Early Spring (1956)

A young man and his wife struggle within the confines of their passionless relationship while he has an extramarital romance.

Director:

Yasujirô Ozu

Writers:

Kôgo Noda (screenplay), Yasujirô Ozu (screenplay)

Stars:

Chikage Awashima, Ryô Ikebe, Teiji Takahashi

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chikage Awashima	...	Masako Sugiyama
Ryô Ikebe	...	Shôji Sugiyama
Teiji Takahashi	...	Taizô Aoki
Keiko Kishi	...	Chiyo Kaneko
Chishû Ryû	...	Kiichi Onodera
Sô Yamamura	...	Yutaka Kawai
Takako Fujino	...	Terumi Aoki
Masami Taura	...	Kôichi Kitagawa
Haruko Sugimura	...	Tamako Tamura
Kumeko Urabe	...	Shige Kitagawa
Kuniko Miyake	...	Yukiko Kawai
Eijirô Tôno	...	Tokichi Hattori
Kôji Mitsui	...	Hirayama
Daisuke Katô	...	Sakamoto
Fujio Suga	...	Tanabe

Storyline

A young man and his wife struggle within the confines of their passionless relationship while he has an extramarital romance.

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Plot Keywords:

neighbor | dream | midlife crisis | pursuit of happiness | happiness | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

25 September 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Early Spring

Filming Locations:

Kamata Station, 7 Chome Nixhikamata Ota, Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shochiku

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in I Lived, But... (1983)

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Soundtracks

Hotaru no Hikari
(Japanese version of "Auld Lang Syne")
Scottish traditional
Japanese lyrics by Chikai Inagaki (1881)
(sung by the employees at Shoji's departure)

User Reviews

Early Spring (1956)

Early Spring came between Ozu's incredible masterpieces Tokyo Story and Tokyo Twilight. No surprise then, that it kind of falls flat in places. It's by no means a bad film, but it adds a bit too much complexity, making the focus confusing at points. The film starts as a comment on the salary man. The opening scenes are both funny and sad, as we see the empty streets of Japan gradually fill with men and women in white shirts. They all come together at the subway station, and then we see two men in an office building looking down at the madness below. These are the kind of details one must love about Ozu. It is all represented there on the screen, and without many words we know what is going on. As the film continues we see the workers on their breaks and finally arranging a weekend trip. On this trip is where the real story begins. A young married man named Shoji is attracted to a young girl nicknamed "Goldfish". They are unable to hide their attraction, as their colleagues start spreading rumors and noticing the smiles between the two. Eventually they give into their temptation. It's the effects after this betrayal that are the key focus. The young girl is surprised that she develops emotions, while Shoji is instantly ashamed of himself. His guilt soon grows, and he avoids his wife. Because of this his wife begins to suspect he is cheating on her. The film shows how destructive guilt can be. As Shoji tries to keep his mind off the affair, he ends up forgetting the anniversary of his son's death. The film is too long for its material. There simply isn't enough going on in the middle, and too much at the beginning and end. What it does offer is Ozu's look at relationships without the arrangement of a marriage. Instead, this shows the hard work and commitment a marriage takes. A theme that was handled a lot more competently and economically in his next feature.