Review of Early Summer (1951) by Jonathan H — 27 Feb 2009
I can't get enough of Ozu's movies. They're all practically the same. Simple stories of family relations, filmed in an aesthetically pleasing way that is not flashy. This movie is no exception to his usual work.
It is because his movies are so simplistic that I am able to connect with them and grasp who the characters are. They are not overdeveloped or dramatized like modern day dramas. Ozu realized that ordinary people with ordinary struggles as times change is enough.
That said, I would only recommend Early Summer for die hard Ozu followers. It is essentially the same as Late Spring, which is a superior movie, though the approach is different and there are more outside characters involved.
Tokyo Story will still remain his masterpiece in my mind, and A Story of Floating Weeds is another fantastic piece of cinema from this master. I would recommend seeing those before bothering with this one.
This review of Early Summer (1951) was written by Jonathan H on 27 Feb 2009.
Early Summer has generally received very positive reviews.
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