Review of Late Spring (1949) by Ken T — 22 Feb 2011
A widower feels it is the right time to married off his daughter who herself wishes nothing more to tend to her father. That is the story. Yet no director could possibly bring so much nuance to a film as the great Ozu.
Using his 50mm camera low to the ground, Ozu captures as thoroughly perfect a character study as has been achieved on film. There is the presentation of open space, a sense of loneliness. We see father and daughter going about daily chores yet we know that there will be a change.
And all Ozu's films generally deal with a domestic change. The evolution of characters is so mesmerizing and realistically portrayed here - there is the complete absence of any and all cliché and Ozu definitely does not succumb to melodrama.
We're looking at a real postwar Japanese family, broken yet functioning. A certain sadness resonates in the characters - the daughter for losing her place and the father for no longer having someone to care for him as she moves on.
A masterwork of cinema.
This review of Late Spring (1949) was written by Ken T on 22 Feb 2011.
Late Spring has generally received very positive reviews.
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