One of many great movies by Ozu, this is an apparently simple comedy (a comedy that puts a smile on your face rather than guffaws of laughter) but with depths of feeling and sadness that are, as always with Ozu movies, so unexpected. Although not by any means a 'major' or 'serious' movie, its full of touches that show what a masterly director he was.

Arranged marriages have a bad name for many people - I was very surprised on a recent trip to Kyoto to be told that they are still quite common - but this is a movie that shows that they are as full of the complexities and pitfalls of conventional romance. The story revolves around the clumsy attempts of three well meaning men to help out the wife of their late friend by acting as matchmakers for his daughter. Its complicated by the fact that all three of them were in love with the mother in their early years - unsurprising as the mother is played by the always luminous Setsuko Hara. The daughter is less than impressed by the matchmaking, especially when the men decide to set up one of their number with her mother.

The plot is in many ways very similar to Ozu's wonderful 'Late Spring', which starred many of the same actors. But while Late Spring was full of thematic richness and drama, this movie is a lot simpler, but is equally bitter sweet at the end. The happiness of the older characters at marrying off the younger generation is matched with an awareness of the loneliness of old age. Its also worth noting that the usual imaginative Ozu camera angles in this movie are matched with gorgeous colour and lovely set design.

One point of interest for this movie is that it was clearly intended as a crowd pleaser. For those who think that Ozu is too 'arty', this movie shows why he was hugely popular with ordinary cinema-goers in Japan and remains so to this day. His simple stories resonated deeply with Japanese people at a time of great change, but his genius is in the universality of these movies - they have never truly dated, the are as insightful and fascinating as ever.

In summary, this is not a movie in itself that will convince the doubtful about Ozu's right to be considered one of the all time great directors, but it is a delightful movie for any cinema lover (or for that matter, anyone interested in Japanese culture) to enjoy.

If you have never seen a film by Yasujiro Ozu, you may have difficulty adjusting to his restrained and subtle handling of emotions; identifying Ozu as a director not known for action-packed narrative is massive understatement, as his films reflect a less hectic time and an ancient culture slowly coming to terms with change.

On the surface, this film is simply about the separation occurring as a daughter marries and a parent is left behind. With Ozu, however, carefully and consistently arranging composition, with gentle humor and a quiet observation of the human condition, there is much to be gained from reflection, from watching people realistically and patiently coming to terms with change. No one screams and throws dishes, no one bleeds copiously or falls out of a window, no one even runs across the street. My grandmother used to say "possess your soul in patience," and that said, a viewer may need to do just that with Late Autumn; the willing viewer will be amply rewarded with this amazing examination of calm resignation in the face of a life change

Yasujiro Ozu was nearing the end of his nearly 35 year career, and a mostly great career it was too, when he did 1960's 'Late Autumn'. In fact he only did two films after. Those being 1961's 'The End of Summer' and his swansong 1962's 'An Autumn Afternoon' (one of the best swansongs in my opinion from any director), before his untimely death the following year aged just 60. His best films were amazing, and even when he was not at his peak he fared better than most.

'Late Autumn' is not one of Ozu's best films in my view and just slightly misses the extra something that his best work has. Do much prefer 'An Autumn Afternoon', 'Late Spring' and especially 'Tokyo Story', three of his justifiably acclaimed films. When saying that 'Late Autumn' is not one of his best, that is not meaning in any way that it is not a good film. Actually thought that it was still very good, with plenty of what makes his work so impressive evident.

Story-wise, 'Late Autumn' is very slight and somewhat over-familiar territory. It is not much different to what has been seen before with Ozu, being the third film of his to have the arranged marriage theme done a little more insightfully the previous times, and the early scenes drag a bit.

Also thought that some of the male roles were not developed enough and that they were not particularly interesting, outside of being well acted.

There is so much to love about 'Late Autumn' though. The female roles are far more interesting and quite meaty, again feeling real and not stock stereotypes and in situations that are relatable in any day and age. The mother and daughter relationship is very touchingly handled. Although the story is slight and not always perfect in pacing, it is also still very charming and has emotional impact and a sincere humanity. All the acting is great, especially from Setsuko Hara and Yoko Tsucksa bringing a lot of determined heart to their parts. Chishu Ryu excels in a role he always played beautifully.

Have no issues with the script either, which is very thoughtful, gently amusing, sly and heartfelt. Or with the sensitive direction from Ozu, which is also very clever visually. The style is very unmistakably him, complete with some clever transitions. Also nearly forgot to mention that 'Late Autumn' is quite interesting structurally, structured as blocks of linked scenes. The music matches the gentle and sometimes sly mood of the film.

Overall, very good. 8/10