Japan

I WAS BORN, BUT...-1932-The great but sometimes overlooked Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu made this silent film after the advent of sound (Chaplin made MODERN TIMES in 1936). It's about a family that moves to a new town and the trouble two brothers have with some bullies at school but later with the help of an older delivery boy they become the leaders. Their dad is a clerk who constantly acts subservient to his boss to try and improve his position. When his two sons realize this they have a mini-revolt. They question their father about his behavior but don't like his answers. They throw temper tantrums that result in a spanking but later after his children are asleep he confides to his wife how he hates what he does and hopes his sons will never have to act the same way. Eventually the boys learn and accept the strange ways of adults.



This is a very touching comedy drama with good acting especially from the two brothers (Tomio Aoki & Hideo Sugawara). Some of the "little rascals" type humor with the kids is very funny. Ozu who's career started in silents wasn't nearly as well known in the US as fellow countryman Akira Kurosawa due to the fact that Japanese International distributors thought his movies were "too Japanese" for western audiences. Thankfully he's now getting some long overdue respect. The actor who plays the father Tatsuo Saito had over 140 film credits (and some as director). One of his last was in LORD JIM.

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