Black and White . 144 minutes

Shochiku Ofuna Studio

Written By
Ozu Yasujiro
Noda Kogo

Cinematography
Atsuta Yuharu

Music By
Satio Kojun



Cast
Awajima Chikage (Sugiyama Masako)
Ikebe Ryo (Shoki)
Kishi Keiko (Kaneko Chiyo)
Takahashi Teiji (Aoki Taizo)
Ryu Chishu (Onodera Kiichi)
Yamamura So (Kawai Yutaka)
Sugimura Haruko (Tamako)
Fujino Takako (Aoki Terumi) 
Taura Masami (Kitagawa Koichi)
Urabe Kumeko (Kitagawa Shige)
Miyake Kuniko (Kawai Yukiko)

Synopsis
During a hike with commuter-friends, a romantic spark grows between Shoji and Kaneko, nicknamed "Goldfish" for her big eyes. They have an affair and Shoji becomes more and more estranged from his wife Masako. When he forgets the anniversary of their deceased child, she is deeply hurt. They row over him bringing home rowdy war comrades and his suspected infidelity. When Kaneko turns up at their doorstep, Masako leaves home. Following the death of a co-worker, Shoji is transferred to Okayama. Before he takes off, Shoji visits a former superior Onodera. Soon afterwards, Masako joins him at the advice of Onodera and they promise to start afresh.

Thoughts from Ozu
It had been a while since I dealt with the salaryman, I wanted to have a go at representing their lifestyle. The thrill and aspirations one feels as a fresh graduate entering society gradually wane as the days go by. Even working diligently for 30 years doesn't amount to much. I tried to portray the pathos of the salaryman's life as society undergoes transformation. Screening time was the longest among my postwar films. I tried to avoid anything dramatic, and instead piled up scenes where nothing at all happens, so as to let audience feel the sadness of their existence.

Personal Thoughts and Comments
Following a short hiatus, Early Spring is the first film Ozu made after his acclaimed 1953 Tokyo Story. Here Ozu is mostly examining the life of one man, and his job and marriage. Different from traditional Ozu, the man is a working class man (recalling his characteristically complex Kihachi films during Ozu's silent era). Above all Ozu sympathetically observes the value of life and this working man's search for meaning. Early Spring certainly rates among his most expression social statements of the Japanese work life and the focus seems to be on the younger generation of Japanese society. A generation of rebelliousness and transition into a more Westernized Japanese world. Maybe not among his very greatest masterworks, Early Spring remains a deeply detailed film and among Ozu's emotionally darkest work.