Deptford Cinema presents a retrospective of the indelible Japanese auteur Yasujirô Ozu.
One of the most powerful of Yasujiro Ozu’s family portraits, Late Spring (Banshun) tells the story of a widowed father who feels compelled to marry off his beloved only daughter. Eminent Ozu players Chishu Ryu and Setsuko Hara command this poignant tale of love and loss in postwar Japan, which remains as potent today as ever—and a strong justification for its maker’s inclusion in the pantheon of cinema’s greatest directors." The Criterion Collection
Late Spring is the final masterpiece of Ozu’s late period, as cinematographically striking as it is profoundly contemplative. Investing enormous emotional weight into the quotidian, Late Spring builds to what has become the single most debated moment in Ozu’s body of work.
“Late Spring tells a story that becomes sadder the more you think about it, it is one of the best films Ozu ever made”
“Each shot in Late Spring is striking on its own; the mature Ozu belongs to that rare category of filmmakers whose work can be recognized from a single frame.”
“Impermanence forms the film’s true subject - and it is Ozu’s ambivalence towards it, as though he wants both to board the train, and to stay on the platform, that ultimately gives Late Spring its bittersweet resonance.”
- Director: Yasujirô Ozu
- Country: Japan
- Year: 1949
- Film Rating: PG
- Run-time: 108 min
- Tickets £6/£4.50 conc
- Doors 7pm
- Film 7.30pm