Late Spring (1949)
"Banshun" (original title)

Noriko is 27 years old and still living with her widowed father. Everybody tries to talk her into marrying, but Noriko wants to stay taking care of her father.

Director:

Yasujirô Ozu

Writers:

Kazuo Hirotsu (based on the novel "Chichi to musume" by), Kôgo Noda (screenplay),

Stars:

Chishû Ryû, Setsuko Hara, Yumeji Tsukioka

5 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chishû Ryû	...	Shukichi Somiya
Setsuko Hara	...	Noriko Somiya
Yumeji Tsukioka	...	Aya Kitagawa
Haruko Sugimura	...	Masa Taguchi
Hohi Aoki	...	Katsuyoshi
Jun Usami	...	Shôichi Hattori
Kuniko Miyake	...	Akiko Miwa
Masao Mishima	...	Jo Onodera
Yoshiko Tsubouchi	...	Kiku
Yôko Katsuragi	...	Misako
Toyo Takahashi	...	Shige (as Toyoko Takahashi)
Jun Tanizaki	...	Seizô Hayashi
Ichirô Shimizu	...	Takigawa's master
Yôko Benisawa	...	Teahouse Proprietress
Manzaburo Umewaka	...	Shite

Storyline

Noriko is 27 years old and is still living with her father Somiya, a widower. Noriko just recovered from an illness she developed in the war, and now the important question pops up: when will Noriko start thinking about marriage? Everybody who is important in her life tries to talk her into it: her father, her aunt, a girlfriend. But Noriko doesn't want to get married, she seems extremely happy with her life. She wants to stay with her father to take care of him. After all, she knows best of his manners and peculiarities. But Noriko's aunt doesn't want to give up. She arranges a partner for her and thinks of a plan that will convince Noriko her father can be left alone.

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Plot Keywords:

widower | marriage | baseball bat | spinster | affection | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

21 July 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Late Spring

Filming Locations:

Chigasaki, Kanagawa, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shôchiku Eiga

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the 2012 version of "Greatest Films of All Time" Sight & Sound poll Late Spring appears as the 15th greatest film of all time.

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Goofs

A camera/dolly shadow is visible on the sidewalk as it follows Noriko walking.

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Connections

Referenced in The Life and Works of Yasujiro Ozu (1983)

User Reviews

Ozu Masterpiece

A widower and his daughter Noriko happily live together until an aunt suggests that it might be time for Noriko to get married. Although she does not want to leave and he does not want to be left, the father convinces Noriko (and himself) that marriage is in her best interest.

This is premium-Ozu: an ordinary story about ordinary people that is extraordinarily moving. It is aided enormously by the two main performers: Chishu Ryu, an actor who can put more meaning and emotion in one single 'Hmm' than Keanu Reeves has ever managed in his entire career and Setsuko Hara, who lends her character an amazing depth despite being stuck with the Sandra Dee-part. Their relationship is not expounded on in lengthy dialogue or elaborate expositional scenes, but is made evident through body-language. A subtle shift in posture when the other person enters the room, a look or a smile make us understand the close friendship these two people share.

The narration is playfully oblique, first introducing us to a possible love-interest, withholding the information that he is already engaged (something which Noriko knows, but we don't), then never showing us the real husband-to-be. Yet, by the end, Ozu has told us all the important things about his main characters and it feels not like we've watched a movie about them, but have shared a piece of their lives.