Early Summer (1951)

A family chooses a match for their daughter Noriko, but she, surprisingly, has her own plans.

Director:

Yasujirô Ozu

Writers:

Kôgo Noda, Yasujirô Ozu

Stars:

Setsuko Hara, Chishû Ryû, Chikage Awashima

7 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Setsuko Hara	...	Noriko Mamiya
Chishû Ryû	...	Koichi Mamiya
Chikage Awashima	...	Aya Tamura
Kuniko Miyake	...	Fumiko Mamiya
Ichirô Sugai	...	Shukichi Mamiya
Chieko Higashiyama	...	Shige Mamiya
Haruko Sugimura	...	Tami Yabe
Kuniko Igawa	...	Takako
Hiroshi Nihon'yanagi	...	Kenkichi Yabe
Shûji Sano	...	Sotaro Satake
Toyo Takahashi	...	Nobu Tamura (as Toyoko Takahashi)
Seiji Miyaguchi	...	Nishiwaki
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tomoka Hasebe
Kazuyo Itô	...	Mitsuko Yabe
Kokuten Kôdô	...	Old Uncle

Storyline

In postwar Tokyo, this household is loving and serene: older parents, their 28-year-old daughter Noriko, their married son, his devoted wife, and two rascally sons. Their only discontent is Noriko's lack of a husband. Society is changing: she works, she has women friends who tease and argue, her brother sees her independence as impudence, she sees it as normal. When her boss suggests that she marry a 40-year-old bachelor who is his friend, all the members of her family press her to accept. Without seeking their advice, and to their chagrin, Noriko determines her own course of action.

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Plot Keywords:

daughter parent relationship | pressure to marry | reluctant to marry | married friend | marriage advice | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene in which Noriko walks with her sister-in-law, Fumiko, to the beach at Kamakura contains the only crane shot in all the extant films of director Yasujirô Ozu.

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Quotes

Aya Tamura: Husbands are all like that. That's why we don't marry.
Noriko Mamiya: That's right, isn't it?
Takako: You don't know anything about married life.
Aya Tamura: Married life?
Takako: Only married people understand.
Aya Tamura: Once you're married, it's too late to understand.

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Connections

Featured in Transcendental Style and Flatulence (2017)

User Reviews

A masterpiece of household style

Not only are no two Ozu movies the same, but each marks a notable

development along the continuum of one of the most formidable artistic visions in film. This mid-career masterpiece is no exception -- its unique qualities lie partly in its assiduous exploration of interior space in an ingenious opening sequence, beautifully capturing the rhythms and choreography of a family

household as they go about their morning routine. It's no wonder that this is the favorite Ozu movie of formalist film scholar than David Bordwell -- Ozu frames and re-frames his compositions, reinventing spaces with each cut and shot,

turning an ordinary house into a cinematic funhouse -- only PLAYTIME, IVAN

THE TERRIBLE and LAST YEAR IN MARIENBAD have offered similar wonders

as far as I'm concerned. Neither is this style for style's sake: as we follow the story of how this family is pressured by social convention to marry off their daughter, the inevitable disintegration of this family makes the synchronicity and synergy of that marvelous opening sequence all the more poignant. In between, there is a rich variety of interactions between three generations of families and friends as they meet their fates, individually and collectively, one exquisite, fleeting moment at a time.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

2 August 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Early Summer

Filming Locations:

Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shochiku

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1