The End of Summer

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Thomas V This is the second of Ozu's great films that I've seen now, and I love this one every bit as much as my first, Tokyo Story. This is another bittersweet, multigenerational story, very simple and economically told, but absolutely beautiful. The addition of color to Ozu's brilliant composition just makes it even better. Very moving film. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/04/23 Full Review william d All the usual Ozu techniques are here, it's just that the story isn't all that interesting. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review nick s The penultimate film of Ozu follows the mood and most prominent motifs of director's work: the marriages and relationships between generations. This time the action takes places in Kyoto instead of Tokyo. Seeing the locations and interiors of Ozu's shoshimin-geki, the viewers are having a glimpse into the life of a brewery owning extended Kohayagawa family. The majority of Ozu's colour movies are characterized with comprising the bitterness of family dramas and heart-breaking losses with a great sense of humour. The End of Summer is a distinctive example of this concept. In very amusing and warm shots, the director draws the line of aging widow Akiko (last role of Setsuko Hara in Ozu's films) who is reluctant to get married once again despite being approached by the old friends who are trying to arrange her happiness. Her younger sister Noriko (Yoko Tsukasa) meanwhile is also approaching the age to get married, and we are seeing daughter and mother in the thoughts and dialogues related to their marriages. This is very similar to Ozu's previous film Akibiyori (though Hara and Tsukasa played daughter and mother there), but still great. The opening scene when one of Akiko's old friends is trying to introduce her to his other friend who is interested in marrying her is so funny! The men in their late 40-s act pretty much like adolescents when it comes to seeing a woman they admire. And this is something Ozu addresses his humour to. What makes The End of Summer to be very entertaining and new is the story of Kohayagawa family's patriarch Manbei. A widowed old-man has preserved childish attitude and behaviour towards life and doesn't really seem to care about the family brewery business and any other matters. Moreover, he often sneaks out of the house to see his old mistress. The events irritate his oldest daughter Fumiko (Michiyo Aratama) living with him who confronts her father. It is brilliant to see this gap of generations in their iteration. The daughter is not able to take into consideration that the old man still has his own life to enjoy and she keeps scolding him. Manbei's daughter-in-law Akiko is more tolerant, but she is certainly not that close to Manbei, as Fumiko. The heart attack takes the life of Manbei suddenly, just like in 1942 film Chichi Akiri. With this death, we see that the children are too late to understand their father and the way he wanted to spend his last years particularly. It's a simple, but touching tragedy as there is nothing to be done now since the patriarch is already deceased. As for Akiko, she ends up deciding not to marry again. She had already tested this water not to step into again. Yet she encourages her younger sister to dismiss an arranged marriage proposal she received, in order to leave Kyoto for Sapporo where the young man she loves resides. Possible happiness of Noriko is something Akiko is actually concerned about. Arranging a young sister's life is what can make her pleased. It's bitter to see her not having any hopes for her own future, but that's the life and gap of generations from Ozu's films. The End of Summer is a solid and beautiful addition to the collection of Yasujiro Ozu's family dramas. Serious but very light, the penultimate film of the Japanese master colours amazed with its world of simple and important scenes from the family's life. Just as always, Setsuko Hara is brilliant in this role showing the co-existing bitterness and humour with her half-smile. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member "It's as if my glorious life was but a dream within a dream" Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review s r A good pensive film on Japanese society. Beautifully presented, a little slow, but still poignant and endearing. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A minor Ozu work, The End of Summer is considerably lighter fare than his usual family dramas with its pervasive score, lighthearted comedy, and digs at modern western influences in Japan (this is the first Ozu I've seen with a white person in it). His signature themes are present, the story revolving around a family dealing with generational differences (the older members look to the past while the young look to the future) and a father who's reignited an old flame with his former mistress. The women are subjected to several offers of marriage, arranged "for the sake of the family"; their emancipation is refreshingly progressive. There are missteps (a fart joke in an Ozu film?) and the story isn't as emotionally affecting as his more deliberately dramatic work, but it looks as excellent as any of his other films and boasts a great finale that deals with the fragility of life and makes it all worthwhile. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The End of Summer

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