Late Autumn (1960)

A widow tries to marry off her daughter with the help of her late husband's three friends.

Director:

Yasujirô Ozu

Writers:

Ton Satomi (novel), Kôgo Noda (screenplay)

Stars:

Setsuko Hara, Yôko Tsukasa, Mariko Okada

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Setsuko Hara	...	Akiko Miwa
Yôko Tsukasa	...	Ayako Miwa
Mariko Okada	...	Yuriko Sasaki
Keiji Sada	...	Shotaru Goto
Miyuki Kuwano	...	Michiko
Shin'ichirô Mikami	...	Koichi
Shin Saburi	...	Soichi Mamiya
Chishû Ryû	...	Shukichi Miwa
Nobuo Nakamura	...	Shuzo Taguchi
Kuniko Miyake	...	Nobuko
Sadako Sawamura	...	Fumiko
Ryûji Kita	...	Seiichiro Hirayama
Fumio Watanabe	...	Tsuneo Sugiyama
Ayako Senno	...	Shigeko Takamatsu
Yuriko Tashiro	...	Yoko

Storyline

Family and friends of the late Shuzo Miwa have gathered for his annual memorial service, this one marking the seventh anniversary of his passing. Three of his long time friends - married Shuzo Taguchi, married Soichi Mamiya, and widowed Seiichiro Hirayama - have long known and admitted to each other that they have always been attracted to his widow, Akiko Miwa, who they believe has gotten even more beautiful as she has matured. The three friends take it upon themselves to find a husband for the Miwa's now twenty-four year old daughter, Ayako Miwa, who they believe as beautiful as her mother, and who, as a pure innocent, deserves a good husband. Their self-appointed task is despite them knowing that Ayako does not want them to do so. She doesn't want to get married, at least not yet, as she struggles with her traditional sensibilities in post-war modern Japan. Her first priority as she sees it is to take care of her widowed mother, who would be alone if she were to get married. The ...

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Plot Keywords:

almond eyes | japanese woman | japanese man | friend | mother | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

November 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Late Autumn

Filming Locations:

Tokyo Tower, Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shochiku

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The principle of the story is similar to Late Spring (1949) also directed by Yasujirô Ozu: in that movie, a young woman living with her widowed father does not want to marry in order not to leave him alone, while in Late Autumn (1960) the young woman lives with her widowed mother.

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Soundtracks

Momiji (Autumnal Tints)
Music by Têichi Okano
Words by Tatsuyuki Takano
At the scene of a spa hotel

User Reviews

Possess Your Soul In Patience

If you have never seen a film by Yasujiro Ozu, you may have difficulty adjusting to his restrained and subtle handling of emotions; identifying Ozu as a director not known for action-packed narrative is massive understatement, as his films reflect a less hectic time and an ancient culture slowly coming to terms with change.

On the surface, this film is simply about the separation occurring as a daughter marries and a parent is left behind. With Ozu, however, carefully and consistently arranging composition, with gentle humor and a quiet observation of the human condition, there is much to be gained from reflection, from watching people realistically and patiently coming to terms with change. No one screams and throws dishes, no one bleeds copiously or falls out of a window, no one even runs across the street. My grandmother used to say "possess your soul in patience," and that said, a viewer may need to do just that with Late Autumn; the willing viewer will be amply rewarded with this amazing examination of calm resignation in the face of a life change