Film: Late Spring
Release date: 19th July 2010
Certificate: U
Running time: 108 mins
Director: Yasijiro Ozu
Starring: Chishû Ryû, Setsuko Hara, Yumeji Tsukioka, Haruko Sugimura, Hohi Aoki
Genre: Drama
Studio: BFI
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Beginning his six film partnership with muse Setsuko Hara, Late Spring is the first of Yasujiro Ozu’s Noriko trilogy, three films that explore the fragility of the Japanese family unit in the wake of World War II. Along with Tokyo Story, this film is widely regarded as the director’s best work.
Noriko Somiya is the 27-year-old daughter of a kindly professor Shukichi, and she leads a happy life alongside her father. Single and with no plans to marry, Noriko has classical opinions of love and marriage, illustrated by a visit from her father’s colleague Onedara, who she believes to be “dirty” because he has re-married.
Following this is a visit from Noriko’s aunt, who mentions to Shukichi that Noriko should be wed, suggesting that she pursue the interests of his assistant Hattori. Hattori is already engaged. Noriko’s aunt soon finds her another potential husband, while at the same time attempting to find a partner for Shukichi to fill Noriko’s role. Soon Noriko resigns herself to the arranged marriage, yet a trip to Kyoto with her father shows Noriko how much she does not want things to change. Noriko goes ahead with the wedding anyway and finally separates from her father…
The Noriko trilogy is essentially a series of variations on the same tale; a girl is badgered into marriage by her family, friends and societal convention. This girl is played by Setsuko Hara, whose creative relationship with Ozu is equally as important as the great cinematic partnerships, such as Mifune and Kurosawa or Wayne and Ford. Hara is the heart and soul of these films, and in Late Spring her performance is often heartbreaking.
The film is certainly the most sombre variation on the Noriko tale, as it deals with the sundering of a loving relationship between father and daughter. As usual with Ozu’s narratives, exterior forces surround the protagonists, pressuring them into choices they do not agree with. Noriko’s aunt meddles in the lives of her and Shukichi’s - kick starting a chain of events that will eventually tear them apart. Noriko’s sister lives a leisurely life after divorcing her first husband, she dutifully informs her sister of the dark side of love and men. Meanwhile, Shukichi (played by the brilliantly versatile Chisu Ryu, who would go on to play characters of varying ages in the other Noriko films) only wants what he thinks is right for his daughter, even if he does not want it himself - the scene in which Noriko asks if he really wants her to leave and be replaced is truly heartrending.
A highly technical director, Ozu employs many bold stylistic methods in his films, many of which are evident here. What is most noticeable in Late Spring is the fluidity of the editing, showcased in an extended sequence of a Noh play. The film’s centrepiece, this scene captures both the inner turmoil of the central character and the blissful ignorance of her father. Static close-ups and wide angle mid-shots transition between the haunting beauty of the performers and the slowly deteriorating mood of Noriko - it’s a bravura sequence, one of Ozu’s best.
Ozu’s films are never concerned with narrative convention, and are often stark and minimalist in terms of plotting; as such we never really experience anything here other than Noriko’s central dilemma. This singular focus may seem like a failing, yet as the film’s closing moments approach, and Noriko disappears from view, both Shukichi and the viewer experience an overwhelming feeling of sadness.
In this bleak tale of love and loss, Setsuko Hara is dazzling in her first role as Noriko. Among Ozu’s finest work, Late Spring sees the maverick director at the very peak of his power. KT
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