Yamada Yoji (79, profile) is perhaps Japan’s greatest living movie director, and certainly one of its most accomplished. This year sees the 50th anniversary of his directing career and yesterday the first details of his upcoming movie project were announced. “Tokyo Kazoku” (Tokyo Family) is to be in part an homage to one of the most revered Japanese movies of all time, Ozu Yasujiro‘s 1953 classic “Tokyo Monogatari” (Tokyo Story) and it has a very strong ensemble cast. Set for a 2012 release, it will star Sugawara Bunta (77) and Ichihara Etsuko (75) as a couple who travel to Tokyo from a small island in the Seto Inland Sea to visit their children but don’t find the welcome and attention they expected. Though the premise is the same as in Ozu’s movie, Yamada will add such modern theme as Japan’s aging population and the increase in old people living and dying alone.
Commenting on the casting, Yamada said, “Sugawara-san’s has a much tougher image than Ryu-san (Ryu Chishu, the star of Ozu’s film) but I think that toughness adds tension to the ordeal of dying alone in one’s old age.” Regarding Ichihara, he said, “She has played common folk since she was a young actress and is one of the few who can really play an elderly country woman. She also has a rare sense of humor.” The main difference with Ozu’s film is that the couple’s younger son, played by Tsumabuki Satoshi (30), is still alive and living with his girlfriend, Aoi Yu (25), and their roles get almost equal billing. Tsumabuki won as best actor at last year’s Blue Ribbon Awards for his role in the critically acclaimed “Akunin,” while Aoi won for her supporting role in Yamada’s “Otouto.” The strong cast continues through the family – elder son will be played by Nishimura Masahiko (50), his wife by Natsukawa Yui (42), the daughter by Muroi Shigeru (52) and her browbeaten husband by rakugo-ka Hayashiya Shozo (48).