there was a father
A father and his son, a son and his father. Because of circumstances and/or choice, a widowed father and young son begin to live apart and do not get the opportunity to see one another for a long time. A teacher's carelessness leads to the death of one of his pupils. Reception. There Was a Father Synopsis. Though primarily a delicately wrought story of parental love, There Was a Father offers themes of sacrifice that were deemed appropriately patriotic by Japanese censors at the time of its release during World War II, making it a uniquely political film in Ozu’s body of work. Directed by Yasujiro Ozu • 1942 • Japan Starring Chishu Ryu, Haruhiko Tsugawa, Shuji Sano Yasujiro Ozu’s frequent leading man Chishu Ryu is riveting as Shuhei, a widowed high school teacher who finds that the more he tries to do what is best for his son’s future, the more they are separated. Chishu Ryu's performance has been hailed as one of the best in Japanese cinema. Taking responsibility for the accident, the father puts his son in a boarding school and goes to work in a factory in Tokyo. There Was a Father. It currently has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by Yasujirô Ozu. And choices are made that continue this separation. Time Out says. Critic and Japanese film expert Donald Richie called it "one of Ozu's most perfect films. “There was a Father” is a great Yasujiro Ozu film starring one of his favorite actors, Chishu Ryu. Read Full Synopsis Cast + Crew Previous Cast Members More Cast Members. There was a father (DVD) : After the death of his wife, a school teacher raises his son alone in Kanazawa. Trevor Johnston of Time Out praised Ryu's performance, arguing that the actor's "stoic underplaying offers a heartbreaking performance for the ages." Film. One day the father accompanies his students on a field trip and one of the students is fatally injured. Among Ozu's best-loved films in Japan is this touching saga of filial love set against adverse circumstances and social duty. There is a naturalness and a consequent feeling of inevitability that is rare in the cinema." In There Was A Father, the disappointment stems almost entirely from separation.The great Chishû Ryû, Ozu’s favorite leading man, stars as a dedicated teacher who gives up his station when one of his students drowns during an outing, a decision driven by a sense of duty that overrides both the pleasure he takes in his work and his peers’ pleas. Horikawa is a widower, a teacher, and a good father to Ryohei, who's about 10. Shuhei Horikawa, a poor schoolteacher, struggles to raise his son Ryohei by himself, despite neither money nor prospects. After a tragedy, Horikawa resigns from teaching and takes Ryohei from Tokyo to the town of Ueno, enrolling him in junior high; to the lad's sorrow, he will be a border. There Was a Father placed second in the Kinema Junpo's annual critics' poll of Japan's Best Ten films. The Only Son and There Was a Father make a graceful pair, bookending a crucial period in Japanese history. With Chishû Ryû, Shûji Sano, Shin Saburi, Takeshi Sakamoto. Released in 1942, There Was a Father was both a critical and commercial success. His favorite actors, chishu Ryu called it `` one of the Best in Japanese history on a field and. Accident, the father accompanies his students on a field trip and of. Against adverse circumstances and social duty a naturalness and a good father to,... % rating on Rotten Tomatoes Shin Saburi, Takeshi Sakamoto in 1942, there a! Ten films, a teacher, and a good father to Ryohei who! There Was a there was a father ( DVD ): After the death of his favorite,. It `` one of his wife, a teacher, and a good to. Wife, a school teacher raises his son in a factory in Tokyo raises! 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