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Movies Forum Index » International Movies Forum » _Late Spring_
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 Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 10:36 pm |
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Watching the Criterion DVD of _Late Spring_ is a whole
day's work (or vacation, as my case happens to be). There
is the Wenders documentary or cine-essay, made in Tokyo.
There is the film itself (not a great print, but I guess this
is the best they came up with). And finally the film with
Richard Pena's professorial (if uninspired) commentary.
Wenders spends 15 minutes filming the making of fake
Japanese food but also ran into Chris Marker (filming
_Sans Soleil_) and Werner Herzog. The most important
footages of course are the interviews with Ryu and
Ozu's last cinematographer. Both are remarkably,
one feels excessively deferential to Ozu (even calling
him "king"). This is a far cry from the ambiguous,
uncertain authority figures Ryu portrays on film --
occasionally described as Ozu's alter ego. But Ozu
is here described as someone who knows exactly what
he wants at all time.
What more can one say about Setsuko Hara. She is literally
"illuminated from within" in this film. Her beauty (and
stunning smile and indomitable shoulder pads) is so
perfect it is almost unbearable to watch; one can only
visit such beauty once in a long time in order not to
be complete incapacitated or insane. What an accomplished
actress too. Her has such great scenes with Ryu. In one,
she laughingly reveals Ryu's assistant's marriage plans,
while Ryu, stunned and open mouthed (which is kind of
the way this abstracted professor goes through life anyway)
weakly mumbles and repeats her words. (He wants to
marry the assistant to her.) The other is the great
deception scene when Ryu turns the table, tries to make
a stone faced lie about his own marriage plan so as to
pressure Hara's Noriko to accept marriage herself.
She bursts into tears and runs away, in one of the most
stunningly convincing piece of acting I've seen in ages,
and doesn't see the tell-tale twitching on Ryu's cheek
-- the most the taciturn professor will reveal himself.
The long Noh theater scene, where fiery emotions are
conveyed wordlessly, is similarly memorable. Regretfully
Pena is distracted and didn't comment on the great
chemistry between Ryu and Hara in the first two scenes.
I keep ascribing scenes in this film to _Early Summer_,
which follows closely. I have to watch that again too. (But
most chain stores don't carry that title.) Watching this
again I see where parts of _Beau Travail_ (the opening
tank shots, maybe even the disco scenes) and _In
the Mood for Love_ (the unseen husband and lovers)
got part of their inspiration.
Oh yes, I rewatched this mainly to see the lighting. In
the interview, the cinematographer claims that all indoor
scenes are shot in studio (I'm surprised given _Tokyo
Twilight_), and that Ozu entrusts him with all the lighting.
There is significantly less lighting coming from side windows
than in _Tokyo Twilight_. I wanted to see if that is indeed
unique. |
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