331 Late Spring
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You can view the scene (with the Noh play subtitled) here.
I doubt that this is the Criterion, though. I am half-awake and slightly hungover at the moment but it seemed to be comparing life in this world with Amida Buddha's Western Paradise. In other words, the scene acknowledges the beauty and ephemerality of existence whilst envisaging a future transformation (rebirth) to a happier state. The Western Paradise is a kind of Buddhist heaven (one of many) where enlightenment is assured for people who are reborn there. Googling for a bit of information on Pure Land Buddhism (Jodo-shu/Jodo-shinshu) should help.
I don't know which Noh play it is. Can anyone help?
Please note that I haven't actually seen this Ozu movie myself yet but you can bet that I will very soon. It's a great scene.
I doubt that this is the Criterion, though. I am half-awake and slightly hungover at the moment but it seemed to be comparing life in this world with Amida Buddha's Western Paradise. In other words, the scene acknowledges the beauty and ephemerality of existence whilst envisaging a future transformation (rebirth) to a happier state. The Western Paradise is a kind of Buddhist heaven (one of many) where enlightenment is assured for people who are reborn there. Googling for a bit of information on Pure Land Buddhism (Jodo-shu/Jodo-shinshu) should help.
I don't know which Noh play it is. Can anyone help?
Please note that I haven't actually seen this Ozu movie myself yet but you can bet that I will very soon. It's a great scene.
- Michael Kerpan
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Kakitsubata, according to these essays:I don't know which Noh play it is. Can anyone help?
Emily and Noriko: Two Cases of Representation of Historical Change
The Scene at the Kyoto Inn: Teaching Ozu Yasujiro's Late Spring (pdf)
La fin du printemps (pdf - in French)
A little bit more about the play.
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I'm about to order 'Late Spring'. Could someone just confirm that the Criterion edition translates the lines from the Noh Drama? I can't believe it doesn't but just in case....
I'd also be interested in hearing about any other Japanese movies that feature glimpses of Noh performances (the only other one I can think of right now is a brief scene in Mizoguchi's '47 Ronin'). This is for a colleague of mine who teaches an International Baccalaureate course in Drama. Noh and Kabuki are on the syllabus but he doesn't have any DVD resources for the former.
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
I'd also be interested in hearing about any other Japanese movies that feature glimpses of Noh performances (the only other one I can think of right now is a brief scene in Mizoguchi's '47 Ronin'). This is for a colleague of mine who teaches an International Baccalaureate course in Drama. Noh and Kabuki are on the syllabus but he doesn't have any DVD resources for the former.
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
- Michael Kerpan
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Just missed 'Song Lantern' at the London NFT. What a pity - it looks intriguing.
Thanks for the recommendations so far, though. I have Kagemusha on DVD but I'd forgotten about the Noh scene.
I'd still be interested in knowing whether the Criterion of Late Spring subtitles the Noh performance as I don't know which version of the film that clip I referred to earlier is taken from. Likewise, the Tartan edition. As I'm in the UK I have the choice of purchasing either, though the Tartan 'Noriko Trilogy' seems to have been poorly received and the screenshots on DVD Beaver look too dark to me.
Thanks for the recommendations so far, though. I have Kagemusha on DVD but I'd forgotten about the Noh scene.
I'd still be interested in knowing whether the Criterion of Late Spring subtitles the Noh performance as I don't know which version of the film that clip I referred to earlier is taken from. Likewise, the Tartan edition. As I'm in the UK I have the choice of purchasing either, though the Tartan 'Noriko Trilogy' seems to have been poorly received and the screenshots on DVD Beaver look too dark to me.
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I think nobody is answering your question because it was already answered just a few posts earlier in this thread. Yes, the Criterion edition provides subtitles for the Noh scene.
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Interesting to note that the character of Noriko seems to grow older and more mature throughout the "Noriko" trilogy". In this, she is scared of commitment. In Early Summer, she wants to get married, just on her own terms, in Tokyo Story she would be a few years older and already widowed. She is mature enough to know that she must accompany her in-laws and knows the value of life already.
Also, I just wanted to note that first seeing Noriko in her very elaborate wedding dress was one of the most emotionally devastating scenes I've ever seen. Much more powerful than any scare tactic in some horror film.
Also, I just wanted to note that first seeing Noriko in her very elaborate wedding dress was one of the most emotionally devastating scenes I've ever seen. Much more powerful than any scare tactic in some horror film.
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A lot of people don't know this, but Noriko actually stole that dress.Macintosh wrote:Also, i just wanted to note that first seeing Noriko in her very elaborate wedding dress was one of the most emotionally devastating scenes I've ever seen. Much more powerful than any scare tactic in some horror film.
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It was just in how his head collapsed so suddenly as he was sitting in the chair in the second to last shot. Glad this isn't the situation though; Ozu really makes us care about these characters. If this speculation were true, I don't think I'd like the movie as much. It would be far more contrived, and putting to much emphasis on a single theme. Thanks for clearing it up.Michael Kerpan wrote:Nothing in the film suggests the ending suggested in your spoiler. It is sufficient that the father is emotionally wasted by the change in circumstances (and uncertain as to whether or not he took the right course of action).
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That makes good sense. Could, then, the lack of cheeriness have something to do with the lack of sake in the second half? I mean, aside from the whole marriage thing, it seemed to me that even when Noriko insulted that man, she said it with a straight face. With a smile! He didn't think anything of it because of the sake. At first, I was a bit offput by how the characters expressed their emotions, particularly Noriko, who seemed like she'd smile even if she were to get hit by a car, but as soon as actual internal conflict arose, the tone changed, and I really liked that. Specifically, how Ozu used the Noh play as a sort of spiritual transition, as among other thing, we are introduced to who will very likely be the father's next wife.Michael Kerpan wrote:The father is not only upset, he is also rather drunk. He manages to sustain concentration long enough to accomplish a distracting task (peeling), but (when finished), his feelings take command.
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- Michael Kerpan
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- Michael Kerpan
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Does the reviewer really call Late Spring "a simplistic movie"? If so, you'd better check some alternate reviews. It is a remarkably rich and complex film (that gets moreso with revisitation). Commentaries always need to be taken with a grain of salt, but may be helpful -- but they are no substitute for careful watching on one's own.james wrote:I was thinking of doing that, but the reviewer at DVDTimes says the commentary is overly academic for such a simplistic movie.