The End Of Summer (1961)

3 out of 3 people found the following review helpful:

flawed but worthy

Saty from Reading, 18th June, 2004

Interesting portrait of a family as their father seems to be close to death. Not as strong as Tokyo Story but worth seeing.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Forget the plot, explore the characters

Zamy from from London, 9th November, 2005

Another of Ozu's films exploring Japanese family life. Centred on the ageing 'paterfamilias' as he approaches the end of his life at the end of a hot summer this film is full of real people and their everyday concerns in their relationships. Ozu is certainly one of the very greatest of artists who have worked in cinema and his truthful vision is presented with very simple technique; the camera set only a few feet from the floor, usually with a limited field of vision. Watching, listening, participating in the action. On the rare moments when the camera opens out a vista for us it is precisely chosen by Ozu to give the visual and emotional effect that he wants. Just watch the composition of the funeral procession as it crosses the bridge. Precise and wonderful film-making. There is much more in this film than the plot which is almost incidental to the observation of character. Yasogiro Ozu brings great warmth, compassion and irony to his story. As with life the happiness is tinged with sadness and regret. And the fragility of each human existence is superbly caught; yet nature has provided for the thread of life to continue in future generations. The artistry in this film is simple and humbling while at the same time life affirming. Highly recommended.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Impressive

KenS from from London, 10th March, 2005

This is an engaging presentation of Japanese society at the point of shifting its values from those traditionally Japanese to those more international - mainly due to the influence of the post-war occupation of Japan by America.

It is gentle, thoughtful and the characrters all become quite real and familiar. It is beautifully shot with a lot of theatrical static shots and very elaborate and decorative domestic interiors.

Recommended to those who don't want to see guns, explosions and violence every 5 minutes.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:

The end of many things

Savage from from London, England, 2nd September, 2006

Somehow, Ozu in colour is never quite as convincing as Ozu in black and white, and here, in his penultimate film, he is further hampered by a diffuse screenplay that tries to tell too many stories. Overarching them all is the fear that the family's sake-brewing business is about to be sucked under and forced into a merger, but within that we have the increasingly disconnected father, who now finds more succour with an old mistress (who has a grasping daughter who may not be his, despite their claims); and two daughters, both being manoeuvred towards marriage, slightly against their wills. The beauty and precision of the observation is still present and correct, and the acting is sublime (the great Setsuko Hara as the eldest daughter in particular, but also Ganjiro Nakabura as dad); the focus, however, is lacking, as if Ozu himself can't quite find his way into the story he's chosen to tell. 'The end of summer' remains an opaque film, albeit one quite likely to entrance a patient audience.

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End of Summer

A Customer from Halifax, 3rd December, 2008

Shows a realistic insight into the lives of an extended Japanese family and the trials and tribulations involved and overcome. Quite funny in a tee-hee way but very serene for the most part considering the upheavals and antics of the members of the family.

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Customer Review

A Customer from UK, 23rd June, 2008

This is a very different film from Tokyo Story. More playful, slightly less melodramatic yet just as peotic as the accepted masterpiece by Ozu. Set in Kyoto, Ganjiro Nakamura, a well known kabuki actor seen also in Floating Weeds, plays Manbei, the father of a family. Just as in many of Ozu's films, his main concern is the arrangement of his daughter's marriage. However, she is torn between appeasing her father and pursuing another man. Meanwhile, Setsuko Hara, his widowed daughter-in-law, is also encouraged to remarry a respectable gentleman but she finds that she has nothing in common with him. Through this simple premise, Ozu explores the conflict between the pressure of conformity and desire for modernisation in Japanese society. The humour of the film comes from Manbei's secret excursions to his lover's house. Nakamura's acting in these little episodes are a gem.

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This film is Japanese

A Customer from London, 3rd April, 2007

Okay. This film is Japanese. The actors don't all look alike. They're just all Japanese. They are not bad actors. They are, for the most part, playing painfully buttoned up, emotionally inarticulate characters. Something they all do very well. The storyline is somewhat confusing and it certainly doesn't have anything like the power of Tokyo Story but it is still a sensitvie, intelligent film by one of a cinema's legendary directors. It is very slow moving though, so not one to perk you up when you're bored. I do find it strange though that people seem to want films that act as adrenaline shots.

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