Tokyo Story v Late Spring

I'm ashamed to admit, I'm just discovering Ozu, especially since I was told I'd love his films years ago. I saw Tokyo Story months ago and Late Spring tonight. Tokyo Story blew me away in every sense, but it's a devastating film. Late Spring blew me away, because it's nearly perfect, which I can honestly say, I've only said about a handful of films (oddly, few are my favorites). Late Spring is done in such a way, that it says everything it has to and not a single word more. In the history of cinema, there are so few films that do this. It touches on culture, the times, the change, the individual and the family, then on top of that, all of the emotions. Then of course, like Tokyo Story, it completely takes our breath away in the final scene.

While Late Spring hasn't fully sunk in yet, I think Tokyo Story is a better all around movie. It tugs you in so many ways and draws out emotions throughout, whereas Late Spring seems to show constraint, allowing it all to flow in the final moments. The levity in Late Spring also adds to the human aspect, whereas the lack of such scenes in Tokyo Story increases the impact, but brings our own emotions into play and depending on each of our lives, changes how we view each character.

While I'm new to Ozu, I'm drawn to his cuts and I refuse to believe that they are arbitrary as so many insist. The shots of trees, still at first and then waving seem to be such a symbol of Noriko's attitudes and the use of clocks early on, then the lack of them towards the end, seem telling. Maybe I've read into it much to much, but every scene seems so deliberate, I can't believe these cuts are not by design.