Ozu's Childhoods

The film I Was Born, But… is a comedic gendai-geki film directed by Yasujiro Ozu in 1932. The film portrays a contemporary salary man moving his family to a suburb where they must adapt to a different way of life. The father, in search of a better life for his family, becomes the boss’s pet, diminishing himself for his entertainment, in good faith. The two brothers struggle to gain power and influence over the neighbourhood kids. The children act as an unstoppable force of nature, with little holding them back. They do as they please if left unchecked; however they do respect their father. The father is much more cautious and does not take great risks, he understands his place in society, and does his best to move up the social ladder. The …show more content…
One realm is childhood, the other is adulthood. The difference between the two realms is best shown through a connecting track shot of children in the school yard to adults in the office. The children, lined up in two rows are performing a series of coordinated marching moves, very similar to that of the military. However one child keeps messing up, allowing for a bit of humor within the ridiculousness of the regime. As the children march off, the camera pans against them. The connecting shot is that of the adults, sitting in the office. The camera tracks by a line of workers sitting at their desks, yawning. However one of the workers, does not yawn as the camera pans by him, so the camera is forced to track back until he yawns (I Was Born, But...). This shot portrays not only the children marching to their future, through the institution, but also the disappointment of the future. The children march from screen right to screen left, suggesting that through education they will achieve a grander role in life. However the jump cut into the office suggests otherwise. The children's “heroic” march, despite their best attempts, will lead them to a boring office job. There is some matching in the mise-en-scene of the two shots. With gym ladder bars seen in the background of the school shot, there is a matching shelf like object found in the opening seconds of the office shot. This allows for a sense of …show more content…
The two brothers are not satisfied with their place in the backyard hierarchy, and are afraid to go to school as they will get beat up. By skipping school the characters display that they are not interested in being a part of society. They see it as a constant battleground, one that they would rather avoid, than attempt to set their foot in. Ozu demonstrates that the young generation does not share the adult’s interest in partaking in traditional institutions and would rather find their own peaceful way. However once the children are forced to go back to school, they are able to overcome the bullies, and become the top of the backyard food chain. Through this the children lose a part of their innocence. They feel that they have experienced success and have become greater than they actually are. The children now compete not in their own personal feats, but rather that of their fathers. The children run around from each other's father showing off how important each one of them is. Once they come across the two brother’s father being dropped off by the office boss’s car, the two brothers proudly proclaim that it is their father that is the most important. However their proclamation is rejected as the son of the boss states that their father arrived in his father's car, therefore he is more important. The children