[.ca] Late Spring (Criterion Collection)

My Favorite Movie:
This is my favorite movie by my favorite director, meaning that its the movie that touches me more than any movie I have seen. I feel like I know the main characters, Noriko and her father, so well, their relationships, and the culture in which they exist and move. I cannot imagine a deeper potrayal of these characters as that given by Setsuko Hara as Noriko and Chishu Ryu as her father, and the supporting cast is superb. I favor movies in which character and releationship development is more important than plot, and this movie is all about character. The understatment continually present in this film, the gentleness and love of this father and daughter relationship brought out by powerful and remarkable perfomances, and the cultural context within which the characters must act result in Yasujiro Ozu's most perfect film. The direction by Yasujiro Ozu is revolutionary and without equal, ostensibly spurning all cinematic devices, yet creating what is his and his alone, the simple, the most simple, unobstructed view that allows us to see the characters move in the physical context of each scene; to feel what they feel; and the still shots of the town, views that people who live in this town would see everyday, coupled with the background music grounds the viewer in the time and space of this personal, spiritual, and family drama. Each scene is like a masterpiece unto itself. Yasujiro Ozu has several masterpieces, and for me, this is his most flawless and touching film.

How many masterpieces can an artist have?:
In my review of 'I Was Born But...' I brought attention to one of Ozu's subject matter motifs - estranged relationships between children and parents. Usually when the children are not kids - as in 'Late Spring' then Ozu develops this motif with the topic of marriage. In this case, the widowed father in realising his selfishness to 'keep' his daughter urges her to marry before its too late. This sudden parental wish is not without resistance from his daughter. The fact that this film is 'post-war Ozu' provides an important contextual backdrop - that is, Japan's fascination for things American. Moreover, it is the idea of marrying for love than for traditional duty. With much parallel action at work, the narrative is consumed with trying to match Noriko with suitors. At the same time, marriage becomes conceptually compared with other characters in terms of divorce and tradition. Again, spatial violation and mimimalistic camera shots are prevalent. Furthermore, Ozu's sense of graphic composition is superb here as each shot - be it an object or room - looks strikingly articulated. I don't want to spoil the final scene - however I will say that it is one of the finest moments in the history of cinema. See this film and you will love the father, as you will the daughter, and even the interfering Aunt. Its not just Ozu's excellent sense of humanism but his ability to share the emotional resonance of his characters with the viewer. Wait for that final scene and be spellbound! Ironically, if it hadn't been for Ozu's estranged relationship with his father - he might never had so much tenderness to convey in his films.

Father and Daughter:
This is one of a handful of films I consider one of the most moving ever made. Director Yasujiro Ozu has created a symphony of the emotions regarding the relationship between a father (played by Chishu Ryu) and his daughter (the great Setsuko Hara). There is a Zen-like quality to this and Ozu's other great films -- including TOKYO STORY (1953). At salient points in the action, the camera leaves the characters and focuses upon the middle distance, with sad orchestral music welling up. I am told that this technique is an example of "mono no aware," or sympathetic sadness. Ozu does not hammer at the viewer: He knows when to pull back and let the feelings take root and start to spiral up your spine. It is an instinctive talent that few filmmakers have. Ozu almost NEVER moves his camera, which he sets up on a short tripod about 3 feet high -- just about the height of your head if you were sitting on a tatami mat and interacting with the characters. I saw a recent documentary about Ozu in which almost everyone who ever worked with this quiet genius broke into tears. The last shot was simply of his funeral monument, with the same sad music welling up. Ozu was one of a kind. We shall not look upon his like again.

Late Sprin:):
Ozu Yasujiro is one of the early movie directors in Japan. Maybe because of the nature of pop culture, I didn't know about him at all until I took a movie class. Ozu's works are famous for being "very Japanese." I think this is because he dipicted ordinal people's ordinal life. This is the kind of movie you want to see again. Asaoka Yumeji played a role of Aya and I was surpised how beautiful she was! The heroin Hara Setsuko, Noriko in the movie, was a very popular movie star back then, but she retired now. I couldnt stand her big nose and mask like smile at first though. She speaks very elegant and strange "Soune", I think. My family made fun of the way I speak for a while because I was speaking just like her! ;);) I hope you enjoy this movie!!

A Masterpiece:
Yasujiro Ozu was one of the greatest directors of this century. In Late Spring, he takes a simple story of an elderly man trying to give up his "old maid" daughter in marriage, and turns it into a searing portrait of human emotions, feelings, and sacrifice. The acting is first-rate, and so is the taut terse direction. The film lives long with you even after the final credits roll. Do not be dissuaded by the steep price (It is well worth it). An absolute must-have in any collection, this is a masterpiece.