The family life of ordinary people is the eternal theme in Ozu Yasujiro's movies. "Good Morning" tells the story of the lives of several families in a Japanese community. There is no ups and downs plot, and no intense emotional conflicts. Everything is expressed by many carefully arranged, meaningful and soothing plots. The TV set is the only clue to the story: It starts with the two sons of Lin Jingtaro's family arguing to buy a TV, and the ending is that the wishes of the two children are realized. The plot is meaningless, the real concern should be how Ozu Yasujiro uses his film techniques to express family conflicts in Japanese society.
Japan is deeply influenced by the "Zen" thought of Chinese Buddhism. This can be seen in the film by the mother of the birth attendant who often chants with prayer beads. The Japanese also have high artistic achievements in calligraphy and tea ceremony. Whether you want to write a good calligraphy or make a pot of good tea, you can't do it without a quiet and peaceful state of mind, and when you watch Ozu's films It also has this quiet and peaceful experience. In Ozu’s movie, everything is very peaceful. People are very polite. They have to say hello when they meet, and then talk about today’s weather. The days are as ordinary as water.
Ozu also shows unique national characteristics in the composition of his films. Throughout this "Good Morning", the camera position seems to always be below the waist of the person, and there is basically no moving lens. The camera always observes the person at a slight elevation angle. Regarding the reason, the Japanese film critic Tadao Sato explained: "Japanese people are used to sitting on straw mats with their upper body leaning forward. Therefore, shooting this posture at an elevation angle can make it look stable and majestic... casually. Sitting on a straw mat is precisely the most common and boring moment in Japanese life.” And most of the shots in his movies are in a static state (this is different from Hou Xiaoxian’s long still shots, which are coherent and consistent. Rhythmic switching). At this time, the camera position is exactly the same as a listener who sits cross-legged on the ground and listens to the dialogue of the characters in the play.
After watching this movie, it reminded me of what Tian Zhuangzhuang said recently about his new film "Spring in a Small Town": "Those who are impetuous, don't watch this movie." Yes, Ozu's movie wants you to calm down. Savour slowly.
View more about Good Morning reviews
