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There Was a Father (1942)

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Average Rating: 8.4/10
Reviews Counted: 5
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 0

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Release Date: Jan 1, 1942 Wide

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Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 345

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Movie Info

Shuhei Horikawa, a poor schoolteacher, struggles to raise his son Ryohei by himself, despite neither money nor prospects.

Unrated, 1 hr. 27 min.

Art House & International, Drama

Directed By: Yasujiro Ozu

Written By: Yasujiro Ozu, Tadao Ikeda

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1942 Wide

On DVD: Aug 31, 2010

Cast

Mitsuko Mito
Fumi
Chishu Ryu
Shuhei Horikawa
Shin Saburi
Yasutaro Kurokawa
Sh�ji Sano
Ryohei
Takeshi Sakamoto
Makoto Hirata

Critic Reviews for There Was a Father

All Critics (8) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (5) | Rotten (0) | DVD (3)

... an indisputable masterpiece, a work of grace and simplicity that feels as timeless now as it was timely then.

August 11, 2010 Full Review Source: Parallax View

| Comment

Sean Axmaker

Parallax View

a poignant, even tragic portrait of the nature of sacrifice

July 16, 2010 Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk

| Comment

James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

An almost unwittingly political, (unusual for Ozu) as well as artistic, triumph.

July 16, 2010 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid

| Comment

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Ozu's most Buddhist, didactic, Japanese and patriarchal film.

June 16, 2008 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews

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Dennis Schwartz

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

If There Was a Father celebrates obedience as a virtue and duty the highest calling on the surface, there is an ambiguity in Ozu's tone.

June 2, 2008 Full Review Source: Turner Classic Movies Online

| Comment

Sean Axmaker

Turner Classic Movies Online

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Audience Reviews for There Was a Father

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a vastly underrated ozu classic. there was a surprising political element, rare for ozu even during the wartime censorship, but that didnt overwhelm the film or detract form the powerful premise at all. as a parent, this film is gut wrenching. a father maintains a surprising level of affection from his son despite

August 2, 2010

danny d

Super Reviewer

A disappointing effort from Ozu. The premise is somewhat similar to that of The Only Son and the dynamics between the father and the son is similar to that of the daughter and father in Late Spring. The father played by Chishu Ryu supports his son through high school and college by working in Tokyo away from him. They

May 17, 2008