YASUJIRO OZU - BIOGRAPHY



'If there were some sacred treasure of the cinema, then for me that would have to
be the work of Yasujiro Ozu.' - Wim Wenders

'What remains after seeing an Ozu film is the feeling that, if only for an hour or two you have seen the goodness and beauty of everyday things and everyday people'
- Donald Richie, ‘Ozu’


Admired by many of the world’s leading directors, including Martin Scorsese and Wim Wenders, for his humanist tone and trademark cinematic style, Ozu’s films are frequently to be found in filmmakers’ and critics’ Top 10 Best Films lists. In a career which spanned 35 years - from his 1927 feature debut 'The Sword of Penitence' to 'An Autumn Afternoon' in 1962 - Ozu made a total of 53 films, 2 of which, his late colour masterpieces, FLOATING WEEDS (1959) and 'The End of Summer' (1961) are featured here in brand new prints, as a tribute to mark the legendary Japanese filmmaker’s 100th anniversary. In the early days Ozu’s work was little known outside Japan. However, with the success of recent cinema retrospectives and increased availability on video and DVD, his films have become widely appreciated around the world.