I am a fan of Ozu, and was anxious to expand my knowledge of his work by seeing this highly regarded film. Unfortunately, I was not especially impressed with "Late Spring." The pacing of the film is languid for the first hour or so -- I grew quite restless while Ozu painted an overextended portrait of domestic bliss in the household of the central characters -- a widowed father (Chishu Ryu) and his spinsterish yet bubbly daughter (Setsuko Hara). Things turn a bit more interesting as pressure is brought to bear on the daughter to marry at her advanced age of 27 -- this provokes the daughter to turn exceedingly moody and sullen, causing various complications to the marriage her father and aunt are trying to arrange. Since Setsuko Hara specializes in playing super upbeat yet submissive female characters, it was novel to see her in a rebellious and surly mode. However, Setsuko's rebellion doesn't last long and her mood turns back to positive once again rather too abruptly toward the end of the film.
Though I am used to watching Japanese films portraying social norms and customs that seem archaic or irrelevant to Western eyes, the cultural/social background of this film was particularly difficult for me to relate to. Meanwhile, the manic mood swings exhibited by Setsuko Hara's character felt artificial and jarring at the same time. Somehow it just didn't hold together for me.
If you are an avid fan of Ozu or of Japanese cinema then by all means see "Late Spring." However, if you want to see the best of Ozu I would recommend instead that you see the justly celebrated "Tokyo Story," the 1959 version of "Floating Weeds" and "I Was Born But..."
Though I am used to watching Japanese films portraying social norms and customs that seem archaic or irrelevant to Western eyes, the cultural/social background of this film was particularly difficult for me to relate to. Meanwhile, the manic mood swings exhibited by Setsuko Hara's character felt artificial and jarring at the same time. Somehow it just didn't hold together for me.
If you are an avid fan of Ozu or of Japanese cinema then by all means see "Late Spring." However, if you want to see the best of Ozu I would recommend instead that you see the justly celebrated "Tokyo Story," the 1959 version of "Floating Weeds" and "I Was Born But..."