Floating Weeds Handout

Floating Weeds (1959) 119min.
Director: Yasujiro Ozu
Writer: Kôgo Noda, Yasujiro Ozu (based on the 1934 Ikeda script)
Producer: Masaichi Nagata
Music: Kojun Saitô
Editor: Toyo Suzuki
Cinematography: Kazuo Miyagawa
(Kurosawa’s Rashomon, Mizogichi’s Ugetsu)

Cast:
Komajuro … Ganjiro Nakamura
Sumiko … Machiko Kyo
Kayo … Ayako Wakao
Kiyoshi … Hiroshi Kawaguchi
Oyoshi … Haruko Sugimura
Aiko … Hitomi Nozoe

Why I'm Doing This and How I'd Like It To Work

Every time I go to watch something, I feel anxious, indecisive and don't know what to watch. There are so many films I haven't seen and directors I haven't really studied. I long to be back in the classroom, with a purpose in watching certain films. A classroom provides focus and expectation. But what if I could do it on my own!? I worked with a professor where I planned classes, made handouts and helped choose which films to watch, so why not create classes for myself? A focused study of films I've been wanting to watch for a long time.
So here it is, a class on Ozu, the great Japanese dramatist and three European art-film directors, all of whom I really should know well if I want to consider myself versed in cinema.
And hey, if I'm doing all this work, might as well let others join in, right?
How it's going to work: on the day scheduled for the film, I will post a handout and supplemental materials. Hopefully everyone will be able to watch the film on that day or close to it, take a couple days to let it settle in the mind, re-watch or read articles and then post thoughts and comment on what others posted.
Don't be shy, we're all friends here. And I trust we will all keep our personal pretension in check.
I look forward to hearing from everyone. Email if you have any questions or suggestions.
Most of all, enjoy the films.

Link to Download doc.:
Ozu.Filmography

Yasujirō Ozu 小津 安二郎
Filmography:
1930 I Was Born, But...
1932 Where Are the Dreams of Youth?
1934 A Story of Floating Weeds
1949 Late Spring
1951 Early Summer
1953 Tokyo Story
1956 Early Spring
1957 Tokyo Twilight
1958 Equinox Flower
1959 Floating Weeds
1959 Good Morning
1960 Late Autumn
1961 The End of Summer
1962 An Autumn Afternoon,

Syllabus for Ozu Class

Link to download word.doc:
Ozu.Syllabus

Major Figures in Cinema: Films of Yasujirō Ozu
Spring 2010 M 8:00- 11:00

Jan. 11 Floating Weeds (1959) 119min.
Jan. 18 Late Spring (1949) 108min.
Jan. 25 Early Summer (1951) 125min.

Feb. 1 I Was Born But… (1930) 100min.

Feb. 8 Good Morning (1959) 93min.

Feb. 15 Tokyo Story (1953) 136min.

Feb. 22 Sadao Yamanaka:
Humanity and Paper Balloons (1937) 86min.

Mar. 1 Midterm Wim Wenders: Tokyo-Ga (1985) 92min.

Mar. 8 Early Spring (1956) 125min.

Mar. 15 Tokyo Twilight (1957) 141min.

Mar. 22 Equinox Flower (1958) 118min.

Mar. 29 Hsiao-hsien Hou: Café Lumière (2003) 103min.

Apr. 6 Late Autumn (1960) 128min.

Apr. 13 An Autumn Afternoon (1962) 113min.

Apr. 20 3:00-5:00 Final
Yôjirô Takita: Departures (2009) 130min.

Tarkovsky, Haneke, Tarr

...and the progression of contemporary Art-film in Eastern Europe.

Syllabus coming soon.

The Films of Yasujirō Ozu

Syllabus coming soon.