Yasujiro Ozu:
Banshun / Late Spring
Starring:
Hohi Aoki - Kasuyochi
Setsuko Hara - Noriko
Masao Mishima - Jo Onodera
Yumeji Tsukioka - Aya Kitagawa
Jun Usami - Shuichi Hattori
Writing credits:
Kazuo Hirotsu (story)
Kôgo Noda
Japan 1949
Story of a Japanese family with father Somiya who wish to arrange omiai for his daughter who would prefer living with him.. Changes in life are inevitable.
Quiet and peacefull
What I'd like first to say is that the atmosphere of this movie is remarkable. The movie shows very simple scenes of ordinary life; everything is so Japanese. Especially the scene where Noriko takes a bike trip to beach with her boyfriend Hattori, it's so calm and so Japanese!
Touching story about Japanese family
The story tells about old widow Somiya who wish to arrange omiai (arranged marriage), for her 29 years old 
daughter Noriko (Setsuko Hara). But she would like to stay with her father, feeling reluctant and afraid of sudden change in her life. Eventually Somiya fakes his own marriage that he could make his daughter to get married.
Solitude is very strong element in this movie, I feel. The way how both, father and the daughter seem to be afraid of losing each other, is really touching. But at the same time, the message of the movie is how life must go on, and the changes in life are inevitable.
Noriko is cheerfull, ever so bright young Japanese woman. Setsuko Hara does really magnificent work here. Setsuko doesn't really look like Japanese in this movie, she looks more like western. However, the voice of her is very Japanese, I think. Jun Usami's character Shuichi Hattori is also very interesting.
There isn't social criticism in this movie or criticism against omiai or basically anything. In that sense it's totally different from Kenji Mizoguchi's Victory of Women. This describes very daily, peacefull life in Japan, in very warm spirit. Yasujiro Ozu is said to be the most Japanese director. Still there is certain progressive attitude in his camera angles and tilts and drives. Also the story itself has elements of modern and western life.
Summary
The movie is really beautiful description of hope, in remains of feudal values.
