Geist, Kathe. "Yasujiro Ozu: Notes on a Retrospective." Film Quarterly 37 (1983): 2-9. JSTOR.<http://www.jstor.org/stable/3697303>.

In her analysis of Ozu’s works, Kathy Geist claims that the director had three distinct periods within his career.  The first, in the years before 1938, Ozu generally made light comedies and a few gangster films. These films were fairly lighthearted pieces which did not have many themes unifying them as a body of work.  Although Ozu only made four films from 1938 to 1948, Geist claims that this second period in his career marks the transition from the earlier period and “anticipates” his post-war style (2).  While they still had many similarities with the Ozu’s prewar films, they are considerably more melodramatic than previous works.  In his third period, after 1948, Ozu’s films were largely restricted to house set dramas.  Not only did Ozu radically shift genres, but he also completely transformed his style between the two ends of his career.  The use of lighting and selective focus was common in his early films and would help lead his audience along the narrative.  His late period featured a strict, reserved style with flat lighting and simple cinematography.

Ozu’s shift during the war is rather significant in understanding his purpose in Tokyo Story.  The fact that his films became much more moralistic and relevant to his time suggests the war and the post-war era to have a significant effect on him.  Furthermore, almost of his post-war films deal with the same issue: changing family structure.  Either a daughter is getting married and leaving, or a family member dies, or parents visit their children.  Therefore, it seems Ozu felt World War II and the massive changes following the end of the war had negative effects on the traditional Japanese family.  The idea is underscored by the sadness and resignation which characterized his later period of work.

Geist, Kathe. "Yasujiro Ozu: Notes on a Retrospective." Film Quarterly 37.1 (1983): 2-9.

Looking on a retrospective level, Geist compares prewar and postwar films from Ozu, giving insights to the director’s change after the war. She does so by discussing three main parts: the stylistic contrast between prewar and postwar films, the still-life shots, and Ozu’s attitude toward westernization. In Part I, she describes the transition of Ozu’s films from humorous, fluid comedies to quiet, static home dramas, from the extreme to the contemplative. In Part II, she explains Ozu’s use of still-life shots as meaningful or symbolic transitions. In Part III, she shows Ozu’s rejection to westernization after the war through his films.

This article provides helpful information specifically on the differences in Ozu’s prewar and postwar films, showing how Ozu became more “Japanese” in the postwar period. The articles quotes Japanese director Mansaku Itami, in 1940, “The first thing we learned from American movies was a fast-paced life style… Lastly, we learned to take an affirmative, purposeful, even combative attitude toward life… In any American movie I can hear someone crying out: Young man, be dauntless! Have more pride and backbone!” Ozu’s prewar films fitted such happy-go-lucky world, but his postwar took a drastic turn away from the American model of freedom and back to the conservative Japanese values and beliefs. In Tokyo Story, the resignation of the dialogue “life is a disappointment” contrasts sharply with the Itami’s quote. Aside from the patriotism and aversion to westernization, this article also talks about long “empty” shots filled with symbolic meaning. This can be applied to the hallway outside Noriko’s room and alleyway outside the bar in Tokyo Story to symbolize the passage of human life from one stage to the next, giving another example of Ozu’s unique style unfamiliar to westerners.