I Was Born, But…

This is the original version of the story about rebellious kids who feel betrayed by their father that Ozu remade as Ohayo thirty-seven years later. I Was Born, But... doesn't have the later film's oscillations between comedy and a tragic sense of defeat; rather, it begins as a particularly riotous comedy, and then abruptly switches to a darker tone when the boys lose their respect for their father. It's silent (Ozu resisted talkies until 1935), but its visual style is so dynamic that you hardly notice; both the gags and the emotional disappointments are anchored in a sure sense of characterisation that remains wholly fresh, and the pace of the whole film is worthy of Buster Keaton at his best.