film society screened "an autumn afternoon," an ozu film released in 1962. i had only seen "tokyo story" before, when i was in hong kong and borrowed it from frankie since he's obsessed with the director and possesses his entire collection. i still remember some shots so well! beautifully made film. "an autumn afternoon" was wonderful, it carries similar themes of nostalgia and acquiescence. the tone is bittersweet and the tempo is slow. i had a bit of wine before going, to calm my nerves and allow for full immersion. the story is of an elder man whose wife had passed away and whom lives with his son and daughter. he fills his time working and drinking with his old schoolmates. as his daughter has already approached the age of marriage (~24), he decides to find a husband for her despite not having anyone else to take care of him in his old age. he earnestly goes about arranging a marriage for her and by the end, she is sent off. not much is spoken throughout the film, but the love he has for her is quite plain. the viewer never meets the husband, the shot above is the last one sees of the daughter. the father spends the night of the wedding drinking with his eldest son before going home. the house is much quieter and lonelier. the film ends with a long shot through a dark hall corridor with him pouring a glass of water from a teapot, his body wavering but ever so steady.
there were about 7 or 8 people at the screening, i talked to another associate/exchange student (also from cali, they're all from cali) who was more familiar with ozu's work before the screening. he suggested early spring, so i'll probably see that next week since it's reading week. i wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone after the screening though, it made me incredibly sad and it resonated in such a personal way that i didn't really feel like relating it to anyone else. part of me just wanted to keep it for myself.
2 comments:
omg cheryl i was just about to borrow some of his movies today in McCabe. an autumn afternoon is also called 'late autumn.'
instead i watched 'stranger than paradise' this afternoon, and made a list of other movies i want to watch b4 graduation.
lidahuag
AHH YOU SHOULD SEE THEM, i've made a list tooo. i saw stranger than paradise awhile ago, don't remember too much of it tho
i saw affair at akitsu spa when i was in hk and the actress from that film is in an autumn afternoon as well. make sure you see that one, it's supposed to be one of the best japanese films of the sixties
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