Veteran Japanese writer/director Yasujiro Ozu's second postwar production was 1949's Late Spring or Banshun. Chisu Ryu plays another of Ozu's realistic middle-class types, this time a widower with a marriageable daughter. Not wishing to see the girl resign herself to spinsterhood, Ryu pretends that he himself is about to be married. The game plan is to convince the daughter that they'll be no room for her at home, thus forcing her to seek comfort and joy elsewhere. What makes this homey little
domestic episode work is the rapport between Chisu Ryu and Setsuko Hara, who plays the daughter. Late Spring is no facile Hollywood farce; we like these people, believe in them, and wish them the best. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Yasujiro Ozu's 1949 film inaugurated his majestic late period: it's here that he decisively renounces melodrama (and, indeed, most surface action of any kind) and lets his camera settle into the still, long-take contemplation.
impermanence... forms the film's true subject - and it is Ozu's ambivalence towards it, as though he wants both to board the train, and to stay on the platform, that ultimately gives Late Spring its bittersweet resonance.
Haiku-like in its title, its interest in the undramatic silences between scenes, and its enfolding of human behaviour within nature, Late Spring offers tenderness in the place of melodrama and patient truth in the place of sudden revelation.
Few 21st-century Americans have felt the kind of conflict that the daughter in Late Spring feels, which makes the film all the more remarkable for bridging this cultural gap and grabbing hold of us anyway.
Ozu's camera is observational, rather than intrusive; even when we get something akin to a close-up, it never feels like it's invading the character's space.
Exquisite ... What little plot there is in Late Spring is adorned by Ozu's Zen-like meditation on objects, surroundings and the Japanese concept of mono no aware -- the ineffable resignation to the reality of life as things are.
Late Spring exemplifies Ozu's rich, mature style, an apparent stylelessness of patient, lifelike rhythms, unobtrusive camerawork, and credibly subtle performances. [DVD]
Another fantastic example of Ozu's work. As usual, very restrianed and very simple. Ozu examines family relationships and the social beliefs of Japan at the time. The struggles of women and the worries of fathers are all played out. Late Spring focuses on Ryu once again playing a single father, and his daughter Noriko.
Many of Ozu's films deal with the effects of a marriage on a family. Here, Noriko does not want to get married. She is content with her life with her father. She enjoys looking after her father and worries about he will be able to cope without her. As it progresses Ryu must make the choice of letting his daughter go. Even if he must trick her to set her free. The great thing about Ozu is that he doesn't tell us what to think, a story is laid out in front of us with each characters emotions open to interpretation. A very moving ending, but one that doesn't try and make us cry. Slow and boring to some, Ozu is a director who has no need to try and impress his audience. Ironically, this is the most impressive thing about him.
although ozu typically starts slow, this film begins slower than most of his. however, by the time it picks up, it becomes one of ozu's most emotionally powerful films. in particular japanese fashion noriko's father doesnt display any emotion until completely alone, and then it hits hard, but hara gave a phenomenal
and emotionally charged performance. i never get tired of seeing ryu or hara in an ozu film, and ozu's camera shots are typically strong in this film. the bike riding scene, the scene on the road after the play, and the discussion towards the end just before the wedding are all phenomenal, and as is usual for ozu, we get a wonderful portrait of japanese culture and family life.
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