The world just found out that Setsuko Hara has died. Ozu’s muse, she was prominently linked with the great director in the ‘Noriko trilogy’: Late Spring, Tokyo Story, and Early Summer — some of the greatest of Ozu’s films. She was that elegant, demure Japanese woman on screen. Later on in life she was a recluse and very private. So it doesn’t come as a shock to find out she died back in September. It is only being reported now. Sad.
I’m currently on a Yasujiro Ozu kick, because, in reality, I’m on a Setsuko Hara kick. I’ve finished up his and her collaboration in the Noriko “trilogy,” Late Spring, Early Summer, and Tokyo Story. I find that Late Spring is the best of the three, and that Early Summer is a comedy.
I’m slowly tracking down Ozu’s films from Criterion looking for that Eclipse box set with late Ozu and a mature Hara. She’s also in a couple of Kurosawa films also in an Eclipse box set.
Hara is especially fascinating. She’s still alive and was the model for the Satoshi Kon’s Millenium Actress. I need to catch more of her films.
Watching Ozu on a rainy Sunday evening, and I end up looking up the wikipedia entry for Late Spring which leads me to today’s link.
It’s a link to a compilation of lists that add up to the 1000 best pictures of all time.
There’s a lot to digest in a list like this. Did they leave any out? Are there any out of order? Are there any out of place? I’m sure we all have our own biases. Does this list exhibit any?
What’s your take?
Also, Ozu’s Late Spring comes in at 207, but his Tokyo Story is high up there at 11.
I’m gonna link a scanlation. It’s to Cross Game by Adachi Mitsuru. It’s one of the finest manga out there now. Mitsuru-sensei is the Japanese film director, Ozu, as a mangaka. Not in theme, but in the ability to establish atmosphere. He loves to extend time panel by panel.
Umm. You should be reading this.
