Re: rate the last movie you saw
Posted: Sat May 25, 2019 11:38 am
AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON (1962). I have had this film on my shelf since it was first released by Criterion in 2008. Over the years I have not been able to bring myself to watch it because it is Ozu's final film, and I did not want to have that moment of "closure," if that makes any sense. Well, I finally watched it yesterday. The story is very similar to other Ozu dramas in that it focuses on a widowed parent who pushes the "of marriage age" daughter in the house to get married. The end result is that the widowed parent will be alone. Such is the life cycle that all parents and children must go through.
Ozu's movie is devoid of action (as usual) as it focuses on character development/inter-relationships and the changes that occur within them as Japanese society "modernizes." The gap between traditional and modern post-war ways and influences is always there; Ozu and Noda write some humorous moments into the film, and unlike other films this one focuses much more on the men. In addition (and to its credit), AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON does not hold back on the emotional depths of a parent's choice to marry off their only daughter. This film reminded me a great deal of LATE SPRING (my favorite Ozu film); both film star Chishu Ryu as the widowed father, and in both films he absolutely nails the emotional sense of loss that comes with his decision to push his daughter out of the house in order to get married. Ryu's expressions and his acting in the final moments of this film are absolutely heartbreaking, and Ozu's camera and directing style deliver on the emotional moments, especially at the end. Overall the film will remind you of his previous films here and there as well.
I realize that Ozu was working on another project before he died, so AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON was not purposefully his last film. But as it turns out, it was a heck of a film to go out on. And, as it turns out, because it was Ozu's last film, his long-time collaborator Chishu Ryu is the last person we see in the last Ozu film ever made...for me at least it made the final moments of the film more poignant and moving. There are two shots there at the end that will indelibly stick in my mind whenever I think of this film (and will probably make me cry once again upon additional viewings) - Ozu was one of the great directors of Japanese cinema, and AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON is a solid entry into his filmography. He and Kurosawa are Japan's two greatest directors to me - both so stylistically different, but both so adept and expert at telling their stories in memorable ways through film.
Ozu's movie is devoid of action (as usual) as it focuses on character development/inter-relationships and the changes that occur within them as Japanese society "modernizes." The gap between traditional and modern post-war ways and influences is always there; Ozu and Noda write some humorous moments into the film, and unlike other films this one focuses much more on the men. In addition (and to its credit), AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON does not hold back on the emotional depths of a parent's choice to marry off their only daughter. This film reminded me a great deal of LATE SPRING (my favorite Ozu film); both film star Chishu Ryu as the widowed father, and in both films he absolutely nails the emotional sense of loss that comes with his decision to push his daughter out of the house in order to get married. Ryu's expressions and his acting in the final moments of this film are absolutely heartbreaking, and Ozu's camera and directing style deliver on the emotional moments, especially at the end. Overall the film will remind you of his previous films here and there as well.
I realize that Ozu was working on another project before he died, so AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON was not purposefully his last film. But as it turns out, it was a heck of a film to go out on. And, as it turns out, because it was Ozu's last film, his long-time collaborator Chishu Ryu is the last person we see in the last Ozu film ever made...for me at least it made the final moments of the film more poignant and moving. There are two shots there at the end that will indelibly stick in my mind whenever I think of this film (and will probably make me cry once again upon additional viewings) - Ozu was one of the great directors of Japanese cinema, and AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON is a solid entry into his filmography. He and Kurosawa are Japan's two greatest directors to me - both so stylistically different, but both so adept and expert at telling their stories in memorable ways through film.