One of many great movies by Ozu, this is an apparently simple comedy (a comedy that puts a smile on your face rather than guffaws of laughter) but with depths of feeling and sadness that are, as always with Ozu movies, so unexpected. Although not by any means a 'major' or 'serious' movie, its full of touches that show what a masterly director he was.
Arranged marriages have a bad name for many people - I was very surprised on a recent trip to Kyoto to be told that they are still quite common - but this is a movie that shows that they are as full of the complexities and pitfalls of conventional romance. The story revolves around the clumsy attempts of three well meaning men to help out the wife of their late friend by acting as matchmakers for his daughter. Its complicated by the fact that all three of them were in love with the mother in their early years - unsurprising as the mother is played by the always luminous Setsuko Hara. The daughter is less than impressed by the matchmaking, especially when the men decide to set up one of their number with her mother.
The plot is in many ways very similar to Ozu's wonderful 'Late Spring', which starred many of the same actors. But while Late Spring was full of thematic richness and drama, this movie is a lot simpler, but is equally bitter sweet at the end. The happiness of the older characters at marrying off the younger generation is matched with an awareness of the loneliness of old age. Its also worth noting that the usual imaginative Ozu camera angles in this movie are matched with gorgeous colour and lovely set design.
One point of interest for this movie is that it was clearly intended as a crowd pleaser. For those who think that Ozu is too 'arty', this movie shows why he was hugely popular with ordinary cinema-goers in Japan and remains so to this day. His simple stories resonated deeply with Japanese people at a time of great change, but his genius is in the universality of these movies - they have never truly dated, the are as insightful and fascinating as ever.
In summary, this is not a movie in itself that will convince the doubtful about Ozu's right to be considered one of the all time great directors, but it is a delightful movie for any cinema lover (or for that matter, anyone interested in Japanese culture) to enjoy.
Arranged marriages have a bad name for many people - I was very surprised on a recent trip to Kyoto to be told that they are still quite common - but this is a movie that shows that they are as full of the complexities and pitfalls of conventional romance. The story revolves around the clumsy attempts of three well meaning men to help out the wife of their late friend by acting as matchmakers for his daughter. Its complicated by the fact that all three of them were in love with the mother in their early years - unsurprising as the mother is played by the always luminous Setsuko Hara. The daughter is less than impressed by the matchmaking, especially when the men decide to set up one of their number with her mother.
The plot is in many ways very similar to Ozu's wonderful 'Late Spring', which starred many of the same actors. But while Late Spring was full of thematic richness and drama, this movie is a lot simpler, but is equally bitter sweet at the end. The happiness of the older characters at marrying off the younger generation is matched with an awareness of the loneliness of old age. Its also worth noting that the usual imaginative Ozu camera angles in this movie are matched with gorgeous colour and lovely set design.
One point of interest for this movie is that it was clearly intended as a crowd pleaser. For those who think that Ozu is too 'arty', this movie shows why he was hugely popular with ordinary cinema-goers in Japan and remains so to this day. His simple stories resonated deeply with Japanese people at a time of great change, but his genius is in the universality of these movies - they have never truly dated, the are as insightful and fascinating as ever.
In summary, this is not a movie in itself that will convince the doubtful about Ozu's right to be considered one of the all time great directors, but it is a delightful movie for any cinema lover (or for that matter, anyone interested in Japanese culture) to enjoy.