Hey everyone, I hadn't realized that this video got this many comments, so I never thought to check and answer haha

Regarding some of the comments: I totally agree that Mizoguchi needs to be in that discussion. If I had more time, I'd certainly include him. This was a university project of mine that required a comparison between two artworks (hence, only two examples).

Glad to hear you all liked it, and all the constructive feedback was awesome! I never thought to continue making videos like this, but your comments are definitely making me at least consider it.

"Mizoguchi's greatness was that he would do anything to heighten the reality of every scene. He never made compromises… Of all Japanese directors, I have the greatest respect for him... With the death of Mizoguchi, Japanese film has lost its truest creator." - Akira Kurosawa

Just seeing these last shots from Tokyo Story makes my eye water. What a beautiful beautiful cinematic masterpiece.

4:29 caught my attention like a flash grenade

I've watched several of the "greatest" Japanese films but for me none beats The Human Condition.

I am an admirer of Ozu's films, Late Spring and Floating Weeds, being my favorites. I have never watched an original Kurosawa film and now it is time to explore his work.

Kudos for writing a bibliography. I've never seen a youtuber do that before and I appreciate it greatly.

And Kenji Mizoguchi?!!!!!!!!
He is so great as Ozu and Kurosawa.

Outstanding analysis of a very old debate. Deserves a lot more views.

This is a great, informative video of two master filmmakers! As a former film student and now a working filmmaker, it's awesome to be reminded - through videos like yours - why we love film! Thanks a lot for that! :)

There were not two but three mousquetaires, Mizogushi was the other one...

Thank You!
For this beautiful docu on these two masters ..

However, for instance in Tokyo Story wabi-sabi is not exactly about the ephemeral in life in the Western sense of "memento mori" but instead about the fact that growing of life and decaying of life belong together as an eternally continuing circle of life and in that sense the gift of the mother's watch to the daughter in law with the wish to her to forget about her late husband and marry anew means the continuum of life and not the end of it;

There are a lot of good ideas in this brilliantly edited video. The notion that the opposition between Kurosawa and Ozu is not between "Western" Kurosawa and "Japanese" Ozu, but rather between two kinds of "Japaneseness" is a view I endorse. One cavil: the author of this video claims that Kurosawa was not concerned with the individual and that Ozu was. For me, the opposite is closer to the truth. Kurosawa says explicitly in his autobiography that, after the war, he wanted to make films that asserted the value of the individual. Whereas Ozu, though he filmed stories about Japanese people of all ages and classes, invariably perceives and displays them as part of the larger unit of the family, and their actions and sufferings only make sense in that context, not as individuals per se. But otherwise, the Otoko vs. Onna dichotomy that the author presents here makes sense. I also thought the bibliography at the end was a nice (and useful) touch.

These two are the Senna and Prost of Japanese cinema

Everyone whining that the video isn't an exhaustive history of all great Japanese directors. Ozu and Kurosawa really are the two greatest Japanese filmmakers. They're also polar opposites within the context of Japanese cinema, so it is worthwhile and good to compare them in particular.

I think Seven Samurai is Kurosawa's masterpiece

Rashomon was adapted from a story called "in the grove" wriiten by Ryonosuke Akutagawa. Its a good read.

Great video and analysis!

Why is every Japanese movie ive ever watched a banger