Synopsis
At a family gathering, Mamiya Noriko's boss prepossess
a prospective marriage candidate to her. Her parents
announce their wish to retire to the countryside
and are keen for her to marry. One day, Noriko
goes to visit her neighbor Yabe, who was the best
friend of Noriko's brother before he was killed
in action. Yabe, who works under Noriko's other
brother Koichi, is soon to be transferred to Akita.
Yabe's mother entreats Noriko to marry Yabe, and
impulsively she agrees. Her family is shocked
and totally against her marrying a widower, with
a small child, a modest income and an outpost
job. However, eventually, they accept the inevitable.
Thoughts from Ozu I wanted to describe such deep matters as
reincarnation and mutability, more than just telling
a story. For this reason, Early Summer was
one of the most demanding work I've done in years.
There was criticism about the children being unruly.
In my view, children and adults have different
"rules". When they grow up, they too
will change. As for acting, it's best to leave
things unexpressed, something to ponder or savour.
Those who appreciate this have themselves reached
a transcendent state. Hara Setsuko is a fine person.
If only there were four or five more such persons.
Background
The
44th film, shot from June to September 1951. The
film was made at Ozu's homebase, the Shochiku
Ofuna studio. At first sight, Early Summer
seems to be related to Late Spring.
In fact there are many common points. The titles
indicate seasons, and the films depict home dramas,
set in Kamakura, with its traditional images,
a feeling of security in the vicinity of Tokyo
(as its replacement). Also, the plots develop
around the daughter's marriage. At the end, the
family disperses. Moreover, the leading actress
in both films is Hara Setsuko. However, apart
from the apparent plot, its hidden main themes
form the essence of Early Summer, which
is completely different from Late Spring,
in contrast to the visible similarities. A family
three generations living under the same roof is
unusual in Ozu's films. In the beginning, the
film depicts details in the everyday life of the
family members, and conceals the lack of a family
member. Only after the plot develops, and only
by the intervention of an outsider (Kankichi's
mother) the existence/absence of the son Shoji
(who probably died at war) is reported Shoji does
not appear at all on the screen, but his part
is important. Ozu said that he wanted to show
the transmigration of the soul, and transience
in this film. Noda remembered: "In my reflections,
Noriko certainly is the heroine. I wanted to depict
the whole family with her at the center. Also
the old couple was young once. Ryu Chishu and
Miyake Kuniko represent their youth. Will today's
children live a time like theres? This kind of
transmigration should be felt almost aimlessly.
The last sequence is a bride's procession in a
wheat harvest of Japan. The old couple who witness
the scene think of their daughter Noriko who recently
got married, with their son Shoji as go-between.
Shoji, who was killed at war, is symbolized by
an ear of wheat. Death brings about the birth
of new life. This is rinne, the transmigration
of the soul, and not limited to the Mamiya family.
The ears of wheat are innumerable, and this wheat
field seems to be filled with souls of many soldiers.
Their death is linked to a new life. The last
shot shows a funeral procession, the music changes
to a minor key and becomes a funeral march. This
is not a film by the citizen Noda Kogo, who never
went to the front, but by the former solider Ozu
Yasujiro, who participated also in the battle
Suchow (Joshu). The house in Kamakura in Early
Summer is a "Japanese house"and even
"the house of the Japanese".
Personal
Thoughts and Comments
With Early Summer, Ozu uses a common theme
of a young middle-class woman who rebels against
her parents by choosing her own husband. Once
again Setsuko Hara is radiant and Ozu's simplistic
approach
is breathtaking. Here Ozu again flawlessly works
with composition, as well as ensemble in observing
the details of everyday living and family. Even
for it simplicity Early Summer is endlessly
complex and emotional in examining the lives of
three generations of family. Ultimately Early
Summer is a film of separation. It is beautiful
and moving right up to it's final sad and bittersweet
moments as the camera moves away from the village
(with a rare Ozu tracking shot which works with
the opening shot of waves to represent the change
and the cycle of life). This film holds a special
place to me personally as it was the first Ozu
film I ever saw. Early Summer remains among my
favorite Ozu films and this belongs mention in
the class of his greatest postwar masterworks
(Late Spring, Tokyo Twilight, Tokyo
Story, Equinox Flower, An Autumn
Afternoon).