Yôji Yamada

13.09.1931, Osaka, Japan

 

Director
Yamada is a Japanese screenwriter and director. He graduated from the Tokyo University in 1954 and then joined the film studio Shochiku where he worked as a screenwriter and assistant director Yoshitaro Nomura. In 1969, he launched the film series Tora-san (known in Japan as Otoko wa tsurai yo), which became extremely popular in Asia and that lasted for 25 years. Since Kiyoshi Atsumi played the main role, his death in 1996 meant the end of the series. Afterwards he made another film series entitled Gakko (A Class to Remember, 1993), Gakko II (1996), Gakko III (1998) and 15-Sai: Gakko IV (2000). The Twilight Samurai (Tasogare Seibei, 2002) was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Foreign Film and it is probably his most famous film in the western world. He made two other films in his “samurai” trilogy: The Hidden Blade (Kakushi ken oni no tsume, 2004) and Love and Honor (Bushi no ichibun, 2006). In 2008, he accepted the life-time achievement award at the Asian Film Awards ceremony. Some of his newer famous films include the autobiography of Teruyo Nogami Kabei: Our Mother (Kaabee, 2008), family drama About Her Brother (Otôto, 2010), homage to the director Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story (Tôkyô kazoku, 2013) and the drama The Little House (Chiisai ouchi, 2014) also taking place in Tokyo.

Filmography


Films by this director

Twilight Samurai

(Tasogare Seibei, 2002)

Directed by: Yôji Yamada
PHOTOGRAPHY: Mutsuo Naganuma
Synopsis:

Seibei Iguchi is a low ranking samurai who, after his wife’s death, has to take care of their two children and his old and sick mother. While other samurais go for a drink after work, he faithfully runs home to his family to take care of them. In his devotion, he neglects himself and thus becomes an object of mockery for other samurais. Soon he meets his old love from childhood Tomoe, who helps him to cope with his troubles.

35 mm, color, 129 min

About Her Brother

(Oôto, 2010.)

Directed by: Yôji Yamada
PHOTOGRAPHY: Masashi Chikamori
Synopsis:

This family drama deals with topics of responsibility and forgiveness. Ginko and her daughter Koharu as well as her deceased’s husband’s mother successfully runs the family pharmacy. She has a younger brother Tetsuro, but he is the black sheep of the family – a failed musician who only brings trouble. The family gathers at a happy occasion – Koharu’s wedding to a well-off doctor. Tetsuro shows up drunk and makes a scene. After that, Ginko hears about him again when he gets into a new trouble.

35 mm, color, 126 min
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