The Only Son

1936 1h 27m JA

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 123

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A rural widow sends her only son to Tokyo to receive a better education. Years later, she visits him and finds he has become a night school teacher struggling to support his wife and son.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Chōko Iida
Tsune Nonomiya
Shinichi Himori
Ryosuke Nonomiya
Masao Hayama
Young Ryosuke
Yoshiko Tsubouchi
Sugiko
Mitsuko Yoshikawa
Otaka, Ryosuke's neighbour
Tomio Aoki
Tomibo, Otaka's son
Chishū Ryū
Okubo, Ryosuke's teacher
Tomoko Naniwa
Okubo's Wife

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Yasujirō Ozu
Writers: Yasujirō Ozu
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

90 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Yasujirō Ozu, shot by Shôjirô Sugimoto. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Senji Ito. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Hideo Mohara shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Chōko Iida and Shinichi Himori and Masao Hayama carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0027752 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Yasujirō Ozu directs. Shôjirô Sugimoto behind the camera. Senji Ito scores. Hideo Mohara cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
290 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Yasujirō Ozu, shot by Shôjirô Sugimoto. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Senji Ito. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Hideo Mohara shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Chōko Iida and Shinichi Himori and Masao Hayama carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0027752 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 11 themes, including "parent child relationship", "tokyo, japan", "poverty", "1930s".