Late Spring - Yasujiro Ozu

When I first tried to find this film, I ended up renting “Late Autumn” without realizing it. I’m extremely glad I did. Having both read Borwell’s article on Ozu and seen another film in this series ( though I think it was made much later), made appreciating and catching Ozu’s sometimes subtle messages more rewarding.
All of the action and drama in Late Autumn was so controlled, it took time to actually think about the movie, afterwards, to realize that it was actually full of tension and emotion. Then, after reading Bordwell and seeing Late Spring, it was easy to see this ohtension just below the surface, and to appreciate how the refined manner of the actors actually increased that tension.
The film opens at a tea ceremony, the epitome of refinement and tradition. The film continues to demonstrate to us the simplicity of the Father and Daughters life together. They gracefully and happily accept their roles, and seem to have the perfect domestic partnership.
This movie was more emotionally intense than Late Autumn. For example, the direct questioning of the father about his plans to re-marry, as well as the emotional scene at the theater when she sees the empty seat beside her male friend.
As important and well known as Ozu’s concentration on the theme of family and domestic life are his distinct camera techniques. His filmmaking is a perfect example of how a filmmaker can employ “form equals function” in their editing and camera angles; as Bordwell states it, Ozu’s techniques are , “characterized by a set of dogged refusals: Constant Angle, static camera, rudimentary editing.” Ozu doesn’t use fades or other Hollywood hallmarks like the 180 degree rule or the conventional over the shoulder shots for dialogue. Instead, Ozu created his own system of establishing shots. One of these is the Tatami shot, where the camera is at the angle one would be at if kneeling on a tatami mat. As I mentioned earlier, Ozu doesn’t use fade or other traditional conventions to transition. Instead, he uses even this opportunity to further his particular style. Often his transition shots are of objects or architecture. Sometimes he will cut directly to the next shot, which to someone used to fades and conventional transitions can be jarring. I think the objects and the shots of the traditional Japanese architecture serve somewhat the same purpose as the opening shot of the tea ceremony.