Sandwiched between EARLY SUMMER/’51 and TOKYO STORY/’53, two Yasujiro Ozu classics that fit expectations on the Ozu oeuvre, this modest marital dramedy is largely overlooked. Doubly so as behind an imposing title that promises utmost Japanese subtlety, lies a small film with a light tone. Yet the film is all Ozu, and not to be missed, especially if you’ve seen WHAT DID THE LADY FORGET?/’37. That film something of a trial run for this one fifteen years later; offering a unique opportunity to see Ozu’s response ripen from simple sit-com to emotional resonance. In both films, a poorly matched, childless couple, rapidly stiffening into incompatible middle-age stasis (wife: snobby, custom-bound, social striver; husband: comfort-loving/low-ambition compartmentalist) are jarred out of their routine when their visiting ‘modern’ niece starts speaking up for herself, skipping arranged marriage meetings, going about the city on her own (she’s a crack pinball player), coming home at all hours and finding her own dates . . . whom she also treats poorly. (The guy loves it!) Seeing how much of this is just like LADY; yet how much Ozu has grown as observant filmmaker (the whole last act becomes thrillingly emotional after a marital crisis clears the air for renewal), is like having a privileged moment alone with Ozu. What could be more valuable?
DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: This is more like a whole course on Ozu, but here are the films mentioned above. (Anyway, is there an Ozu film not worth seeing?) https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/05/early-summer-1951.html https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/06/tokyo-story-1953.html https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2026/07/what-did-lady-forget-shukujo-wa-nani-o.html
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