Early Summer
Early Summer • 2h 5m
Directed by Yasujiro Ozu • 1951 • Japan
Starring Setsuko Hara, Chishu Ryu, Chikage Awashima
The Mamiya family is seeking a husband for their daughter, Noriko, but she has ideas of her own. Played by the extraordinary Setsuko Hara, Noriko impulsively chooses her childhood friend, at once fulfilling her family’s desires while tearing them apart. A seemingly simple story, EARLY SUMMER is one of Yasujiro Ozu’s most complex works—a nuanced examination of life’s changes across three generations. The Criterion Collection is proud to present one of the director’s most enduring classics.
Up Next in Early Summer
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EARLY SUMMER Commentary
Recorded in New York City in 2002, this commentary features Japanese film expert Donald Richie, author of “A Hundred Years of Japanese Film.”
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Ozu’s Films from Behind the Scenes
This conversation about Yasujiro Ozu and his working methods, produced by the Shochiku film company on the centenary of Ozu’s birth, features a few of his collaborators—child actor and sound and editing assistant Kojiro Suematsu, assistant cameraman Takashi Kawamata, and producer Shizuo Yamanouchi.
