The End of Summer
Encyclopedia
is a 1961
film directed by Yasujirō Ozu
. It was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival
. The film was his penultimate film; only An Autumn Afternoon
(1962) followed it.
Ganjiro Nakamura
plays the patriarch of the Kohayagawa family, who runs a sake brewery
company. Setsuko Hara
, Michiyo Aratama
and Yoko Tsukasa play his three daughters. Chishu Ryu
has a small cameo
as a farmer towards the end of the film. Unlike most of Ozu's films (which take place in Tokyo
), most of this film takes place in Kyoto
.
) is the head of a small sake brewery company at Kyoto with three daughters. His eldest and youngest daughters, Akiko (Setsuko Hara) and Noriko (Yôko Tsukasa), stay together in Osaka
. Akiko is a widow who helps out at an art gallery
and who has a son. Noriko, unmarried, works as a salaried office worker. Manbei's second daughter, Fumiko (Michiyo Aratama
), lives with him. Her husband helps at the brewery and they have a young son.
Manbei asks his brother-in-law Kitagawa (Daisuke Katô
) to find Akiko a husband, and Kitagawa lets Akiko meet a friend Isomura Eiichirou (Hisaya Morishige
), a widower, at a pub. Isomura is enthusiastic about the match but Akiko is hesitant. Manbei also asks Kitagawa to arrange a matchmaking session for his youngest daughter, Noriko.
During summer
Manbei sneaks out constantly to meet his old flame, a former mistress by the name of Sasaki Tsune (Chieko Naniwa). Sasaki has a grown-up, rather Westernized daughter Yuriko who may or may not be Manbei's own daughter. When Fumiko finds out Manbei has been seeing Sasaki again, she is angered and confronts her father, but Manbei denies the whole affair.
The Kohayagawa family meets for a memorial service for their late mother at Arashiyama
. After returning, Manbei has a heart attack but survives. Akiko asks Noriko about her matchmaking session with a man with a voracious appetite, but it appears Noriko is more inclined towards a friend Teramoto (Akira Takarada
), a lecturer who has just moved to Sapporo as an assistant professor
.
In a secret trip out with Sasaki to and back from Osaka, Manbei has another heart attack, and dies shortly after. Sasaki informs the daughters of what happened. The ailing Kohayagawa brewery is to be merged with a business rival's, while Noriko decides to go to Sapporo to search out Teramoto. At the film's end, the Kohayagawa family gathers and reminisces about Manbei's life as his body is cremated
.
1961 in film
The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB...
film directed by Yasujirō Ozu
Yasujiro Ozu
was a prominent Japanese film director and script writer. He is known for his distinctive technical style, developed during the silent era. Marriage and family, especially the relationships between the generations, are among the most persistent themes in his body of work...
. It was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival
12th Berlin International Film Festival
The 12th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 22 to July 3, 1962.-Jury:* King Vidor * André Michel* Emeric Pressburger* Hideo Kikumori* Dolores del Río* Jurgen Schildt* Max Gammeter* Günther Stapenhorst* Bruno E...
. The film was his penultimate film; only An Autumn Afternoon
An Autumn Afternoon
is a 1962 Japanese drama film directed by Yasujirō Ozu. It stars Ozu regular Chishu Ryu as the patriarch of the Hirayama family who oversees the wedding of his daughter, played by Shima Iwashita. It was Ozu's last film; he died in the following year...
(1962) followed it.
Ganjiro Nakamura
Ganjiro Nakamura
Ganjiro Nakamura was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in 48 films between 1957 and 1982. He starred in the film The End of Summer, which was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival....
plays the patriarch of the Kohayagawa family, who runs a sake brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
company. Setsuko Hara
Setsuko Hara
is a Japanese actress who appeared in six of Yasujirō Ozu's films, most notably as Noriko in the 'Noriko Trilogy': Late Spring , Early Summer and Tokyo Story . Her other films for Ozu were Tokyo Twilight , Late Autumn and finally The End of Summer in 1961.She was born 会田 昌江 Masae Aida in...
, Michiyo Aratama
Michiyo Aratama
was a Japanese actress who appeared in leading and supporting roles in such films as Hiroshi Inagaki's Chushingura, Kihachi Okamoto's Samurai Assassin and Sword of Doom, and Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan, Hymn to a Tired Man and The Human Condition trilogy.- Filmography :* Suzaki paradise: Akashingō ...
and Yoko Tsukasa play his three daughters. Chishu Ryu
Chishu Ryu
was a famous Japanese film actor, a favourite of the director Yasujiro Ozu. From 1928 to 1992 he appeared in at least 155 films, including Ozu's Tokyo Story and Yoshitaro Nomura's Castle of Sand...
has a small cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
as a farmer towards the end of the film. Unlike most of Ozu's films (which take place in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
), most of this film takes place in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
.
Plot
Manbei Kohayagawa (Ganjiro NakamuraGanjiro Nakamura
Ganjiro Nakamura was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in 48 films between 1957 and 1982. He starred in the film The End of Summer, which was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival....
) is the head of a small sake brewery company at Kyoto with three daughters. His eldest and youngest daughters, Akiko (Setsuko Hara) and Noriko (Yôko Tsukasa), stay together in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. Akiko is a widow who helps out at an art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
and who has a son. Noriko, unmarried, works as a salaried office worker. Manbei's second daughter, Fumiko (Michiyo Aratama
Michiyo Aratama
was a Japanese actress who appeared in leading and supporting roles in such films as Hiroshi Inagaki's Chushingura, Kihachi Okamoto's Samurai Assassin and Sword of Doom, and Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan, Hymn to a Tired Man and The Human Condition trilogy.- Filmography :* Suzaki paradise: Akashingō ...
), lives with him. Her husband helps at the brewery and they have a young son.
Manbei asks his brother-in-law Kitagawa (Daisuke Katô
Daisuke Katô
was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 150 films, including Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai , Rashomon, Yojimbo , and Ikiru, and Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy and Chushingura.-Filmography:* Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji...
) to find Akiko a husband, and Kitagawa lets Akiko meet a friend Isomura Eiichirou (Hisaya Morishige
Hisaya Morishige
was a Japanese actor and comedian. Born in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, he graduated from what was known under the old education system as Kitano Middle School , and subsequently attended Waseda University. He began his career as a stage actor, then became an announcer for NHK, working in Manchuria...
), a widower, at a pub. Isomura is enthusiastic about the match but Akiko is hesitant. Manbei also asks Kitagawa to arrange a matchmaking session for his youngest daughter, Noriko.
During summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
Manbei sneaks out constantly to meet his old flame, a former mistress by the name of Sasaki Tsune (Chieko Naniwa). Sasaki has a grown-up, rather Westernized daughter Yuriko who may or may not be Manbei's own daughter. When Fumiko finds out Manbei has been seeing Sasaki again, she is angered and confronts her father, but Manbei denies the whole affair.
The Kohayagawa family meets for a memorial service for their late mother at Arashiyama
Arashiyama
is a district on the western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan. It also refers to the mountain across the Ōi River, which forms a backdrop to the district.Notable tourist sites in Arashiyama include...
. After returning, Manbei has a heart attack but survives. Akiko asks Noriko about her matchmaking session with a man with a voracious appetite, but it appears Noriko is more inclined towards a friend Teramoto (Akira Takarada
Akira Takarada
is a Japanese film actor who is most known in the west for his roles in the Godzilla film series.-Overview:Takarada was born in Japan-occupied Korea, and lived for a time in Harbin, China. His father worked as an engineer on the South Manchuria Railway...
), a lecturer who has just moved to Sapporo as an assistant professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
.
In a secret trip out with Sasaki to and back from Osaka, Manbei has another heart attack, and dies shortly after. Sasaki informs the daughters of what happened. The ailing Kohayagawa brewery is to be merged with a business rival's, while Noriko decides to go to Sapporo to search out Teramoto. At the film's end, the Kohayagawa family gathers and reminisces about Manbei's life as his body is cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
.
Cast
- Ganjiro NakamuraGanjiro NakamuraGanjiro Nakamura was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in 48 films between 1957 and 1982. He starred in the film The End of Summer, which was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival....
- Kohayagawa Manbei - Setsuko HaraSetsuko Harais a Japanese actress who appeared in six of Yasujirō Ozu's films, most notably as Noriko in the 'Noriko Trilogy': Late Spring , Early Summer and Tokyo Story . Her other films for Ozu were Tokyo Twilight , Late Autumn and finally The End of Summer in 1961.She was born 会田 昌江 Masae Aida in...
- Akiko - Yôko Tsukasa - Noriko, second daughter
- Michiyo AratamaMichiyo Aratamawas a Japanese actress who appeared in leading and supporting roles in such films as Hiroshi Inagaki's Chushingura, Kihachi Okamoto's Samurai Assassin and Sword of Doom, and Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan, Hymn to a Tired Man and The Human Condition trilogy.- Filmography :* Suzaki paradise: Akashingō ...
- Fumiko, eldest daughter - Keiju KobayashiKeiju Kobayashiwas a Japanese actor. Born in Gunma Prefecture, he began acting at the Nikkatsu studio after dropping out of Nihon University and made his film debut in 1942. In a career that spanned 65 years, he appeared in over 250 films, most famously in the "Company President" comedy films made at Toho, where...
- Hisao, Fumiko's husband - Masahiko Shimazu - Masao, their son
- Hisaya MorishigeHisaya Morishigewas a Japanese actor and comedian. Born in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, he graduated from what was known under the old education system as Kitano Middle School , and subsequently attended Waseda University. He began his career as a stage actor, then became an announcer for NHK, working in Manchuria...
- Isomura Eiichirou - Chieko Naniwa - Sasaki Tsune
- Reiko Dan - Yuriko, her daughter
- Haruko SugimuraHaruko Sugimurawas a Japanese stage and film actress, best known for her appearances in the movies of Yasujiro Ozu and Mikio Naruse from the late 1940s to the early 1960s...
- Katou Shige - Daisuke KatôDaisuke Katôwas a Japanese actor who appeared in over 150 films, including Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai , Rashomon, Yojimbo , and Ikiru, and Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy and Chushingura.-Filmography:* Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji...
- Kitagawa Yanosuke - Haruko Togo - Kitagawa Teruko
- Yumi ShirakawaYumi Shirakawais a former Japanese actress.-Filmography:Filmography of Yumi Shirakawa include:* The Badger Palace aka The Princess of Badger Palace *Kiganjo no Boken*Gorath*Wall-Eyed Nippon...
- Nakanishi Takako - Akira TakaradaAkira Takaradais a Japanese film actor who is most known in the west for his roles in the Godzilla film series.-Overview:Takarada was born in Japan-occupied Korea, and lived for a time in Harbin, China. His father worked as an engineer on the South Manchuria Railway...
- Teramoto Tadashi - Kyû Sazanka - Yamaguchi, Chief clerk