Title: Late Spring
Rating: 5 Stars
As you can probably guess, this is another entry from the BFI Sight and Sound all time best film list. This one clocks in at 22.
This is a Japanese film released in 1949. Directed by Yasujirō Ozu, it’s the story of Professor Shukichi Somiya (Chishu Ryu) and his adult daughter Noriko (Setsuko Hara). Before the events of the film, Somiya’s wife / Noriko’s mother has apparently died. Noriko has taken her place and takes care of her father.
Noriko is now twenty-seven. Somiya comes under pressure from his sister to find a husband for Noriko. Somiya agrees. However, Noriko strongly opposes. She is happy taking care of her father and thinks that her father would not be able to take of himself. Noriko announces that he’s about to take a wife. Shocked, Noriko reluctantly agrees to meet one of her suitors. They’re a good match and Noriko agrees to marry him. Before the wedding, Noriko apologizes to her father, saying that she’d been selfish in wanting to stay with him if his heart is set on marrying. Somiya forgives her and tells her that marriage is hard work but that she’ll be even happier with her husband than she was with him. Only after the wedding do we learn that Somiya lied about getting married. He only said it because he knew that Noriko would have never otherwise left him. As the film closes, we see Somiya sitting solemnly alone in his now empty house.
And that’s about it. But there’s so much more to it than that.
There’s the historical context. Being released in 1949 means that it was probably filmed in 1948. This is a scant three years after Japan’s surrender ending World War II. At the close of the war, Japan was utterly devastated and under American military occupation. The fact that somehow, in this cultural and actual wasteland, Ozu was able to create such a beautiful film is amazing to me. On top of that, the occupation had censors in place that Ozu had to carefully navigate.
In the film, there are several references to the war and to some of the difficult times that the Japanese people had. In particular, Noriko had apparently suffered forced labor during the war that she is just now recovering from. There are several signs that the occupation has changed Japan. Noriko’s best friend is making a good career for herself due to her shorthand English ability. On the road are English signs (eg Coke).
In fact, you see this growing Western influence beginning to spread even into Japanese culture. The first floor of Somiya’s house appears to be a basic Japanese home. The film starts with an elaborate tea ceremony. Somiya and Noriko attend a traditional Japanese concert. You see Somiya and his sister walking around in traditional wooden clogs.
On the other hand, the second floor of Somiya’s house, which seems to be Noriko’s domain, is much more Western. There are chairs and raised tables. When Noriko and her friend meet, they have something closer to an English tea service.
As expected, this seems to break along generational lines. Although the younger generation is willing to practice the traditional Japanese styles of dress and culture, left to their own devices they dress in Western clothing and read Western books. One of the young boys in the film is obsessed with playing baseball. You can just imagine that, as the older generation dies out, that many of the Japanese customs that have been place for generations will fade away.
Somiya represents that older generation. Although he knows that he’s going to become less happier and less comfortable as a result of his daughter’s marriage, he knows that he must step aside. As he pretty bluntly states, his time has passed. He does not have many years left. It is now his daughter’s and her generation’s turn.
Ozu is an interesting filmmaker. He eschews dynamic shots. All of his shots are static (and I do mean all, I might have missed it but I don’t remember seeing a single moving shot in the entire film). Most of his static camera shots are very low, close to floor level. As the film rolls, characters just enter and leave. He also doesn’t believe in filming big scenes. Action regularly takes place off camera. For instance, we don’t see Noriko’s wedding. It just happens off camera and you see Somiya’s response to it.
If you’re reading this and thinking that this sounds familiar, well you’re right. Back in February, I discussed a BFI best film called Tokyo Story (read about it here). Tokyo Story is ranked fourth on the BFI list. Although they’re definitely different stories, the filmmaking style (low, static shots) as well as the generational conflict arising from the forced modernization that the Occupation is imposing upon Japan are prominent in both films. Ozu even uses the same actors.
Don’t get me wrong. They are both beautiful, wonderful films. It just seems odd to me that the BFI would include two of Ozu’s films in the top twenty when they are technically and thematically so similar to each other. It would be kind of like if they were huge fanboys of Tarantino and included both Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown in their top twenty. One or the other, sure, but I don’t see the need for both.
This might be a controversial opinion (as well as an example of recency bias) but if I had to choose one to include, I’m inclined to choose Late Spring. Nearly an hour shorter, it’s a more succinct expression of Ozu’s themes and style.
dorkenstein 