Yasujiro Ozu s 1953 "Tokyo Story" is regularly rated among the top films ever made and will soon be reissued on DVD. Ozu and cowriter Kogo Noda viewed the script as literature; once completed, it was little changed during filming. Here is a translation of the Japanese screenplay to "Tokyo Story," with critical observations by Donald Richie on Ozu s filmmaking, a filmography, and twenty stills. Students of screenwriting will learn much from Ozu s lean approach, while film lovers will treasure this unique keepsake of a great cinematic achievement.

Yasujiro Ozu (1903 1963) was one of Japan s greatest film directors.

Kogo Noda (1893 1968), an influential screenwriter, was a frequent Ozu -collaborator.

Donald Richie is the preeminent Western authority on Japanese film."