On September 14, 2023, a special screening of Ozu Yasujiro films took place at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, for which I was asked to provide an introduction. This was both an honor and a source of unease, as I had been told that Ozu was not especially popular in the United States.

 

The Academy Museum venue was designed by Renzo Piano. While under the name of a museum it does include a large cinema, embodying the abundance of US film culture. Its first exhibit was on Miyazaki Hayao, making a media splash in Japan which is still fresh in many minds. The day in question also featured an exhibit on the director John Waters, with Waters himself apparently in attendance. Would he have come to the screening if asked, I wonder?

 

At the advance briefing, I learned that the house was sold out. This was quite a surprise—the venue is large, it was a weekday, and two movies would be shown back-to-back. I was there to introduce The End of Summer and An Autumn Afternoon. I began at the elementary level, explaining that Ozu means a small beach and Yasujiro was most likely a peaceful second son. Ozu’s birth in 1903 was just before the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War. His parents may well have given him this name in hopes that their child would grow up peacefully, just as the people of Ukraine hope now. The full house listened to me with avid attention. I was pleased to see so many young people there as well.

I also mentioned briefly that Ozu liked John Ford, whose work influenced his own (Ford’s influence on Ozu cannot be missed; for instance, Ozu’s first film, Sword of Penitence, is said to quote Ford’s Hoodman Blind. The End of Summer also features the title song from My Darling Clementine).

 

There are now few opportunities for this kind of screening in Japan. The moments of subtle humor drew laughs throughout. What an ideal environment, compared to the excess of silence in Japan. After the screening, late as it was, the attendees fired off enthusiastic questions at me. Ozu may have been out of fashion in the US for many years, but the situation seems to be changing; his star is clearly on the rise. The screening planners also appeared to enjoy it; when I visited the Academy’s library the next day, they handed me an Oscar statuette on display there: “It’s all yours.” I handled it with great care on Ozu’s behalf. Finally, the appeal of Ozu’s films has made itself felt here as well. I stand ready to rush overseas anywhere, any time if given a similar opportunity to pass on this appeal.