• Ozu seems to just be getting stronger here in my study—one major improvement (I think he did it before but I’m picking up on it more and more) is his use of Japanese Shoji panel doors/walls to frame and layer his mise-en-scene. It’s a thing of beauty that I haven’t read previously from any critic
  • Ryu in a smaller role here— plays younger- the very hard to like older brother (instead of father like late spring) of the more central Setsuko Hara who is as strong here, if not stronger, as she is in 1949’s Late Spring
  • #416 on TSPDT
  • Opens with a gorgeous shot of a dog on beach, then a montage of birds in cages and a cluttered halfway busy with the typical Ozu mise-en-scene – he’d go back to the bird here often and the hallway and alley of course
  • Love the opening of a multi-generational family in motion in the home
  • Cutaways or pillow shots in include a quick one of a train, a gorgeous lantern, just one of laundry this time, one of clouds, one of a flag flying
  • There’s a bit of a jump back to his earlier films in the silent era and 30’s with a few tracking shot camera movements (audience at the theater… transition tracking shots, too)
  • Hara getting married, and the family’s preoccupation with that, is the closest we get to a plot
  • Love the empty frames- so beautiful- lyrical- a chair, a stool, a sake bottle
  • There’s a beautiful shot of three staggered bodies at different fields of depth talking to each other- different planes in discussion
  • A tranquil film
  • Ozu is the absolute master of mise-en-scene—there are countless picture-frame wall art shots and busy frames
  • Upon entrance to their house again and gain we have two of the sliding Shoji doors that are at a diagonal to set up a layered frame within frame shot
  • Heartbreaking scene where Hara accepts the marriage proposal from her future mother in law
  • Not an easy happy story- the family largely disapproves and we have another profound medication on life’s bitter/sweet dichotomy. Self and possible sacrifice vs. family
  • Love the family portrait scene because that’s what this film is
  • Ozu’s second extremely accomplished finale—we have a final shot of gorgeously layered mise-en scene (here in an Uncle smoking a pipe with the outdoors behind him) and then the shot of a bride walking through the fields of barley then just the barley with the wind
  • MS/MP