Ozu's Late Spring 1949 Essay

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Spring (1949):

The death of freedom with the beginning of marriage

The title Late Spring refers to the fact that the movie chronicles the 'late spring' of the main character's life. The 1949 film is characteristic of the output of Yasujiro Ozu in its fundamentally anthropocentric or human-focused narrative (Wood 108). The young woman Noriko is considered an 'old maid' because she is no longer a teenager. However, Noriko seems unconcerned about her status. She enjoys taking care of her elderly father Shukichi and the two of them are satisfied by the arrangement. However, the girl's meddling aunt Masa is not: she tells her brother that Noriko must get married; otherwise the girl will be left with nothing after he dies. The widower Professor Shukichi reluctantly agrees to engage in an elaborate deception to convince his daughter he is getting remarried, despite the fact that he is not. Noriko marries as a result of this deception. The film suggests the social bullying of the aunt makes everyone unhappy except the aunt, who is falsely convinced she has done a good deed. The film presents marriage as a tragedy and a loss of freedom, not just for Noriko but for all of the main characters. Ultimately, the old Japanese traditions of filial piety are shown to be untenable, even while the new traditions and unions offered by modernity in the postwar climate offer no real sources of happiness.

Ozu characteristically uses a very static camera, keeps the camera about mid-level to allow for a picture-like shot of the participants, and focuses in the dialogue and intimate relationships rather than the action-related aspects of the story (Wood 109-110).

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However, the film is still told through an intense attention to visual detail. At one point, Noriko seems to be establishing a relationship with her father's assistant Hattori: the two of them go on a bike ride together and later he invites her to a concert. However, she refuses because she does not want to leave her father. This refusal is symbolized by a hat resting on an empty seat which 'speaks' for the girl's choice in life -- to remain at home (Ebert 1972).

The film illustrates the complex intersection of tradition and liberation in postwar Japan. On the surface, Noriko's chaste life seems to represent tradition. She gives up her life to care for her father. But Noriko does not perceive this as a sacrifice. Masa's very conventional view of the true purpose of womanhood is hardly liberating in the way she sees the girl as a potential 'old maid' at a relatively young age. And at the end of the film, it is the father, not the child who makes the ultimate sacrifice -- the professor is left alone. His supposed 'match' with the widow Mrs. Miwa is in fact an elaborate charade.

The film presents a very negative view both of marriage and change. In trying to recommend marriage to his daughter, Shukichi says: "your mother wasn't happy at first. I found her weeping in the kitchen many times" (Ebert 1972). Noriko views her father's flirting and supposed prospective marriage as a kind of betrayal for all she has worked for her entire life. At the end of the movie, Ozu does not even show the face of the man.....

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