Customer Reviews

Equinox Flower [VHS]

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as with every other major cinematic advancement ozu held out against color as long as he possibly could but his use of color in "equinox flower" and later films is just as inventive and seemingly effortless as in his black and white compositions. the director's color scheme shows up surprisingly well in this solid vhs transfer from the folks at new yorker films, whose reliability in terms of picture quality for their videos is sometimes questionable. as for the film itself the plot is a variation on the usual ozu schpiel about marriage and its consequences. the focus is, as always, more on character than plot and the film is has many well-drawn characters. "equinox flower" is highly enjoyable and certainly one of ozu's less demanding films. however, in this case it's a bit more of a curse than a blessing: in the end the film feels somewhat slight and it's not nearly as profound or memorable as ozu's best work. though i wouldnt recommend that anyone go out of their way to dig it up it's most definitely worth a look.

Ozu's first color film is a carefully told epic about family struggles and the clash of different traditions and cultures. Being one of his trademarks, Ozu uses long shots and almost never close-ups. The rhythm of the film flows calmly and steady.

Along with Ozu's "Tokyo Story", "Equinox Flower" is one of the most precious films of world cinema and a stunning work of art that offers such great sympathy for its characters. Surely not to be missed !

Although Equinox Flower may not be in the same league as Ozu's Tokyo Story or Late Spring, it is still a very entertaining movie. The plot centers around the Hirayama family. The father, played by Shin Saburi, seems to enjoy saying one thing, but doing another. At a wedding reception, he praises the bride and groom for choosing to marry out of love. But in his own home, the father is busy preparing an "arranged marriage" for his elder daughter. You'll no doubt smile and shake your head at his behavior.

This movie is noteworthy because of the appearance of actress Fujiko Yamamoto who earlier gained fame as the first Miss Japan. She plays a friend of Hirayama's elder daughter. There are also a few cultural jokes in this film that Western viewers may miss. In one scene, an intrusive guest named Mrs. Sasaki heads to the bathroom at the Hirayama home. She sees an upside-down broom and turns it rightside-up. In the old Japan, an upside-down broom indicated the homeowners didn't want visitors that day.

This is probably one of Ozu's funniest films, though I wouldn't necessarily label it a comedy. The story of the father is told with a sense of compassion. Rather than condemning him, Ozu allows us to watch as the ol' man slowly comes to the realization that the world around him is changing and that maybe he needs to change as well.

Hirayama Wataru ' s family, a businessman is formed by his wife Kiyoko, his daughters Setsuko and Hisako. Hikayama pities of Fumiko, the only daughter of his friend Mikami, who without the consent of their parents decides to live with her lover. At the same time he disagrees when his daughter Setsuko request his consent to marry with Taniguchi.

After Setsuko ` s wedding, Hirayama adopts a cold and distant attitude respect his daughter, and a beloved friend of his daughter will be the indicated to solicit a major attention for her, flying to Hiroshima trying to make the paces.

The most important feature of Ozu resides in the universality of his concerns. As you know the genius is always contemporary, so that 's why this picture retains that peculiar actuality through the years in spite the fact the films dates from 1958. In this sense he remains so distant of Mizoguchi ` s visions for instance. The familiar conflicts are viewed as a micro cosmos inside a much more complex society. And seen under this perspective you can realize why Win Wenders can be considered as his most legitimate successor: (Tokio Ga is precisely to Ozu 's memory)

The picture, sublimely photographed and with long and steady shots is base d on Satomi Ton `s novel with the only premise Ozu was his director.

Equinox Flower was my first Ozu film. Now I have seen many of his films,but I think I was very lucky starting with this film. Equinox Flower is a bitter sweet comedy. It is not so serious as his best film Tokyo Story. It is relaxing and enjoyable. And you can learn the extreme beauty of Japanese way of life. Everything on the screen is neatly arranged and the colors are so beautiful.
Ozu had a very good taste for deep red color. He always wanted to put something red among the props. Look at Yamamoto,Fujiko's beautiful green color kimono. All the colors are not so bright and very gentle to your eyes.
Naniwa,Chieko is the funniest character in this film. Saburi,Shin played a typical Japanese gentleman here,and Yamamoto Fujiko proved to be one of the best comedienne in those days