Her Head in Films

Yasujiro Ozu's 'Late Spring' (1949)

Listen Later

In this episode, I explore Yasujiro Ozu's 1949 classic, "Late Spring." Setsuko Hara stars as 27-year-old Noriko who feels a strong bond with her widower father and prefers to live with him instead of getting married. Worried that he will doom his daughter to an unfulfilling life, Noriko's father claims that he intends to re-marry and insists that Noriko have a life of her own with a husband. I talk about Ozu's life, why his directing style is unique, and why this film moves me so deeply. I focus on the relationship between Noriko and her father, and I question why we prioritize romantic love and often do not acknowledge the power of other kinds of love, like that for our parents or our friends.

Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon.

Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter.

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr.

Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan

Full show notes:

  • Paul Schrader's essay about Ozu on Film Comment
  • Senses of Cinema profile of Ozu
  • Essay about Ozu on The Japan Times
  • Robert Gottlieb's essay about Setsuko Hara for The New York Review of Books
  • More information about the Mammoni men of Italy
  • More about Filmstruck

    • Listen to episodes mentioned:

    • The Passion of Joan of Arc
    • L'avventura
    • La Jetee
    • Cleo from 5 to 7
    • Pather Panchali
    • Apu Trilogy
    • The Big City
    • Koker Trilogy
    • Taste of Cherry
    • Close-Up
    • Hiroshima Mon Amour
    • Dead Poets Society
      • ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store
      Her Head in FilmsBy Caitlin
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7

      4.7

      70 ratings

      More shows like Her Head in Films

      View all
      Chapo Trap House by Chapo Trap House

      Chapo Trap House

      8,861 Listeners

      Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso by Higher Ground

      Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

      1,463 Listeners

      Blank Check with Griffin & David by Blank Check Productions

      Blank Check with Griffin & David

      6,184 Listeners

      The Adam Friedland Show by The Adam Friedland Show

      The Adam Friedland Show

      10,556 Listeners

      Pod Save America by Crooked Media

      Pod Save America

      87,577 Listeners

      What a Picture by Hannah and Bryan Loomis

      What a Picture

      11 Listeners