty.

But his teacher Okubo (portrayed by Ryu Chishu) comes over to visit the family and persuades her to have her son study beyond elementary school, because with education, he can become better person.

Tsune knows it would be tough because they are barely making it, but she makes the ultimate decision to put all her money primarily to fund his education. And Ryosuke promises her that he would become a great man.

Fast forward 13 years later and O-Tsune visits Ryosuke who is now married and has a child in Tokyo. She wants to see how the investment has paid off and to see her son as a great man through the education he has received.

But in truth, Ryosuke is a night school teacher, and he and his family are barely surviving financially. What happens when O-Tsune learns the truth of that her son and his current life even after pouring all her money into his education.

The second film Chichi Ariki “There was a Father” begins with a Horikawa Shuhei (portrayed by Ryu Chishu), a mathematics teacher in a middle school, taking his class on a field trip. While the teachers try to keep their kids from trouble, a few decide to take boats without notifying anyone and when the teachers find out from other kids, it is too late as one of the kids has drowned.

Shuhei blames himself for the accident and decides to quit his job as a mathematics teacher despite the school pleading for him to stay.

Horikawa tells his son, 10-year-old Ryuhei (younger son portrayed by Tsuda Haruhiko) that they are leaving the city and will go to his hometown of Ueda in Nagano.

As the two move to the countryside, Horikawa tells his son that he will be attending boarding school and that he has to find a job to finance his son’s education. He will come and visit but he tells his son that he must leave to find work, so his son can have a better life. His son has a difficult time understanding why his father is leaving him alone but as a proud son, he does what his father tells him.

Fastforward 15 years later and Horikawa hasn’t visited his son that often, wanting his son to focus on his education. Ryohei (adult son portrayed by Sano Shuji) has finished college and is planning to become a school teacher in Akita. He had hope to move to Tokyo to be closer to his father but his father insists that he take a job where he can find one and stick with it. And never give up, no matter the hardship, as it is his duty.

We learn that Shuhei has been working a textile factory in Tokyo and his son will be coming for ten days to visit him. But what happens when Ryohei visits his father and the two spend quality time as father and son, for the first time in a very long time?

Watching both films Ozu Yasujiro films, I have to say that both films really hit me hard. Personally, I think it would hit many people hard because it’s a tale that still impacts people today.

As a parent, you want the best for your children. But what personal sacrifices would one make, to make things happen.

“The Only Son” is still relevant today. Many grow up thinking that the pursuit of education would leave to a much better lifestyle. And while it is true for some, there are those who pursue education and dislike the job that they went to school for or the job has become obsolete in a changing society with changing technologies.

The anguish of seeing O-Tsune, who had so much pride for her son, after many years of sacrificing her money to put him through school and living well below the means, considering she and her son lived in poverty. Was the sacrifice worth it?

As an adult, you get into these adult conversations with some parent who believes one should sacrifice a huge salary for the betterment of their children to ensure a better life for them, while others believe that they need to learn on their own and figure out ways to take care of themselves and make things happen.

“There Was a Father” is also a story about a parent’s sacrifice, but in this case, a parent working hard to putting their children through education but sacrificing all time that they could spend with them, for the sake of putting them through a good school.

Juxtapose both family positions and there are two different results. With “The Only Son”, mother and son came from poverty and the son became a nigh school teacher with a family to support. Ryohei in “There Was a Father” is a proud son who knows the sacrifice his father has taken for his education and he intends to make his father proud. His father was an educator and thus raised his son with common sense and for one’s pride in their duty as an employee.

Having studied Japanese culture, that pride proved to be important for Japan before, during and also post-war Japan. The sake of duty to rebuild and become a better Japan and we have seen how Japanese society had accepted one to be loyal to a company, to work long hours and I’ve seen it overtime in the news of how people become affected by it.

That old mentality of loyalty and duty still exists in Japan, but now because of suicide, the lack of couples wanting to procreate because the cost of a family is too expensive and with new technologies even the job that most young people want to do in Japan was becoming a “YouTuber”. The idea towards work is changing with a new generation who are not so much about duty and loyalty but because of survival and pursuit of happiness. Those who pursued education are finding it difficult to find jobs.

But isn’t that something we hearing about a lot not just in Japan but all throughout the world? That’s why I think that many people can watch both of these films and just understand the anguish of these two families. It’s something that Ozu has depicted amazingly well through his films. Capturing the family drama and no matter how old you are, these storylines will touch you and make you even think about your own life.

“The Only Son (1936) / There Was a Father (1942) – The Criterion Collection Series #524” is highly recommended!