Another great but underappreciated name of Japanese cinema is Yasujiro Ozu. From what I read about him, he was a poet with his films. Being the curious cinephile that I am, I decided to check out one of his films.
The film I checked out was Late Spring. Although not as well known as his magnum opus Tokyo Story, this film is a quiet piece of art. Just watching it made me realize Ozu's status among film devotees.
The story of a father trying to marry off his daughter sounds simple in concept but is grand in execution. The reason? Along with Ozu's direction, it's Yaharu Atsuta's cinematography and Senji Ito's music that make the film come alive. (Boy, what is it about foreign films with great cinematography and music?)
Late Spring is one of the more beautiful post-war films. Ozu really knew how to make a film. Expect to see more musings of his films in the future because I think I found a new director to watch.
My Rating: *****
I love Ozu, Im glad you found him. I was just telling Tyler about the Wim Wenders documentary Tokyo-Ga in which he goes searching for the Tokyo of Ozu's films whilst discussing the power of them. An enjoyable and interesting watch.
ReplyDeleteIf you have any interest in reading, Kawabata wrote some beautiful novels around similar themes to Ozu.