Tokyo Story (東京物語 Tōkyō Monogatari) (1953) Dir: Yasujirō Ozu DOP: Yūharu Atsuta “Children don’t live up to their parents’ expectations. Let’s just be happy that they’re better than most.”
Here’s 5 to watch this week during TCM’s Summer Under the Stars lineup.
1. The Big Heat (1953) at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT Tuesday, Aug. 17: Gloria Grahame’s SUTS day is filled with noir riches. Basically, you can tune in any time during the afternoon or evening for a classic crime film (full schedule here: https://summer.tcm.com/ ), but if you have to pick just one, make it director Fritz Lang’s police procedural in which Grahame plays a disfigured mob moll seeking vengeance.
2. The Candidate (1972) at 1:15 pm ET/10:15 am ET Wednesday, Aug. 18: Robert Redford has starred in/directed several first-rate political films, but this cinema verite classic about a charismatic but vacuous Senate candidate is one of the best films airing during August. It anticipates our own image-driven age, and the final scene is a damning portrait of a man without a moral center (or any morals at all, really).
3. Late Autumn (1960) at 1:30 pm ET/10:30 am ET Thursday, Aug. 19: This beautifully filmed Japanese drama stars SUTS honoree Setsuko Hara as a widow who is trying to find a husband for her daughter (Yoko Tsukasa). Late Autumn is very specific to Japanese culture, but it also has universal themes of love, friendship, and family, and Hara is an actor who can break your heart with just one glance.
4. A Woman Rebels (1936) at 9 am ET/6 am PT Saturday, Aug. 21: Katharine Hepburn’s SUTS day is filled with all-time favorites like Bringing Up Baby (12:15 pm ET) and Desk Set (8 pm ET). However, if you’re looking for something a little different, tune in to this costume drama about the triumphs and travails of an independent Victorian woman. Kate is at her fiery, feminist best; plus, it’s the screen debut of Friday’s SUTS honoree, Van Heflin.
5. The Mark of Zorro (1940) at 10:15 pm ET/7:15 pm PT Sunday, Aug. 22: There’s no better way to wrap up your weekend than with a little classic-movie escapism courtesy of swashbuckling star Tyrone Power. A breathtaking Linda Darnell plays Power’s love interest, and Basil Rathbone is in peak villain mode.
