Scene Analysis - Scenes from "I Was Born, But..."

                                      

                                                                               Day 1

                                      

                                                                             Day 2

            Yoshida Kiju pointed out that “the relationship between repetition and differentiation is the fundamental element of Ozu-san’s work” (“Ozu’s Anti-Cinema,” 108). He emphasizes that this principle hits impress viewers who indeed lead repetitious days of life but can never experience exactly the same days. Everything is changing day by day. Ozu’s films, Yoshida says, are an analogy of such human life.

This remark on “Tokyo Story” is applicable to Ozu’s other film “I Was Born, But…” as well. In fact, a number various repetitions are found in this film, such as the brothers Ryoichi and Keiji who behave alike, the whose-father-deserves-true-respect discussion (erai) between the kids, and so forth. Some scenes are repeated too. Here, let me pick up and compare and contrast two scenes where Keiji and Ryoichi go to school with his father, separating as day 1 and day 2. First I will do a shot-by-shot analysis.

            Day 1

I. Three-shot of Ryoichi, Keiji and Mr. Yoshii. They are walking together in a line, going to school and work respectively. The brothers are in their school uniforms and shoulder their school bags. Ryoichi and Keiji are holding their bento boxes in their hands and Ryoichi is also holding a cylinder case in the other hand. He is talking to Keiji. Mr. Yoshii, near the railroad side, in his long coat and a top hat, is holding his leather bag. Behind them is a railroad which makes a right angle against the line of the three characters. Behind them are a couple of poles, houses, trees and clear sky. Mr. Yoshii talks to his sons, pointing to himself. They turn their faces to him at the same time.

(Slide: “I used to get Excellents in calligraphy, mathematics and anything.”).

II. Continuing three-shot. A train passes through them to the same direction as the direction they are walking to. They keep talking and smiling. Keiji touches Mr. Yoshii’s sleeve and Mr. Yoshii taps Keiji’s school hat.

III. Three-shot from their behind. They turn the path to the left and Mr. Yoshii stretches his right arm in front of Keiji and Ryoichi to stop them. Three poles are standing behind them, overlapping with them. A railroad crossing bar comes down, but it is observable only slightly because it is hidden behind a wood-made barn at the left side of the screen. At the other side of the screen, a roof of another barn is seen. Under the rood there are a wooden-made cart and wheels. Beyond the family and the three poles an old Japanese style house is standing.

IV. Medium-shot of Mr. Yoshii. As the bar comes down right in front of the camera, he turns his face from right to up left.

V. Two-shot of Ryoichi and Keiji. They look bored. Ryoichi talks to Keiji. Keiji nods, and they rush through behind Mr. Yoshii to the right side of the screen.

VI. Medium-shot of Mr. Yoshii again. Still looking at up left (right side of the screen), and then turn his face to where Ryoichi and Keiji should be. Heard them rushing behind, he turns his face to left again and open his eyes widely, surprised.

VII. Long-shot of Ryoichi and Keiji peeing. They turn their school bags against the left side of the screen. The bento boxes on their heads make this shot comical.

VIII. The third medium-shot of Mr. Yoshii. Turning his face to the front, he looks like saying “Oh, well…” He takes out a cigarette from a pocket of his long coat and puts it in his mouth.

IX. Single-shot of Mr. Yoshii’s leather bag from his behind. It looks shabby a little. A train passes through over Mr. Yoshii, and the bars go up.

X. The bars go up.

XI. A train runs from the middle of the screen to further back.

(Montage was used; the scene they cross the railroad is omitted).

XII. Long-shot of the bothers and the father facing to each other on the road over the railroad. Mr. Yoshii says something to Ryoichi and Keiji and they nod. They take off their school hats.

XIII. Mediam-shot of Ryoichi and Keiji. They take off their school hats and bow to Mr. Yoshii who is behind the camera.

XIV. Medium-shot of Mr. Yoshii. He looks at Ryoichi and Keiji, smoking his cigarette, and stretches his left hand toward Keiji behind the camera.

XV. Three-shot of the three. Mr. Yoshii fixes Keiji’s school hat (matching on action from the previous shot). Ryoichi and Keiji and Mr. Yoshii bow to each other lightly and Ryoichi and Keiji walk to the back of the screen. Mr. Yoshii walks to the right side of the screen.

XVI. Long-shot of Ryoichi and Keiji on the road. They came from the left side of the screen and stop at the center. They turn to each other, look at where Mr. Yoshii was (behind the camera), smile to each other and walk backwards. Turning to the front, they keep walking. Camera traces them as they walk (moving shot). Other school kids rush into the screen from the left side of the screen and pass through Ryoichi and Keiji who are still walking.

Day 2 (Underlines are put if a shot is the same or almost the same as the shot from Day 1)

I. Three-shot of Ryoichi, Keiji and Mr. Yoshii. Here Ryoichi and Keiji are walking behind Mr. Yoshii because he is angry at them with having skipped school the other day. They get down their bento boxes from their heads as soon as Mr. Yoshii turns around and stare at them. Two trains from opposite direction pass one another.

II. Three-shot (equivalent to III). Ryoichi and Keiji stop at behind Mr. Yoshii.

III. Medium-shot of Mr. Yoshii (equivalent to IV).

IV. Two-shot of Ryoichi and Keiji(equivalent to V). They rub the ground with their right feet, remaining scared. They look up Mr. Yoshii’s face.

            V. Medium-shot of Mr. Yoshii’s back, as opposed to the second medium-shot from the front in Day 1. He takes his cigarette and start smoking, looking at the left side.

            VI. Two-shot of Ryoichi and Keiji again. They turn to each other and Keiji grins.

            (Slide: “We don’t have to go to school if this bar doesn’t go up.”)

            VII. Long-shot of the three from their right side. Mr. Yoshii, with his cigarette in his mouth, stares at Ryoichi and Keiji. They come to the bar and grip strings connected to it.

            VIII. Medium-shot of Ryoichi and Keiji from behind. They finger the strings.

IX. The bars go up (equivalent to X).

X. Long-shot of Mr. Yoshii and Ryoichi crossing the rail. Ryoichi stops and turns around.

XI. Long shot of Keiji holding two strings cut out from the bar, confused. Eye-line matching.

XII. A train runs the middle of the screen (equivalent to the shot XI). This time, it runs a little further back in the screen than it did in the shot in Day 1.

XIII. Three-shot of the three (equivalent to XII). Keiji runs into the screen from behind the camera. The brothers bow deeper than Day 1.

XIV. Medium-shot of Ryoichi and Keiji. (equivalent to XIII). Ryoichi stands behind Keiji.

XV. Medium-shot of Mr. Yoshii (equivalent to XIV).

XVI. Three-shot of the three again (equivalent to XV). They look back to Mr. Yoshii to make sure if he is still there. Mr. Yoshii leaves to the right side of the screen, a little more slowly than in Day 1.

XVII. Long-shot of Ryoichi and Keiji. (equivalent to XVI).

XVIII. Long-shot of Mr. Yoshii. The sign of midwife advertisement is right in front of the screen. Mr. Yoshii is looking at the brothers from behind the sign. Further back stands an electricity pole, making double parallel.

XIX. Long-shot of Ryoichi and Keiji again. They look at each other and bow to Mr. Yoshii in panic (eye-line matching). They walk fast, and start to run as other boys rush into the screen.

            In total, Day 1 has 16 shots and Day 2 19 shots. 10 shots are shared in both Day 1 and Day 2 (XVII and XIX are regarded as one since it is one continuing shot in Day 1). In addition to it, we find a similarity in the single-shot of Mr. Yoshii’s leather bag (IX in Day 1) and the medium-shot of Ryoichi and Keiji fingering strings (VIII in Day 2) because of almost the same camera positions and the trains running through from the same direction.

            In comparison, many differentiations are made in the similar scenes. For instance, the first scenes from both days are taken from the same camera position, but they create different atmospheres by how they walk and from what direction train(s) come(s). In Day 1 one train running to the same direction as they walk indicates nothing is wrong among Yoshii family, while two trains passing through one another indicate certain conflict between them.  

            What Yoshida called ‘repetition and differentiation’ brings into our minds mixed feelings which we have toward life. Everything is repeated, but at the same time everything is changing. This would be one important element in Ozu’s films that attracts us.

Reference

Yoshida Kiju. "Ozu's Amti-Cinema." n.d. Retrieved March 20, 2014 from https://uconline.ursinus.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-346760-dt-content-rid-305318_1/courses/BB34442/Ozu%20Yoshida%20Tokyo%20Story.pdf. PDF file.