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Eclipse Series 10: Silent Ozu  
 
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I Was Born, But... (Criterion Collection)

 

  Directed by Yasujiro Ozu

Japan 1932 / Comedy Drama / Family Drama / Coming-of-Age / 100 min / Black & White / Stereo / 1.33: 1 / NTSC /  Silent with Optional English  Intertitles

Tatsuo Saito, Tomio Aoki, Shoichi Kofujita , Takeshi Sakamoto, Mitsuko Yoshikawa, Hideo Sugawara .

One of Ozu's most popular films, I Was Born But . . . is a blithe portrait of the financial and psychological toils of one family, as told from the rascally point of view of a couple of stubborn little boys. For two brothers, the daily struggles of bullies and mean teachers is nothing next to the mortification they feel when they realize their good-natured father’s low-rung social status. Reworked decades later as Ozu's Technicolor comedy Good Morning, it's a poignant evocation of the tumult of childhood, as well as a showcase for Ozu's expertly timed comedy editing.