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IMDbPro

Early Spring

Original title: Sôshun
  • 19561956
  • 2h 25m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
3.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
38,244
8,010
Early Spring (1956)
Drama
A young man and his wife struggle within the confines of their passionless relationship while he has an extramarital romance.A young man and his wife struggle within the confines of their passionless relationship while he has an extramarital romance.A young man and his wife struggle within the confines of their passionless relationship while he has an extramarital romance.
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
3.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
38,244
8,010
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Yasujirô Ozu
    • Writers
      • Kôgo Noda(screenplay)
      • Yasujirô Ozu(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Chikage Awashima
      • Ryô Ikebe
      • Teiji Takahashi
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Yasujirô Ozu
    • Writers
      • Kôgo Noda(screenplay)
      • Yasujirô Ozu(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Chikage Awashima
      • Ryô Ikebe
      • Teiji Takahashi
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 18User reviews
    • 32Critic reviews
    • 84Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos95

    Ryô Ikebe and Keiko Kishi in Early Spring (1956)
    Ryô Ikebe and Keiko Kishi in Early Spring (1956)
    Ryô Ikebe in Early Spring (1956)
    Early Spring (1956)
    Early Spring (1956)
    Chikage Awashima and Ryô Ikebe in Early Spring (1956)
    Chikage Awashima and Ryô Ikebe in Early Spring (1956)
    Chikage Awashima and Ryô Ikebe in Early Spring (1956)
    Chikage Awashima in Early Spring (1956)
    Chikage Awashima and Ryô Ikebe in Early Spring (1956)
    Early Spring (1956)
    Ryô Ikebe and Chishû Ryû in Early Spring (1956)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Chikage Awashima
    Chikage Awashima
    • Masako Sugiyama
    Ryô Ikebe
    Ryô Ikebe
    • Shôji Sugiyama
    Teiji Takahashi
    Teiji Takahashi
    • Taizô Aoki
    Keiko Kishi
    Keiko Kishi
    • Chiyo Kaneko
    Chishû Ryû
    Chishû Ryû
    • Kiichi Onodera
    Sô Yamamura
    Sô Yamamura
    • Yutaka Kawai
    Takako Fujino
    Takako Fujino
    • Terumi Aoki
    Masami Taura
    Masami Taura
    • Kôichi Kitagawa
    Haruko Sugimura
    Haruko Sugimura
    • Tamako Tamura
    Kumeko Urabe
    Kumeko Urabe
    • Shige Kitagawa
    Kuniko Miyake
    Kuniko Miyake
    • Yukiko Kawai
    Eijirô Tôno
    Eijirô Tôno
    • Tokichi Hattori
    Kôji Mitsui
    Kôji Mitsui
    • Hirayama
    Daisuke Katô
    Daisuke Katô
    • Sakamoto
    Fujio Suga
    Fujio Suga
    • Tanabe
    Haruo Tanaka
    Haruo Tanaka
    • Nomura
    Chieko Nakakita
    Chieko Nakakita
    • Sakae Tominaga
    Kazuko Yamamoto
    • Hisako Honda
    • Director
      • Yasujirô Ozu
    • Writers
      • Kôgo Noda(screenplay)
      • Yasujirô Ozu(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Connections
      Featured in Transcendental Style and Flatulence (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      Shanran-bushi(Tsurero-Bushi)
      (uncredited)

      Music by Yoshiji Nagatsu

      Lyric by Muramatsu Hidekazu

    User reviews18

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Very good but a lesser Ozu vehicle
    I have seen quite a few of Yasujiro Ozu's films and while I enjoyed this film, it is not among his best--mostly because of its sluggish pacing. If the film had about 20 minutes cut from it, I really think it would have worked better. Now I am not against long films--provided they merit the additional time. This is one of the few Ozu films I had to force myself to finish, as I found it hard to concentrate on what was occurring--a first for one of his films.

    The film is set in a Japanese company where there are lots of lower to mid-level drones doing their jobs. The theme, at times, is that no matter how hard you work and devote yourself to your job, you will one day die...and most likely not appreciated or sufficiently recompensed for your hard work. A depressing view, to be sure, as the film was apparently trying to make a point about alienation during the industrial age (a common theme in Ozu films).

    In addition to this theme, there is another plot involving one of the workers having an affair with a co-worker. What actually made this pretty interesting and poignant is that the man's marriage was already in trouble, as their son had died several years ago (as a small child) and the couple became distant in the aftermath. Also interesting is the reaction of the man's co-workers when they think they've discovered the affair (though they still aren't sure). The men all seem to condemn them very quickly and say this is disruptive to the company. BUT, they also later sound incredibly envious of the couple! Additionally, instead of confronting both of them, they only invite in the woman---an interesting double standard.

    Overall, the film is typical in style to what you'd expect from an Ozu film. The camera remains stationary and slightly lower than the actors and there are no lens movements. Instead, scenes change by cuts, not by a roving camera. Also, the film's subjects are the countless lower-level white collar workers. Atypical is the film's slow pace (slow even for Ozu) as well as the subject matter--adultery is not something he talked about often.

    So is it worth seeing? Well, anything by Ozu is worth seeing as far as I am concerned. Just don't expect quite the same magic and poignant moments like you'd find in such classics as FLOATING WEEDS or LATE SPRING.
    helpful•15
    7
    • planktonrules
    • Jul 22, 2009

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 25, 1974 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Rano proleće
    • Filming locations
      • Kamata Station, 7 Chome Nixhikamata Ota, Tokyo, Japan
    • Production company
      • Shochiku
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 25 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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