Yasujiro Ozu’s construction of space and the stylistic and narrative elements of Tokyo Story are radically different to those found in most films, especially those encountered in this course. In The Fountainhead, interior space is configured in relation to the psychology of the characters who occupy those particular spaces. For instance, Dominique Francon’s feeble attempt to damage the fireplace in her bedroom signifies her inability to act. The space of the bedroom itself expresses the nature of this inability. That Roark desecrates the rococo fireplace foreshadows his domination of Dominique and symbolises the larger thematic concerns of the novel and film, notably, his disdain for what ought to be antiquated architectural forms.
In Tokyo Story, interior space does not serve this kind of symbolic function. Although the film is concerned with interior space, that space functions in much the same way as the urban landscape does in, for instance, Berlin, Symphony of a Great City, notably, as a space in which the narrative unfolds. Thus, the space in Tokyo Story signifies nothing more than itself, its interiority and domesticity. Ozu makes a feature of this concept, emphasizing that acts within this space are to be understood as concerning relations between people. Elements of style and design do not reflect a character’s interiority as in the case of, for instance, The Fountainhead. Ozu’s style is therefore, cinematic. Ozu never presents such subjective states as dreams, memories, fantasies or hallucinations and thus human agents are only known ‘behaviorally’ through their words, gestures, expressions, routines and decisions (53).^ The interior space, for Ozu, is a place where action unfolds.
However, Ozu’s style, and construction of interior space, is one of the most intriguing features of this film. Despite the fact that interior spaces do not have a significant bearing upon the narrative, they are of equal interest to the narrative. Instead of making narrative events the central organising principle, Ozu emphasises spatial and temporal structures which become prominent aesthetic elements in their own right (409).* According to Bordwell, we watch the narrative action, the spatial relations, and the temporal relations unfold simultaneously, and all are equally dramatic and engaging (405).*
The film deconstructs cinematic conventions and naturalises the domestic space. In not adhering to the basic Hollywood convention of continuity editing or the axis of action, Ozu adds a sense of realism to the domestic space by denying the kind of artifice that inheres in conventional family dramas. According to Bordwell, Ozu’s approach avoids exaggerated action, complex camera movements, and dynamic montage (24).^ Often the camera remains staid as characters exit a room in order to signify the presence and then absence of a character within a particular scene, adding a sense of realism to the domestic space. For instance, the camera will linger for an extra second or two upon an empty room as it does in the final exchange between Kyoko and Noriko. As the movie progresses, it becomes clear that one of Ozu’s greatest achievements is his subversion of Hollywood cinematic techniques. Ozu subverts the Hollywood convention of filming at eye level and redefines the viewing experience through predominantly filming scenes at floor level. Similarly, temporal movement is not highlighted through the use of the typically Hollywood convention of a fade shot to signify the passing of time. Rather, cuts are used which contextualise the coming scene, for instance, one scene is anchored through an establishing shot from the outside of a room to signify a new place, a new room and a new social interaction.
Ozu’s construction of interior space and the techniques pioneered by Ozu, which are radically opposed those that inhere in Hollywood cinema, render Tokyo Story a constantly refreshing film despite having been filmed over half a century ago.
*Bordwell, D., and Thompson, K., Film Art, New York: McGraw Hill, 1997.
In Tokyo Story, interior space does not serve this kind of symbolic function. Although the film is concerned with interior space, that space functions in much the same way as the urban landscape does in, for instance, Berlin, Symphony of a Great City, notably, as a space in which the narrative unfolds. Thus, the space in Tokyo Story signifies nothing more than itself, its interiority and domesticity. Ozu makes a feature of this concept, emphasizing that acts within this space are to be understood as concerning relations between people. Elements of style and design do not reflect a character’s interiority as in the case of, for instance, The Fountainhead. Ozu’s style is therefore, cinematic. Ozu never presents such subjective states as dreams, memories, fantasies or hallucinations and thus human agents are only known ‘behaviorally’ through their words, gestures, expressions, routines and decisions (53).^ The interior space, for Ozu, is a place where action unfolds.
However, Ozu’s style, and construction of interior space, is one of the most intriguing features of this film. Despite the fact that interior spaces do not have a significant bearing upon the narrative, they are of equal interest to the narrative. Instead of making narrative events the central organising principle, Ozu emphasises spatial and temporal structures which become prominent aesthetic elements in their own right (409).* According to Bordwell, we watch the narrative action, the spatial relations, and the temporal relations unfold simultaneously, and all are equally dramatic and engaging (405).*
The film deconstructs cinematic conventions and naturalises the domestic space. In not adhering to the basic Hollywood convention of continuity editing or the axis of action, Ozu adds a sense of realism to the domestic space by denying the kind of artifice that inheres in conventional family dramas. According to Bordwell, Ozu’s approach avoids exaggerated action, complex camera movements, and dynamic montage (24).^ Often the camera remains staid as characters exit a room in order to signify the presence and then absence of a character within a particular scene, adding a sense of realism to the domestic space. For instance, the camera will linger for an extra second or two upon an empty room as it does in the final exchange between Kyoko and Noriko. As the movie progresses, it becomes clear that one of Ozu’s greatest achievements is his subversion of Hollywood cinematic techniques. Ozu subverts the Hollywood convention of filming at eye level and redefines the viewing experience through predominantly filming scenes at floor level. Similarly, temporal movement is not highlighted through the use of the typically Hollywood convention of a fade shot to signify the passing of time. Rather, cuts are used which contextualise the coming scene, for instance, one scene is anchored through an establishing shot from the outside of a room to signify a new place, a new room and a new social interaction.
Ozu’s construction of interior space and the techniques pioneered by Ozu, which are radically opposed those that inhere in Hollywood cinema, render Tokyo Story a constantly refreshing film despite having been filmed over half a century ago.
*Bordwell, D., and Thompson, K., Film Art, New York: McGraw Hill, 1997.
^Bordwell, D., Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1988.
3 comments:
My favourite thing about Ozu's representation of domestic space is the transience of it - most of the walls are moveable (and thus function as doors) - when Fumiko is preparing for the arrival of her parents in law the camera follows her in seemingly impossible circle through the entire bottom storey of the house
I would say that the 'cinematic' approach to space is to make it psychological and metaphorical. After all, in cinema every space is constructed, framed, lit and dressed in such a way that it conveys meanings, and because film traditionally focuses on one or a few key protagonists and individuals, what it expresses is usually their psychological state.
i think the parallels of space between 'the fountainhead' and 'tokyo story' are really interesting and provide unique insights in the messages both texts convey; one is focused on the macroscopic scale, the other, micro.
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