Early Summer (1951)

First things first, this classic burns like incense, slow and wonderful. For those easily bored don't bother. That said, like watching incense burn, the tapestry of our character's existence becomes mesmerizing. This incredible flick is a subtle exposition of Japanese culture as seen through the differing generations that exist under one roof. Even more so, that this occurred during the highly transformation period of Japan at the end of the US occupation demonstrates the rapid evolution of an eastern culture with the contrast between the traditional grandparents, the liberated and business-minded children, and the horribly bratty grandchildren. As the story comes to its denouement, the resultant emotional strife is relegated as inevitable in place of culpability. The story unfolds under the static eye of a beautifully composed camera lens, and the nuances of Japanese culture are elucidated through the brilliance that is routine life. The acting is relaxed and natural, with performances whose genius is hidden in magnified nuance. As well, the beauty of Setsuko, the focal point of Early Summer, becomes almost blinding with each and every smile. Flouting little things such as plot, this story is nonetheless riveting and is a treat to watch. Ozu's direction is inspirational through his uniquely static poetry of the screen.

Evil Eye Reviews

Fmovies: 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.

I did not know much about Yasujiro Ozu's films prior to seeing Early Summer. I knew he was as big an influence in the West as Akira Kurosawa. It is not difficult to understand Kurosawa's influence since his films were largely influenced by John Ford and his stories were occasionally based on Shakespeare. Ozu, seems to take a quiet and simple approach to the cinematic experience.

"Early Summer" is about a time when families extend and break apart. We are introduced to the Mamiya family, a typical family of 1950's post war Japan, who we see going about their daily life routines. The protagonist is the daughter Noriko, a 28 year old girl whose parents believe is ready to get married. One day, Noriko is recommended a man Takako, who is an associate of her boss. Noriko considers the offer but does not spark much interest. Her parents try to encourage her daughter to marry this man but after learning that Takako is much older, Noriko becomes even more reluctant. One day, their close neighbor Kenkichi, has been offered a job outside of Tokyo and has decided to leave. It is Kenkichi who Noriko suddenly decides to marry. The Mamiya family becomes upset because Kenkichi is not only moving away from home but he is also a widower with a child. The parents soon realize that they will have to accept and nothing will be the same again. The story has a somewhat similar structure to a documentary in that we sometimes feel as though we are witnessing real life as it happens. Much of what occurs throughout the film is not directly connected to the story. There is no surprise or ironic conclusion. Everything seems inevitable and there is no major surprises or conclusions. "Early Summer" helps us think about the essence of selfishness in the Japanese nuclear family. It is uncommon for Japanese families to leave the family because independence is looked down upon. At the same time, it is inevitable that things change for better or for worse. There is a wonderful scene with the grandparents contemplating on Noriko and their lives. "Things couldn't be better" says the grandfather. "Well they could" says the grandmother. The grandfather replies,"please, we must not expect too much from life" This seems to be an important awareness of the film and one that exists between the Mamiya family. Noriko accepts who she's in love with not because she seeked him out but because it occurred when she least expected. She tries to read into her future and accepts that marriage will be difficult. There is another wonderful moment after she has accepted Kenkichi's mother to marry her son, she is seen walking home and passes by her soon to be husband. Their exchange is very subtle and brief and yet we know they are going to spend the rest of their lives together. This scene is presented in an ironic way that helps us to pay close attention to the mundaneness of our lives. These are the moments that help us see the world in better light. Ozu has a great eye for timing, atmosphere and above all, humor. There is nothing pretentious about this film. It is an examination of family unity and the passing transition of marriage.

Early Summer fmovies. This film stars Setsuko Hara, a regular in Ozu films, who, to me, has to be one of the finest if not the finest actress Japan has ever produced. She exudes warmth in her roles and when she smiles can rightly be considered beautiful. She plays Noriko, a 28 year old single lady her family wants to marry off. If you think you have seen this before in Ozu's "Late Spring", you kind of have, but its still a great film. It is a testament to Ms. Hara's beguiling strength that she can pull off this role so admirably. Unlike "Late Spring" (which is also great), this film is more comic. There are little moments that will make you smile. Noriko's best friend in the film Ayako is also single and they make fun of their married female friends. This movie moves faster than "Late Spring" and the magnificent "Tokyo Story", and it heads towards the end which may fill you with mixed emotions. Ozu, to me, is one of the finest directors ever, from any country. He is a master of subtlety, and the performances he is able to get out of his actors is downright stunning at times. The combination of Ozu and Ms. Hara in film was one of the greatest pairings of actor/director ever. You just love Noriko in this film. The trilogy of "Late Spring", "Early Summer" and "Tokyo Story" is a must watch. I think you'll love it.

Here Ozu extends his previous Late Spring, a film also about separation and taking the next step in life. It is once more about a young girl and marriage, another Noriko who is not the same one from the previous film nor anyone but a girl like her. We already have this extension of world, which I think will be one of the most valuable contemplations on the journey through the filmmaker.

In Late Spring we had with clear, wonderful strokes an idyll at the childhood home with the father, and suffering as the girl pushed against the inevitability of having to go on. The realization was from the outside, a long speech by the father.

Look how this is transformed here. This Noriko is not pushing against it, all through the film she mostly keeps quiet as everyone around her worries. They find a potential groom, investigate if he's respectable enough, try to coax an answer from her, they're happy or despondent. She is a viewer of all this being made into a narrative around her, as a result the film is not as 'pure' and concentrated as Spring, it flies off in several directions. But it matters as a way of creating a marvelous contrast between her quietly waiting and everyone else worrying and fretting about the future, trying to shape the story.

This is what's so beautiful here.

All through the film there is a notion of something inevitable ahead, in Spring this was the cause of a lot of worrying. Here we have all that around her and her just biding time, until eventually she decides on it, spontaneously one night. The new groom isn't ideal, there's a child from a previous marriage, she must travel to the countryside with him. But intuition tells her he's a man he can trust and everything else will fall into place. All her parents' worrying was for nothing. All that slowly fades, appearing ridiculous like a bad dream in the clear morning.

It's all about trusting life to reveal itself, about not giving into despair, surfing on the difficulty; one of the most vital insights in my world.

But does Ozu weave this in a visual way? It can't be just said out loud, this is the Buddhist wisdom; you have to make life from it.

He does. We have three visual meditations on what this all is, among the most erudite of the first 50 years.

An old grandfather who everyone thinks deaf, his impetuous grandson calls him a fool in his face and he smiles and stares, they're all amused when he goes to see a play; can he hear anything? But later in a discussion with the family we see that he is lucid and participates just fine. So when the kid makes fun of you you can be angry and insulted, or you can be the blissful 'old fool' for whom there is no sound being uttered.

Second is a scene of Noriko's aging parents, they are sitting in a ledge outdoors contemplating a full life together, where does it go? They look up at the sky and see a balloon carried by the wind, the father muses that a kid somewhere must be crying. A kid somewhere is crying, but all around them is quiet and that disappearing balloon is itself how fleeting and meaningless is the worry, small against the bright sky. Marvelous!

The last is near the end, the marriage has been decided, it's apparent to all that all their fretting was for nothing. The father is out on a morning walk, about to cross the tracks when the bars come down, a train is about to pass. All sorts of obstacles come up in life, but it would be ridiculous for the man to suffer becaus

"Early Summer" is the second of three films in which Setsuko Hara played a character named Noriko (the first was "Late Spring"; the third was "Tokyo Story"); in all three, the martial status of Noriko is a major plot device. In "Early Summer", as in "Late Spring", the problem is that Noriko is still unmarried, but in "Early Summer", Noriko is part of a large extended family, and their interactions, constant bickering, jovial meddling provide humorous counterpoint. "Early Summer" remains one of the most buoyant of Ozu's films, and shows how he can take the same theme and storyline, and create a comic as opposed to a dramatic work.