Product Description

The first of a series of intimate family portraits that would cement Yasujiro Ozu’s reputation as one of the most important directors in cinema history, Late Spring tells the story of a widowed father who feels compelled to marry off his only, beloved daughter. In the hands of two of the director's finest actors—Chishu Ryu and Setsuko Hara—this poignant tale of love and loss in postwar Japan remains as potent and meaningful today as ever.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23600 in DVD
• Brand: Image Entertainment
• Released on: 2006-05-09
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English, German, Japanese
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 108 minutes

Amazon.com
A masterpiece of postwar Japanese cinema, Yasujiro Ozu's Late Spring serves as an elegant primer for many of the themes that would define Ozu's later career. As with other Ozu classics, this is a calm, meditative drama about the dynamics of family, in this case the inevitable separation of 56-year-old father and widower Shukichi (Chishu Ryu) and his adult daughter Noriko (Setsuko Hara), who is content to care for her father and remain unmarried, despite the urging of friends and relatives to find a suitable husband. There are some viable candidates, and several attempts at matchmaking, but the likeliest match is a man who's already engaged. Noriko simply wishes for things to remain as they are, but when she does eventually marry a handsome chemist who "looks like Gary Cooper," Ozu's drama remains intimately focused on the subtle emotions at play; there's not a scene or sequence that feels out of place, and Late Spring serves a secondary function as a light and lively portrait of post-war Japan, as hints of Western influence (like a Coca-Cola sign in one of the film's most memorable scenes) that signal Japan's transition toward a modern commercial economy. Most of all, however, Late Spring is a carefully observed and quietly heartbreaking story of a parent who yearns to set things right for his daughter who must balance her father's love with her own prospects for a fulfilling future. And while Ozu would go on to examine familial issues in later, equally noteworthy films, Late Spring represents a milestone that would ensure Ozu his rightful place among the greatest of all Japanese directors. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVDs
Criterion's release of Late Spring contains a few minor flaws in terms of image quality (such as occasional emulsion scratches), but viewers can rest assured that this DVD was mastered from the finest available materials, and the film looks very good considering the conditions of post-war Japan that were typically harsh on films of that period. The "windowbox" framing format accurately preserves the film's original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. There's a new and improved English subtitle translation, and the audio commentary by Richard Peña (an Ozu expert and program director of New York's Film Society of Lincoln Center) emphasizes the literary traditions that inform Ozu's films, in addition to the director's signature fixed-camera, low-angle style. Disc 2 includes Tokyo-ga, the 1985 feature by German director (and avid Ozu admirer) Wim Wenders. It's a tribute to Ozu's Japan, in which Wenders wanders the city searching for remnants of Tokyo as seen in Ozu's films, including interviews with Late Spring actor Chishu Ryu and Ozu's long-time cameraman Yuharu Atsuta. In keeping with Criterion tradition, a 21-page booklet is also included, containing informative essays by critic Michael Atkinson and renowned Japanese-film historian Donald Richie. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

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.

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.

Poignant study of character
Many of Ozu's films are variations on a theme, namely, parents pressuring a daughter to marry and the impact the marriage ritual has on the family. Late Spring is the first and probably finest example of this theme. In the old Japan, marriage was not an option, it was a given. But after World War Two, Japanese women became more independent in their thinking. They didn't always get their way, but they began to challenge the old ways. We can see this in Late Spring. Noriko is sweet but at the same time stubborn. She doesn't want to get married. During a trip to Kyoto, she gently pleads with her widowed father to let her stay with him. It's a touching scene that will tug at your heart.

But Late Spring is more than a movie about social change. It's a poignant study of character. The beauty of Ozu's movies is that you get to know everyone so well, as if they were members of your own family. We can understand why Noriko is content to live with her father. But we can also sympathize with her Dad who worries she will become an old maid. The ending of this movie has a beautiful sadness to it. It is one of the most moving films I've had the privilege of watching.