Late Spring

A+

Directed by Yasujiro Ozu

Yasujiro Ozu's, throughout his distinguished career, pumped out masterpieces at an almost assembly line like pace, making 33 films, many of which are towering achievements in their own right. Amongst his career's work, however, three particular films stand out as arguably his best, namely "A Story of Floating Weeds," Tokyo Story" and "Late Spring." Although "Tokyo Story" often gets the nod as Ozu's best film, "Late Spring" is my favorite, mostly because it deals with a much more nuanced and rarely dealt with issue, namely the relationship between a father and daughter, than "Tokyo Story" which examines (albeit masterfully) the generational conflicts experienced by Japanese families in the aftermath of World War II.

"Late Spring" focuses on Noriko (played by longtime Ozu cast member Setsuko Hara), a 27 year old women who still lives with her widowed father, Shukichi (played here by another recurrent Ozu player, Chisu Ryu). Sukichi worries that his daughter should seek a husband, a concern shared by Sukichi's sister who wants desperately for Noriko to wed, fearing she will become something of an old maid if she does not. Noriko, however, appears to be altogether unimpressed with the prospect of marriage and would prefer to continue living the quiet life she enjoys with her father.

Like most of Ozu's great works, "Late Spring" has more to say about big issues such as the relationships between parents and children and the constraints of societal expectations and pressures in a few frames than most films can cover in their entire length. Ozu is praised in almost religious terms by most film critics and scholars and the praise can seem overblown until you watch some of his masterworks and realize that his films more than deserve the semi-religious reverence that is attributed to them. Ozu's ability to tackle major existential issues through anecdotal situations is perfectly illustrated in "Late Spring" where the focus revolves primarily around the day to day life of Noriko and her father and the details of the tension between them, as well as their own hopes and aspirations both for themselves and each other, most of which is communicated non verbally until the end of the film when Noriko finally and bluntly lets her father know her wishes, resulting in a rather unvarnished show of emotion that stands in stark contrast to the restrained exchanges between father and daughter that proceeded it. The final impact is, in many ways, devastating, as Noriko attempts to keep her perma-smile plastered to her face even as she fights back tears, asking her father why things can't simply remain the way they are. It remains one of the better scenes in movie history (I know this appears to be a hyperbolic statement, but I don't consider it very controversial) and showcases Ozu's ability to deliver emotional power to his stories without having to resort to stirring strings, slow motion scenes, or other similar devices. No, like most of Ozu's films, "Late Spring" is delivered unfettered and bare, it's emotional impact stemming entirely from the fact that as viewers we can relate, in an almost universal manner, to what we are seeing on the screen.
It doesn't hurt, however, that "Late Spring" is anchored by the acting of Setsuko Hara and Chisu Ryu whose performances here are wonderful. I recently watched "Black Narcissus" by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, a film released in 1947 which, although very good in its own right, features mostly the type of acting that I've come to expect from English actors of that era, namely a range of emotions that is strikingly limited, appearing to have two settings; either "utter rapture" or "overwhelming fear." The acting in "Late Spring,'" which was released around the same time, is infinitely more complex, and Hara especially succeeds in conveying Noriko's emotions, both those repressed and those released, with unbelievable authenticity. The rather apparent disconnect between the type of almost caricaturistic acting in a film like "Black Narcissus" and the restrained, and truly lifelike acting in "Late Spring" leaves me puzzled as to where, exactly, Ozu's actors acquired their acting chops and why Western actors have, in many ways, never caught on to the "less is more" realities of conveying human emotions.