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: | |||
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Tomoka Hasebe | ||
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Kazuyo Itô | ... | Mitsuko Yabe |
Kokuten Kôdô | ... | Old Uncle |
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. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
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.