Late Autumn

There do seem to be an awful lot of widows and widowers in Ozu's universe, as if engineered to make the threat of loneliness a constant issue to be thought about when making familial decisions. Nevertheless, one cannot deny the great aesthetic pleasure that Ozu delivers here in nearly every scene, even in a story that contains an underlying sadness that gradually comes increasingly to the surface. At times it seems as if the director's one true love is a kind of off-green colour.

In earlier work, Ozu focused on those for who spring was always spring: the young. Here, it is autumn. Loved ones are gone, children are about to be and, with them, a life lived where purpose is defined by ones own happiness being secondary. As purpose fades, practicalities - 'itches' (I can see Ozu and Noda laughing), or loneliness - re-emerge. They again conflict with the ideal. This again is manifested in 'Noriko', now mother, though this time we only get to see parts of it.

There's something about Ozu's less melodramatic works. A relaxing quality, a sense of alleviation. It's so easy to get caught up in the slow drift of time, the composure, and the good natured humor.

It's amazing how Ozu can get so much life out of a story that would probably seem slight or even silly on paper. Ozu's meticulous approach to colour, always impressive, is particularly stunning here; remarkable that a director could jump into colour film with such a fully-formed vision of how they should look, after working in B&W for so long.

This time, I think Ozu's favorite theme (widower and single son/daughter dilemma) gets repetitious. But there's his stylish trademark, the typical Ozu cinematography, etc.. And the last scene is wonderful.

This is a fantastic movie, and immediately became one of my favorites by Ozu. I'm often just on the verge of becoming an fan, and it's films like this that almost make me take the plunge and buy up all the DVDs. It's one of his lighter works, with a lot of humor (it's jarring, but not unwelcome, to hear such sexual innuendo in an Ozu film) and charming characters and a lovely, gentle score. There's something about Ozu's sense of color that greatly appeals to me. Setsuko Hara is marvelous.

Sort of a lighthearted (perhaps deceptively so) version of Late Spring. Still, striking abstract use of color and framing and sharp in its characterizations, especially of the young women whom I felt gave the film a slightly more modern accessibility. The three old male friends are a fun bunch. Note also the melancholic, slightly sentimental main musical theme by Saitô, one of the best in a Ozu film.

A very entertaining light drama that reminded me of Sirk with its striking colours and constant jabs at social conventions. The content of the story itself isn't all that interesting, but it's the way it develops that gives the film its heart and its edge. The acting is wonderful and helps create characters that are enjoyable to watch, as well as conveying the subtleties of the script not just with dialogue but with facial and body expressions.

Bittersweet tale of matchmaking and its pitfalls. Saitô wrote the music for this and many other Ozu films, and it always sounds as if it would more at home in a cheesy Italian rom-com (pardon the redundancy...). Though this actually IS a rom-com of sorts--with touches of sadness--the music gets irritating real fast.

An enjoyable return to form, with Hara reversing her usual role and playing parent to a marriage-bound daughter. Once again, Ozu invites us to linger within intimate spaces that exude a most understated warmth.

It’s freezing out but Ozu is freakin warming up my living room.

Ozu's humor reveals so much about what it is to be human. At once satirical and humanist, its tone allows us to love the characters while appreciating flaws/contradictions. It also elevates the dramatic moments. I've never seen social satire capable of portraying such emotional honesty and intimacy. Films like this have to be planted, watered, and grown - not imagined, right? To say my mind is blown is an understatement. "You know, it's people who complicate life. Life itself is pretty simple."

Semana em honra do centenário de Setsuko Hara filme #3. Esse é o filme do Ozu que provavelmente fará as feministas do século XXI mais passarem raiva porque o conceito de gente intrometida querendo impor relacionamentos às mulheres contra sua vontade é um negócio ainda dolorosamente atual, é por isso que gosto tanto do Ozu, o que parece tratar especificamente de um tempo e lugar específico da sociedade japonesa na verdade é atemporal e universal. Box Versátil O Cinema de Ozu Volume 3.

Lovely Ozu is like a remake of Late Spring, only this time with Hara in the parental role. What matters here is not the story, but the tenderness of the relationships presented, and the fragility and preciousness of them. Its deceptively breezy surface gives way to a melancholy reflection on the passing of time and how it impacts on the ties that bind. Hara and Tsukasa are wonderful, and their final scene together before the wedding is among the most moving moments in Ozu's entire filmography.

91.00

Viewed March 16, 2018.

Star Rating: ★★★1/2

Yasujiro Ozu #5

watched: 2014, 2024

Enjoyable, even as I see this as lesser Ozu. Hara is magnificent as always, though the film suffers for long stretches without her. Ozu still manages to bring the film to a heart-rending conclusion, with a perfect blend of joy and pain so often experienced in times of transition. The transitional shots (those between scenes) work extremely well here, and give the film that predictable and always enjoyable Ozu rhythm. It's just that the drama (or comedy, at times) is less compelling overall.

#948

nice furniture.

I probably shouldn't have watched this right after Late Spring because it didn't have near the same effect its predecessor had. Setsuko Hara is wonderful, as usual, but Chishu Ryu is underused and I noticed no standout moments this time around.

an absolute piece of crap!

952

Another great collaboration of Ozu and Setsuko Hara. This time Hara is the mother overseeing her marriage daughter, whereas in earlier films she played the part of the daughter. In middle-age, she is still very beautiful and the finest Japanese actress of her era.

916

# 948

This was my first exposure to Ozu, and so far it's my least favorite. It looks beautiful, the framing is immaculate, the acting is spot-on, and so on, but the story is a big bunch of nothing -- even more so than the other Ozus I've seen (which, admittedly, is still just two others). It's good, but it completely failed to hold my attention from beginning to end. And I'm not the type to generally dislike slow movies where "nothing happens" either.