The score is surprisingly melodramatic. All the old tropes, themes, and narrative lines are accounted for but this is a lower-tier Ozu that lacks the playfulness that I love. Things don't get interesting until some startling misdirection regarding the grandfather. It's by no means a bad film (Ozu is never careless or uninspired), but I expected more from the old master.

611

Perhaps my favorite Ozu after Tokyo Story. The emotional range of this film is considerable: some earlier scenes are very funny, yet the conclusion is melancholy and elegaic. The use of color is effective here, particularly in the final funeral sequence.

#636

This is everything I want from Ozu - the humor, the drama, the actors, the compositions, the color design, the editing, those wonderful musical accompaniments. A perfect blend of pathos for the senses.

Ozu in colour is nice and the acting is solid as always. The film feels a little too full, with a lot of plot lines and characters that take a little too much effort to sort out. It's not that it's hard or unrewarding, but it's effort that could be spent thinking about the film's themes.

The story moves at a good pace, it's always great to see Hara, and the color photography really enhances Ozu's style. The only thing is it felt pretty much like "Ozu stew", with bits of Early Summer, Late Spring, Floating Weeds and Tokyo Story all thrown together. And each of those films is superior in their simplicity and emotional attachment to the characters. Here, there's just a little too much going on. It's still a lovely film and Ozu's troupe is wonderful as always.

# 818

808