| | |  | TAIWAN | Home » » » Cafe Lumiere | | | | | | | Description: | | One of today's greatest filmmakers, Hou Hsiao-hsien pays homage to one of the masters, Yasujiro Ozu, commemorating the centenary of Ozu's birth. In a residential Tokyo neighborhood, Yoko, a young freelance writer defies her strongly traditional parents with news that she is pregnant and has no desire to marry the father. She calmly accepts this reality and stoically deals with the worried reactions of her family. In an effort to alleviate her loneliness, she befriends the owner of a second-hand bookstore. He falls in love with her, but keeps his feelings silent. Gradually, Yoko begins to re-evaluate everything in her life in this meditative masterpiece of young urban solitude. | | | Features: | |
• One of today's greatest filmmakers, Hou Hsiao-hsien pays homage to one of the masters, Yasujiro Ozu, commemorating the centenary of Ozu's birth. In a residential Tokyo neighborhood, Yoko, a young freelance writer defies her strongly traditional parents with news that she is pregnant and has no desire to marry the father. She calmly accepts this reality and stoically deals with the worried
| | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Yo Hitoto, Tadanobu Asano, Masato Hagiwara, Kimiko Yo, Nenji Kobayashi | | Director:
| Hsiao-hsien Hou | | Format:
| Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC | | Language:
| English, Japanese | | Subtitle:
| English | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Fox Lorber | | Run Time:
| 103 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| December 27, 2005 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 8 reviews |
| | | | Used and New: | | | |
| All | |
| $5.55+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $5.56+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $5.56+ $4.74 *Shipping | Used
- Acceptable | | | $5.56+ $4.74 *Shipping | Used
- Acceptable | | | $5.56+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $5.63+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $7.20+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $7.50+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Good | | | $7.95+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Acceptable | | | $7.95+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Acceptable | | | $8.65+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $8.99+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Acceptable | | | $9.40+ $2.98 *Shipping This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | New | | | $9.60+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $9.60+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Mint | | | $9.96+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $9.99+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $10.00+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Mint | | | $11.14+ $2.98 *Shipping This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | New | | | $11.99+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Good | | | $12.36+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Mint | | | $12.60+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Good | | | $13.07+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $13.08+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $13.13+ $2.98 *Shipping This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | New | | | $13.78+ $4.12 *Shipping | New | | | $13.81+ $4.62 *Shipping | New | | | $13.81+ $4.62 *Shipping | New | | | $14.86+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $14.98+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $15.13+ $4.62 *Shipping | New | | | $15.40+ $3.99 *Shipping | New | | | $15.70+ $8.13 *Shipping | New | | | $16.08+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $17.42+ $2.98 *Shipping This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | New | | | $17.45+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $17.48+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $17.99+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $19.36+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $40.27+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Good | | | $119.99+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | |
| New | |
| $8.65+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $9.40+ $2.98 *Shipping This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | New | | | $9.60+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $11.14+ $2.98 *Shipping This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | New | | | $13.07+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $13.08+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $13.13+ $2.98 *Shipping This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | New | | | $13.78+ $4.12 *Shipping | New | | | $13.81+ $4.62 *Shipping | New | | | $13.81+ $4.62 *Shipping | New | | | $14.86+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $14.98+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $15.13+ $4.62 *Shipping | New | | | $15.40+ $3.99 *Shipping | New | | | $15.70+ $8.13 *Shipping | New | | | $16.08+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $17.42+ $2.98 *Shipping This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | New | | | $17.45+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $17.48+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $19.36+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $119.99+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | |
| Used | |
| $5.55+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $5.56+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $5.56+ $4.74 *Shipping | Used
- Acceptable | | | $5.56+ $4.74 *Shipping | Used
- Acceptable | | | $5.56+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $5.63+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $7.20+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $7.50+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Good | | | $7.95+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Acceptable | | | $7.95+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Acceptable | | | $8.99+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Acceptable | | | $9.60+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Mint | | | $9.96+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $9.99+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $10.00+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Mint | | | $11.99+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Good | | | $12.36+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Mint | | | $12.60+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Good | | | $17.99+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $40.27+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Good | |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 8 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 23 found the following review helpful:
 Gentle and SubtleFeb 09, 2006
By Amy E. C.
This is a very different kind of storytelling. Everything is shown, almost nothing is told. You have to be keen to pick up the clues, but the scenes are all so quiet that it's too easy to think nothing is happening. Often, even the placement of the camera is telling you something.
It's a slow, gentle, slice-of-life look at one modern woman's relationships. Not for everyone.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 A Great Movie for Lovers of CityscapesApr 15, 2010
By Dalton McTeague
The story is about generational change. For example, the father, of the WWII generation, seems puzzled by the new Japan represented by his daughter's independence and carefree lifestyle. Still he quietly accepts the new ways of his daughter, who does not hold to the old animosities or cultural proprieties (though as independent as she is she is always courteous toward others, something often lacking in American culture).
The story has little in the way of plot. It's more like a cinematic stream of consciousness. I enjoy foreign films such as CAFE LUMIERE because they allow me to visit other cultures. Another movie I recently watched is Gigante, a movie set in Montevideo, Uruguay. It has a stronger plot, but both movies give you a slice of life from different cultures. They are not Hollywood-like movies in which the structure, polish and stars often conceal the everyday lived reality of people, places, and cultures depicted.
One of the things I enjoyed most in CAFE LUMIERE were the cityscapes--especially of the trains. I also enjoyed seeing how the Japanese sustain a cultural politeness and respect midst environments that are claustrophobically urbanized and ultramodern. They seem very much aware of the aesthetic created from being polite and considerate. So the film shows that beauty can be found in noisy, oppressive artificial environments that can even assault the senses with movement, congestion, noise, if one knows how to see it and especially how to hear it (the young man in the story is fascinated by the sounds of commuter trains).
Also I found the special features quite interesting and informative. If you are looking for a strong story, then this movie may not be for you. If you think you might enjoy a cinematic poem featuring a slice of life in Tokyo and its outskirts, you just may enjoy the film as much as I did.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Excellent film; definitely a work of art.Mar 05, 2009
By Mr. M. Anderson
"40255 Hwy 101"
In the special presentation segment, an interview with the director,
Hou Hsiao-hsien in Taiwan, he comments that Japanese viewers felt he strongly captured the essence of Japanese cultural life. The wonder of this film is it's subtlety in showing the aesthetic of the characters. Woody Allen for instance exaggerates characters and focuses on the dysfunction and weaknesses of the characters. Here, the characters are faced with the dilemma of having a life, but also facing an unexpected pregnancy. The don't, however whine and complain or have psychological breakdowns.
As cinema, this is a 5 star gem. All of the visuals are magnificent.
This accomplishment was not accidental; much planning and re-shooting of scenes was required to make this film look so easy. As another reviewer mentioned, the title has historical reference to the Lumiere brothers as pioneers in film; and the train sequences both visually and audio are wonderful. I am curious if a foley artist was used for some of the sounds inside the train or if they were dubbed in from real life.
Re Ozu, the clips shown in the special segments, imo were much more harsh, crass, and unevolved aesthetically than the subject film.
2 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 "Café Lumiere" is a peculiar movie, the kind that some love, but others hate...Jun 17, 2007
By M. B. Alcat
"Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back"
"Cafe Lumiere" is the homage that Hou Hsiao-hsien, a Taiwanese director, paid to Yasujiro Ozu, a Japanese director renowned for the way in which he managed to depict the dynamics of family life and the inner life of his characters.
Did he succeed? I think so, due to the fact that he manages to put the spectator in the place of Yoko, a young woman that is pregnant but doesn't feel like marrying her boyfriend, a grown man that remains too attached to his mother. As we watch "Cafe Lumiere", we want to know what she thinks, and how she is going to react to the new development in her life. The spectator is also interested in her friend, a bookstore owner that seems romantically interested in Yoko, and that has an unlikely but strangely poetic hobby.
Are you likely to enjoy this movie? I really don't know, because "Café Lumiere" is a peculiar movie, the kind that some love, but others hate. I can tell you that it is a beautifully made film that pays extraordinary attention to little details, but that has an extremely open ending. Can you like that kind of film? According to your answer, you will know what to do...
- Belen Alcat, June 2007 -
PS: I liked "Café Lumiere" well enough to give it at least 3 stars out of 5.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
A good Japanese film from a Taiwanese film maker. Helps if you like trains.Jun 10, 2010
By Phillip Royer
"sitenoise"
You have to like trains, find them romantic or aesthetically pleasing in order to enjoy this movie to the fullest: there's a train going by; there she is walking to the train; there she is getting on the train; there she is on the train; there she is getting off the train; there she is walking away from the train ... cut. Rinse and repeat.
Having said that, she, Yo Hitoto, a Japanese singer making her film debut here, is fabulous. I enjoyed her 'hmm', 'hai', 'mmm', 'grunt' style acting. I've never heard acting like it before. She gives a very natural and genuine performance. She's great. Her mom and dad are great. Tadanobu Asano is here. He's a good enough actor that you can sense his muted desire in subtle ways. Almost every minute of people interaction in this film, even in silence, is superb. But the film is padded with a lot of train rides and walking.
I assume we are to live with Hitoto's internals while she is traveling around doing nothing. The problem (or contradiction) with that approach is that we are presented with a character who appears not to have much going on inside, problem-wise. She is overtly presented as someone rather carefree. The spectacular scene where her parents come to visit and she speaks her mind about the man who made her pregnant gave me no sense that it was troubling to her. This seems at odds with the desire of the film. Or else it's genius. I was touched by (what turned out to be) the end of the film, until it turned out to be the end of the film. Hitoto's reaction both times to waking up to Asano's character: the first time when she has the flu and the second time at the end of the film, were lovely as could be. I give Hou high marks for reiterating the theme, and for making it obvious the first time and subtle the second but sadly, final time. Waking up to the little joys in life, done without fanfare. Hou does possess a subtle brilliance.
I understand what Hou is trying to do. I really think I get this thing. Well ... a couple things. One is the pace, creating a tempo, a rhythm. The other is creating a scenario with compelling characters that is deep enough to be immersive but not thick enough to proceed and resolve in traditionally expected ways. Basically, we should be left wanting more. We're given the gift of letting our imaginations fill in the blanks. That's a good thing. I just think Hou filled Cafe Lumiere with a little too much un-engaging material, although the Taiwanese director did highlight, very well, many of the family and generational issues that show up as the theme in many of the best Japanese films.The nonchalance of the daughter towards her pregnancy is not an approach her parents share. Nor is her un-romantic, pragmatic view of the man who made her pregnant.
I am suspicious of (these whatever generation) film makers who employ the nothingness technique in the name of realism. I think some of them are jerks who just want to be challenging, some of them are inept and don't realize they aren't succeeding in making something good, and some of them do things that appeal to others but not to me.
I'm not against the technique. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. And sometimes trains, or at least train tracks, are used very effectively.
See all 8 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
