Directed by Yasujiro Ozu and written by Ozu and Kogo Noda, Kohayagawa-ke no aki (The End of Summer) is the story of a sake brewery family whose lives are shattered by discoveries relating to their patriarch and his secret life with a mistress. The film is a comedy-drama that relates to a family where a group of women deal with the news about their father while they try to adjust to the changes relating to their sake brewery. Starring Ganjiro Nakamura, Setsuko Hara, Yoko Tsukasa, Michiyo Aratama, Keiju Kobayashi, Masahiko Shimazu, Daisuke Kato, Haruko Sugimura, Hisaya Morishige, Chieko Naniwa, Reiko Dan, and Chishu Ryu. Kohayagawa-ke no aki is an evocative and somber film from Yasujiro Ozu.
The film follows a family who run a small sake brewery that is dealing with bigger companies as two women both deal with potential suitors recommended by their family patriarch who has just renewed his relationship with his old mistress. It’s a film that play into a family dealing with changes during a summer as a family patriarch is trying to ensure that his two daughters be wed to men while his widowed daughter-in-law Akiko (Setsuko Hara) is raising her child alone as she has little interest in getting remarried. With his son-in-law Hisao (Keiju Kobayashi) trying to run the brewery that is competing with a bigger sake competitor, the patriarch Kohayagawa Manbei (Ganjiro Nakamura) spends much of his time at home and would sneak out to visit his old mistress Sasaki Tsune (Chieko Naniwa) whom he’s rekindled a relationship with since the passing of his wife.
The film’s script by Yasujiro Ozu and Kogo Noda play into these family relationships where Akiko is being pursued as is the youngest daughter Noriko (Yoko Tsukasa) as the latter is concerned about her own suitor just as she is interested in a lecturer. It play into the different directions of the family as Noriko’s older sister Fumiko (Michiyo Aratama) learns about her father renewing his relationship with Sasaki as it is believed that he also fathered Sasaki’s daughter Yuriko (Reiko Dan) whom his family hadn’t met. The script also play into this idea of death as it relates to Manbei as he is aware that his brewery might go out of his business as he also thinks about what will happen to his daughters and daughter-in-law.
Ozu’s direction is understated in terms of the simplicity that he maintains throughout the course of the film. Shot largely in Kyoto, the film does play into this world that shows Japan becoming modernized and more vibrant but also retaining elements of the past including some of its traditions. While there aren’t many close-ups in the film, Ozu’s direction is ravishing in his approach to simple compositions whether it’s in a wide or in a medium shot as he captures so much attention to detail on a location, a room, an office, or at a bar. The fact that he doesn’t move the camera at all as well as positioning it one or two feet off the ground which is a visual style that Ozu is known for adds to the simplicity of the film. Even in a wide shot where the camera would look down from a house where Noriko and Akiko are having a conversation at the beachside area of a river as it would then cut to a medium shot of the two on the beachside with Noriko watching her son play in the river.
Ozu would also play up the drama in a low-key approach where he doesn’t aim for melodrama but something that is straightforward but also filled with sadness as it relates to the news about Manbei and his ailing health. The film’s third act doesn’t just explore the idea of mortality but also the decisions a family would have to make as it relates to their business and future. Even as Noriko and Akiko have to find husbands so they won’t be alone and play up to the ideas of tradition though the suitors they’re set-up with don’t really have much to offer to them emotionally. Though the film’s ending is about the end of something, it is also the start of something new where Ozu’s precise framing and gorgeous compositions play into this idea of life and death. Overall, Ozu crafts a rapturous and heartfelt film about a family dealing with changes and their patriarch’s decision to rekindle his relationship with his mistress.
Cinematographer Asakazu Nakai does brilliant work with the film’s colorful cinematography with its gorgeous approach to natural lighting for the scenes set at the day as well as the usage of low-key lighting for some of the scenes set at night. Editor Koichi Iwashita does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts to play into some of the conversations between characters. Art director Tomoo Shimogawara does amazing work with the look of the home that Manbei lives in with Fumiko and Hisao as well as the home of Sasaki and the office that Hisao works at. Sound mixer Hisashi Shimonga does nice work with the sound as it is largely straightforward as it includes music that is being played from a certain location as well as sparse and natural sounds of a location. The film’s music by Toshiro Mayuzumi is fantastic for its usage of traditional woodwinds and flutes with some lush string arrangements in some parts of the film as it add to the film’s somber tone.
The film’s superb cast feature some notable small roles from Chishu Ryu and Yuko Mochizuki as a farming couple appearing towards the end of the film commenting on a building, Kyu Sazanka as a clerk working with Hisao, Hisaya Morishige as Akiko’s suitor Isomura, Akira Takadara as the lecturer Teramoto Tadashi whom Noriko is interested in, Haruko Sugimura as a sister-in-law of Manbei in Kato Shige, Daisuke Kato and Haruko Togo in their respective roles as Manbei’s brother-in-law and sister in Kitagawa Yanosuke and Kitagawa Teruko who try to help Akiko find a suitor, Masahiko Shimazu as Hisao and Fumiko’s son Masao, and Reiko Dan as Sasaki’s daughter Yuriko who is more interested in Western culture while wondering if Manbei is really her father. Keiju Kobayashi is terrific as Manbei’s son-in-law Hisao as a man who is trying to keep the family sake brewery afloat knowing that it is futile where he tries to find ways to save it but also face the reality of what he must do. Michiyo Aratama is fantastic as Fumiko as Manbei’s eldest daughter and Hisao’s wife who spends time taking care of her father while being disapproving over his relationship with Sasaki.
Chieko Naniwa is excellent as Sasaki as an old flame of Manbei who is happy about spending time with him while knowing that his family doesn’t know about this new relationship as she agrees to keep it private until the rest of his family is ready to accept her. Yoko Tsukasa is brilliant as Noriko as Manbei’s youngest daughter who deals with the prospect of having to marry someone just as she is falling for a lecturer she’s known for years as she also deals with the idea of being alone. Setsuko Hara is amazing as Akiko as Manbei’s widowed daughter-in-law as a woman that is trying to raise her son but also help Noriko with dealing with the idea of marriage as well as pondering about getting married again. Finally, there’s Ganjiro Nakamura in a remarkable performance as Kohayagawa Manbei as a sake brewery owner who is trying to help figure out what to do for Noriko and Akiko while trying to renew a relationship with a former flame in the hope he can bring the people he love together.
Kohayagawa-ke no aki is a phenomenal film from Yasujiro Ozu. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, an understated approach to narrative, and themes on life and death. It’s a film that explores a family dealing with secrets but also uncertainty as it relates to the future and their family business as well as themselves. In the end, Kohayagawa-ke no aki is a sensational film from Yasujiro Ozu.
Yasujiro Ozu Films: (Sword of Penitence) – (Days of Youth) – Tokyo Chorus - I Was Born, But... - (Dragnet Girl) – Passing Fancy - (A Mother Should Be Loved) – A Story of Floating Weeds - (An Inn in Tokyo) – (The Only Son) – (What Did the Lady Forget?) – (Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family) – (There Was a Father) – Record of a Tenement Gentleman - (A Hen in the Wind) – Late Spring - Early Summer - (The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice) – Tokyo Story - Early Spring - Tokyo Twilight - (Equinox Flower) – Good Morning - Floating Weeds - Late Autumn - An Autumn Afternoon
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the novel by Yasuhiko Takiguchi, Samurai Rebellion is the story of a samurai’s son who is forced to marry a clan lord’s mistress where things don’t go as planned prompting the clan lord to change his mind leading a showdown between the lord and an aging samurai. Directed by Masaki Kobayashi and screenplay by Shinobu Hashimoto, the film is an exploration into a man being pulled into a world that he doesn’t want to as an act to protect his family. Starring Toshiro Mifune, Go Kato, Yoko Tsukasa, Shigeru Koyama, Masao Mishima, Isao Yamagata, Tatsuyoshi Ehara, Tatsuo Matsumara, and Tatsuya Nakadai. Samurai Rebellion is a gripping yet evocative film from Masaki Kobayashi.
Set in 1725 during the Edo period of Japan, the film revolves around the request of a clan lord who asks for a family to take in one of his mistresses as the son of a samurai warrior marries the mistress. Yet, the marriage ends up being very fruitful and loving until an incident involving the lord’s family changes things and wants the mistress back in the castle forcing her husband to refuse the request and his father to prepare for battle against the lord and his entire clan. It’s a film that explores not just rules of working for a clan but also try to balance that and devote time to family as the samurai warrior Isaburo Sasahara (Toshiro Mifune) is considered the best. The only equal he has in terms of swordsmanship is his best friend Tatewaki Asano (Tatsuya Nakadai) who is the clan’s gatekeeper as he is a man of formality and honor. Sasahara is also a man of honor but the request he’s given to take in a lord’s mistress weighs heavily on him as he is in a loveless marriage and doesn’t want his eldest son Yogoro (Go Kato) to be in one.
Yet, the mistress in Ichi (Yoko Tsukasa) turns out to be a very gracious and kind woman who was forced into being a mistress because her father worked in the lord’s castle. She would tell Yogoro everything including how she was kicked out of the castle after bearing him a son who would be an heir to the lord’s throne. Still, Yogoro and Isaburo accepts him to the family much to the chagrin of Isaburo’s wife Kenmotsu (Takamaru Sasaki) who is aghast into how Ichi was kicked out of the lord’s castle. The film’s script doesn’t just play into this conflict of two people wanting a happy life but also how there are those who just want to use people for power as Isaburo realizes that the clan lord he’s been serving for has become dishonorable and selfish. Many would try to get Ichi back to the castle including Yogoro’s younger brother Bunzo (Tatsuyoshi Ehara) who would trick her but both Isaburo and Yogoro are aware that it’s being handled without them or Ichi having a say in the matter.
That is something Asano would notice as he would be asked by clan leaders to kill Isaburo but he refuses because he of some details which prove that he’s a man of rules. Yet, he and Isaburo become more aware that rules are changing to fit into a new world that doesn’t care for things such as honor. It would force Isaburo and his son to expect the worst as it’s all about getting Ichi back to her family. Especially where the lord’s regime would carry out weapons and such that would represent this idea of a new and darker world that Isaburo isn’t a part of.
Masaki Kobayashi’s direction is definitely entrancing as it has these gorgeous framing devices as well as a great depth of field to get a look from above inside the Sasahara home. The usage of the wide shots would play into the location including scenes early in the film where Isaburo and Asano would go to clan leaders and demonstrate their skills as they would walk home discussing the future. Kobayashi would also use some medium shots and close-ups for the intimate moments inside the Sasahara home along with some wide shots for a sequence where Ichi tells Yogoro her story of how she was picked to become the lord’s mistress. The sequence where Ichi recalls the moment she realized her role for this lord and seeing his new mistress is presented in still shots when she attacks her. It’s a moment in the film where Kobayashi would present something that is very stylized yet prefers to create something that is striking in where he would put his actors into a frame.
Kobayashi also maintains something that is theatrical in his framing as it would emphasize more on strategy and drama rather than action which is often common with samurai movies. By placing the moment of samurai duels in the third act, Kobayashi is more focused on building up the tension between the Sasahara family and the clan lord as the former would even write a petition to free Ichi and return her home. To the lord’s clan leaders, they see this as an act of insolence where the showdown between a steward and Isaburo would come to ahead but it’s all about strategy and who moves first. Yet, there is also an anguish into its outcome as it play into loss and this cruelty emerging into the new world that Isaburo and Asano aren’t a part of. Overall, Kobayashi creates a rapturous yet eerie film about a man trying to defend his family against the wishes of a cruel clan lord.
Cinematographer Kazuo Yamada does amazing work with the film’s black-and-white photography with its emphasis on natural lighting and shadows where there is so much detail shown including some interior scenes involving candles and oil lanterns and how it can set a tone for the scene. Editor Hisashi Sagara does excellent work with the editing as it is very straightforward with very few stylish cuts in order to play up the intensity of the drama. Production designer Yoshio Muraki does brilliant work with the look of the homes of some of the characters including the Sasahara house with such detail including its sand pits. The sound work of Shigenosuke Okuyama does fantastic work with the sound as it help play into some of the suspense and drama including in some of the sword play and action. The film’s music by Toru Takemitsu is incredible for its usage of traditional string instruments and percussions to add an atmospheric tone to some of the scenes as it is a highlight of the film.
The film’s superb cast include some notable small roles from Masao Mishima as a chamberlain, Tatsuo Matsumara as the clan lord Masakata Matsudaira who rules Edo and its province, Etsuko Ichihara as the wet nurse for Ichi and Yogoro’s baby, Tatsuyoshi Ehara as Yogoro’s younger brother Bunzo, Takamaru Sasaki as Yogoro and Bunzo’s mother/Isaburo’s wife Kenmotsu, Isao Yamagata as a relative of Ichi who tries to get her back to the castle, and Shigeru Koyama as the steward Geki Takahashi who starts off as an ally only to side with his master and try to attack Isaburo. Go Kato is excellent as Yogoro as a young samurai who is made head of his family a year after his marriage to Ichi as he copes with the new request to return his wife to the castle as he refuses in hoping to save his family and provide a future for his newborn daughter.
Yoko Tsukasa is fantastic as Ichi as a young woman who is sent to the Sasahara family to marry Yogoro as punishment for her actions towards a clan lord where she feels accepted in her new family only to become a pawn in a lord’s selfish act. Tatsuya Nakadai is brilliant as Tatewaki Asano as a gatekeeper who is Isaburo’s best friend that is a man who is about rules and formalities as he copes with the situation Isaburo was in as he tries to make sense of everything but also maintain his own honor. Finally, there’s Toshiro Mifune in an incredible performance as Isaburo Sasahara as a samurai warrior who finds himself trying to defend his family’s honor after a lord wants his mistress back as Mifune plays a man trying to do what is right for his son and daughter-in-law as well as defy whoever stood in his way as it’s one of Mifune’s finest performances.
Samurai Rebellion is a phenomenal film from Masaki Kobayashi that feature great performances from Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai. It’s a film that explores the world of the samurai as well as a man trying to defend what is right for his family against the cruel and selfish acts of a clan lord. In the end, Samurai Rebellion is a tremendous film from Masaki Kobayashi.
Masaki Kobayashi Films: (Black River) - The Human Condition Trilogy - Harakiri - Kwaidan - (Hymn to a Tired Man) - (The Fossil) - (Tokyo Trial)
© thevoid99 2017
Directed by Yasujiro Ozu and written by Ozu and Kogo Noda from a novel by Ton Satomi, Late Autumn is the story of three old men who helps a widow find a prospective husband for her daughter who is reluctant to leave her mother. The film is an exploration into the conflicts between tradition and modernism as well as devotion to a parent which recalls Ozu’s 1949 film Late Spring. Starring Setsuko Hara, Shin Saburi, Nobuo Nakamura, Ryuji Kita, Yoko Tsukasa, Keiji Sada, and Chishu Ryu. Late Autumn is an elegant yet touching drama from Yasujiro Ozu.
The film is essentially a simple story about three men who decides to play matchmaker for the daughter of their late colleague who is reluctant to leave her mother. When one of the men decides to pursue the mother since she is a widow and he’s been a widower for years, it causes some tension between mother and daughter as the latter has been reluctant to the idea of marriage despite the prospects she has. It’s a film that just doesn’t explore the ideas of traditional customs but also the sense of reluctance from young people to leave their parents and go into the world of marriage as there’s also some cynicism towards the subject.
The film’s screenplay by Yasujiro Ozu and Kogo Noda does take its time to explore some of its fallacies while showing some concern from these three men who want to ensure the happiness of Ayako (Yoko Tsukasa) as a favor for their late friend. Though their well-meaning approach to ensure Ayako’s happiness would have some repercussions, they would get the help from Ayako’s friend Yoriko (Mariko Okada) who would be the one to learn about their plans upon seeing the tension between Ayako and her mother Akiko (Setsuko Hara). While Ayako does eventually meet someone in Goto (Keiji Sada) whom she likes, she isn’t sure about getting married as she notices that friends who get married become disconnected with one another while one of the daughters of the matchmakers is having her own marital troubles in a minor subplot that does relate to the theme of marriage.
Ozu’s direction has this air of elegance that is shown throughout the film though its presentation is very simple in his trademark, single static-camera shot where the camera never moves. In that presentation, Ozu shows so much by doing so little from the way he presents modern Tokyo with its sushi bars and restaurants to the homes the characters live in. Ozu’s usage of wide and medium shots in a full-frame presentation does convey this sense of a new world emerging in Japan where it is very modern but there are still customs and traditions that are still being held. Notably as Ayako wears modern clothes throughout the film while Akiko still wears traditional Japanese robes though neither women really say anything about their clothes where they both wear traditional robes in the film’s opening scene at the funeral of Akiko’s husband.
The intimacy in some of those medium shots allow Ozu to play into the growing tension between mother and daughter where Ayako is upset over the idea of her mother marrying another man as Akiko has no idea what Ayako is talking about. The use of framing in some group shots are very potent to display not just that tension but also the sense of confusion and misunderstanding that these two women go through as well as some gorgeous shots at Ayako’s work place where she and Yoriko stare into the city. The film would eventually lead to some conclusion about the decision the two women make where it has this very touching moment about not just what Ayako is about to step into but also the journey that Akiko must face. Overall, Ozu crafts a very mesmerizing and captivating film about a young woman going into the world of marriage while dealing with her devotion to her mother.
Cinematographer Yuharu Atsuta does fantastic work with the film‘s gorgeous cinematography with its rich colors for many of the film‘s exterior settings as well as some of its interiors with its lighting as well as to display the colors in some of those interior settings. Editor Yoshiyasu Hamamura does excellent work with the editing with its use of rhythmic cuts to play into some of the intensity of the conversations while much of it is straightforward. Production designer Tomiji Shimizu and art director Tatsuo Hamada do amazing work with the look of the apartment Ayako and Akiko live in as well as the sushi bar that Yoriko lives in.
Costume designer Toshikazu Sugiyama does wonderful work with the costumes from the modern dresses that Ayako and Yoriko wear to the traditional robes that Akiko wears. The sound work of Yoshisaburo Senoo is terrific for the intimacy that is captured in many of the film‘s interior scenes that includes one of the film‘s final sequences where Ayako and Akiko spend one last trip where they hear the voices of students. The film’s music by Kojun Saito is exquisite for its whimsical yet intoxicating score filled with some quirky string arrangements and traditional Japanese string instruments to play into some of the film’s humor while using some serene pieces for its drama.
The film’s superb cast includes some notable small performances from Fumio Watanabe as a friend of Ayako and Yoriko in Sugiyama, Kuniko Miyake as Mamiya’s wife, Yuriko Tashiro as Taguchi’s daughter who comes home following a quarrel with her husband early in the film, and Chishu Ryu in a terrific small performance as Akiko’s brother-in-law Shukichi who would later invite Akiko and Ayako to his inn late in the film to talk about all they had been through. Keiji Sada is terrific in a small yet memorable performance as Ayako’s suitor Goto whom she befriends despite her misgivings from one of her dad’s old friends in Mamiya. Shin Saburi is excellent as Mamiya as the man who leads the charge to find a suitor for Ayako where his planning later causes confusion and trouble while Nobuo Nakamura is fantastic as Taguchi who is kind of the conscious of the film as he becomes aware of the trouble they’re creating. Ryuji Kita is great as Hirayama as the third man who does Mamiya’s work while he seeks to pursue Akiko whom he’s had feelings for as he wonders if he should marry her.
Mariko Okada is wonderful as Ayako’s friend Yoriko who is a modern woman with some traditional values as she tries to figure out the tension between Ayako and Akiko while confronting the men over their actions. Yoko Tsukasa is amazing as Ayako as this young woman unsure about getting married while being upset over the idea of her mother remarrying just months after the death of her father as she displays this sense of anguish and confusion into a woman who holds some traditional values as well as modern views. Finally, there’s Setsuko Hara in a radiant performance as Ayako’s mother Akiko as this woman who is the representation of tradition as she’s also one who is very graceful towards her father’s old friends while being caught off guard by Ayako’s accusation that she is to remarry as she wonders what to do for her daughter as well as for herself in a truly exquisite performance.
Late Autumn is a remarkably rich and touching film from Yasujiro Ozu. Armed with a great led by Setsuko Hara and Yoko Tsukasa. It’s a film that explores the dynamics between mothers and daughters as well as the conflict between tradition and modernism that is told with such care by Ozu. In the end, Late Autumn is a sensational film from Yasujiro Ozu.
Yasujiro Ozu Films: (Sword of Penitence) - (Days of Youth) - Tokyo Chorus - I Was Born, But... - (Dragnet Girl) - Passing Fancy - (A Mother Should Be Loved) - A Story of Floating Weeds - (An Inn in Tokyo) - (The Only Son) - (What Did the Lady Forget?) - (Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family) - (There Was a Father) - Record of a Tenement Gentleman - (A Hen in the Wind) - Late Spring - Early Summer - (The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice) - Tokyo Story - Early Spring - Tokyo Twilight - (Equinox Flower) - Good Morning - Floating Weeds - The End of Summer - An Autumn Afternoon
© thevoid99 2013
