Ohayô (1959)'s activity - page 2

Seeing Ozu's Good Morning as a talky color remake of I Was Born, But... is perhaps overstating the connections between the two films. Yes, it's about kids getting into mischief, but not the same mischief, not with the same parents, and definitely not in the same era. Much of their insolence comes from their wanting a television set, which their parents are against! But the way they intersect with the rest of the neighborhood, affording us the chance to follow a NUMBER of little stories - the case of the missing dues, the timid courtship, the retired man looking for new employment, and the most elaborate fart joke in cinema history - is what makes this world so lived-in and warm. It strikes me that Ozu's low camera placement and characters speaking toward camera are powerful tools for immersion. We live with these characters, they become our own neighbors and family members for a while. Ozu's titles are often elliptical, referencing some time of day or year, but in this case, it's a greeting that holds much meaning. The theme is communication, what words matter, where politeness fits in, and how one can say everything by saying nothing, or say everything and not be heard. How misunderstandings are born, and how people can just inately understand each other too.