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Chikage Awashima, Ryô Ikebe, Keiko Kishi, Kuniko Miyake, Chishu Ryu ... see more see more... , Haruko Sugimura , Kumeko Urabe , Sô Yamamura , Teiji Takahashi , Takako Fujino , Daisuke Katô , Masami Taura

Like most of director Yasujiro Ozu's work, Early Spring is a deceptively simple family drama: a middle-aged office worker, bored with dreary routines of his job and his marriage, succumbs to a brief f... read more read more...ling with the office flirt. His wife inevitably discovers his infidelity, but when he accepts a transfer to the country, she follows him to start their life anew. Ozu's depiction of marital difficulties is hardly depressing. Instead he employs his signature warmth, sensitivity, and humor to create a touching, thoughtful film.~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

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90% liked it

573 ratings

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100% liked it

7 critics

Unrated, 2 hr. 24 min.

Directed by: Yasujiro Ozu

Release Date: September 25, 1974

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DVD Release Date: June 12, 2007

Stats: 57 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (57)

  • brooklynspo
    October 17, 2008
    brooklynspo
    Painfully earnest Ozu. Interesting for its untypical lack of domestic life.
  • kiriyamakazou
    September 19, 2011
    kiriyamakazou
    Early Spring came between Ozu's incredible masterpieces Tokyo Story and Tokyo Twilight. No surprise then, that it kind of falls flat in places. It's by no means a bad film, but it adds a bit too much complexity, making the focus confusing at points. The film starts as a comment o... read moren the salary man. The opening scenes are both funny and sad, as we see the empty streets of Japan gradually fill with men and women in white shirts. They all come together at the subway station, and then we see two men in an office building looking down at the madness below. These are the kind of details one must love about Ozu. It is all represented there on the screen, and without many words we know what is going on. As the film continues we see the workers on their breaks and finally arranging a weekend trip. On this trip is where the real story begins. A young married man named Shoji is attracted to a young girl nicknamed "Goldfish". They are unable to hide their attraction, as their colleagues start spreading rumors and noticing the smiles between the two. Eventually they give into their temptation. It's the effects after this betrayal that are the key focus. The young girl is surprised that she develops emotions, while Shoji is instantly ashamed of himself. His guilt soon grows, and he avoids his wife. Because of this his wife begins to suspect he is cheating on her. The film shows how destructive guilt can be. As Shoji tries to keep his mind off the affair, he ends up forgetting the anniversary of his son's death. The film is too long for its material. There simply isn't enough going on in the middle, and too much at the beginning and end. What it does offer is Ozu's look at relationships without the arrangement of a marriage. Instead, this shows the hard work and commitment a marriage takes. A theme that was handled a lot more competently and economically in his next feature.
  • sanjurosamurai
    May 24, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    probably the most morally sensitive film of ozu's brilliant career. there might not be a single betrayal as tragic as one spouse cheating on another, and ozu explores this betrayal with depth, clarity, and insight. while difficult to watch the film is exceptionally profound, an... read mored although it carries usual ozu themes like gossip and marriage, he explores these common themes so differently in each film that they never get old. the film is strikingly similar to the sam mendes film "revolutionary road", although this film is even more epic and the theme of marital strife is even more fleshed out. i wasnt sure id like the film because of the topic but it was stirring to watch. a beautiful film.
  • gator681
    May 23, 2010
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]"Early Spring" is a long, slow, but eventually rewarding movie that is somewhat of a departure for Yasujiro Ozu. On a stylistic level, there is little cutting back and forth between characters and more of a reliance on longer takes. One example of this is a c... read morelassic shot of commuters going to a train station on a typical weekday morning, showcasing a perfectly uniform sea of white shirts and blouses.(I was surprised there were no ties, though.) One of these shirts belongs to Sugiyama(Ryo Ikebe), a young office worker or salaryman, if you will. So, instead of it being about a nuclear or extended family, the focus here is on the strained relationship between him and his wife, Masako(Chikage Awashima), which is not helped by him going to play Mah Jong with his commuter friends(itself an extended family) after work or his connection to a young woman nicknamed Goldfish(Keiko Kishi).[/font]

    [font=Century Gothic]There is also some commentary about the life of a salaryman and how he is trapped(one could say the same thing about marriage), but fifty years later nothing has changed in the life of an office worker, especially how it applies to thwarted dreams. But as I've said before, what happens in the office is not important, how you live your life outside of it is. And I think Ozu also realizes this.[/font]
  • hossein13
    August 17, 2009
    hossein13
    Who can give you a portrait of the urban japan in a better way than Ozu. This one explores the marriage, relationships and life of the white collar workers so well.
  • xmkatx
    April 1, 2008
    xmkatx
    That whole idea of accepting cheating men for what they are or else you'll be viewed as stubborn is amusing to me. On one side I can understand it, but the riot grrl side thinks its ridiculous.
  • benjaminguilbert2
    February 17, 2008
    benjaminguilbert2
    It was nice but at some point I started to wonder why I was still in front of the screen. Granted, it has all the usual qualities of Ozu's film: still camera, smooth editing and naturalist situations. But I wasn't moved really by the story, the characters were slightly pointless ... read moreand the main argument of the movie (office work is alienating) was of little interest.
  • columbiatch
    August 13, 2007
    columbiatch
    A look at the unsavory prospects of the average salary earning man in postwar Japan. The main character and his wife are in a passionless marriage in part due to the death of their child. He goes through the daily grind of everyday work, earning barely enough to pay his rent an... read mored fearing everyday for his job. His coworkers live similar boring lives. What's worse, there is no hope for change. Economic status has always been important in Ozu's films, and it is even more apparent here. A one night stand with an attractive coworker provokes rumors and the wife's suspicion. Ultimately it's their relationship that the film is mostly interested in, as changing circumstances forces both to come to terms with their marriage.
  • thrusz
    August 4, 2007
    thrusz
    While being a very solid movie (Can't crap on Ozu ever!), this movie suffers from a confusing start. It feels like the inciting incident doesn't occur for half the film. That said, the nature of infidelity is hit on the head with this film.

    Not that I know what infidelity is... read more like...

View All Early Spring (Soshun) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Nora Sayre
June 20, 2007
Nora Sayre, New York Times

With subtle precision, Ozu shows how personal and national anxieties seep through infinite lives. Yet this impeccably acted movie is far from depressing, since the filmmaker stresses that mistakes are... Full Review

Don Druker
June 20, 2007
Don Druker, Chicago Reader

A casual yet meticulously detailed reconstruction of Japan's routinized white-collar milieu. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
July 16, 2010
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

No quote available. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
June 20, 2007
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The simple storyline can't convey the many amazing scenes you get in an Ozu film that few other filmmakers are capable of delivering. Full Review

Don Willmott
June 20, 2007
Don Willmott, Filmcritic.com

If you want to know who Yasujiro Ozu was and what he was all about, this is a great place to start. Full Review

June 20, 2007
Film4

Impressively shot, thought-provoking and funny, this low-key but intelligent character piece is made with Ozu's considerable attention to detail. Full Review

June 20, 2007
Time Out

A typically low-key domestic drama in Ozu's mournful, defeatist vein. Full Review

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