There Was a Father is a 1942 Film - Directed by Yasujirō Ozu. The film stars Chishū Ryū as Shuhei Horikawa - Run time One Hour and 34 minutes

 Available on YouTube with English Subtitles 

Originally released in 1942 during World War Two, the only surviving prints were clipped by censors under orders of General MacArthur to remove what were viewed then as scenes celebrating the Japanese war efforts.

The film stars Chishū Ryū as Shuhei Horikawa, a widower and schoolteacher who struggles to raise his young son Ryohei (Haruhiko Tsuda) alone. After a tragedy involving the death of one of his students, , Horikawa resigns his position and moves to the country with his son. As Ryohei grows and needs better schooling, Horikawa makes the difficult decision to move to the city for better paying work. The father and son then spend the next decade or more barely seeing one another, as the grown son attends university and then begins work in another city.

The film follows the father and son over the course of many years, as they experience both joy and sorrow.

Shuhei Horikawa is a widower who works as a mathematics teacher. He has a ten-year-old son named Ryohei.

One day, while on an excursion with his class, one of Shuhei's students drowns. Shuhei blames himself for the accident and quits his teaching job.

He moves to the countryside with Ryohei, where he finds a new job as a clerk.

Ryohei grows up and goes to college. He gets a job as a teacher in another city.

Shuhei and Ryohei rarely see each other, but they remain close.

In the end, Shuhei dies peacefully in his sleep.

The film is set in the early 1940s, during World War II. This historical context is important to the film, as it reflects the challenges that Japanese families faced during this time. The film also explores themes of sacrifice, duty, and family.

There Was a Father is a beautifully made film with a moving story. It is a classic of Japanese cinema and is considered one of Ozu's best films

The film explores the themes of fatherhood, sacrifice, and duty. It is a quiet and understated film, but it is also deeply moving. Ozu's use of traditional Japanese techniques, such as low-angle shots and long takes.

Like A Tokyo Story death of parents and spouses are central to this film.

The scenes of the students reunion made me wonder how many of the actors would survive the war.

There are a number of Yasujiro Ozu's films on YouTube with Subtitles and in time I hope to watch them all.

Mel Ulm