Early Summer [Bakushû] **** (1951, Setsuko Hara, Chishû Ryû, Chikage Awashima) – Classic Movie Review 9670

Early Summer [Bakushû] (1951) is a typical drama film from esteemed Japanese master director Yasujirô Ozu about the emotional turmoil of a family torn between old and new traditions.

Written by Ozu and Kôgo Noda, this 1951 film is long at 135 minutes and runs at a stately pace. But Ozu’s assured direction ensures that there is delicate acting and depth of feeling, and that there are acutely observed situations, particularly focusing on the daughter-parent relationship and the topic of pressure to marry.

Setsuko Hara plays Noriko Mamiya, a reluctant to marry woman in her late-20s living with her family, who rejects their ideas of suitable suitors and marries a man of her own choice.

It is shot by Yuharu Atsuta in black and white.

Shortly before World War Two ended, Ozu, who was drafted into the Japanese Army in 1937, was captured by British forces and spent six months in a PoW camp.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9670

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