• It’s far from his first film, and he’s had stronger narratives/characters before and more laughs before- but for me this is the beginning of Ozu as a high-level auteur with his use of editing—specifically cutaways to nature, trains, flags, clothes on laundry, etc—also known to cinema and Ozu-admirers as “pillow shots”
  • Woven cloth background for his credit titles- uses throughout career
  • Unlike most of his work prior this is a larger ensemble- you’re 3-4 minutes and there’s not forced attachment to any one character (or more appropriately you are connected to 5-6)—lots of cutaways to the town scenery
  • Backstage drama- lots of prep montages for a theater show
  • Slice of life drama—really it’s melodrama
  • Ozu is clearly in love with these characters and it’s very infectious
  • There’s a rhythm in the editing of the father and son fishing- quite beautiful
  • Tracking shot, later than usual for him to introduce it, of the crowd at the show
  • A story of a visiting acting trope and the town and people on both sides
  • It’s a comedy—charming—it rains during the show and the trope puts out pots and pans—montage of rain is really well done
  • Soapy in some narrative—the plot takes over in the ladder third and Ozu forgets the cutaways for the most part— which is a shame because there are spots of brilliance here and it’s a true breakthrough (for me and Ozu)- shots of a bicycle (like 5 times), laundry blowing, clocks, it’s rhythmic, formally perfect and quite beautiful
  • Nostalgic in tone
  • Open ending—final train shot cutaway
  • Highly Recommend/Must-See border