Yasujiro Ozu's final film is also his final masterpiece, the gently heartbreaking story of a man's dignified resignation to both life's ever-shifting currents and society's gradual modernization. Though widower Shuhei Hirayama (Ozu's frequent leading man Chishu Ryu) has been living comfortably for years with his grown daughter, a series of events leads him to accept and encourage her marriage and departure. As elegantly composed and achingly tender as any of the Japanese master's films, An Autumn Afternoon (Sanna no aji) is one of cinema's fondest farewells.
Supplements
New audio commentary featuring David Bordwell, author of Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema
Excerpts from "Yasujiro Ozu and the Taste of Sake," a 1978 French television program looking back on Ozu's career, featuring film critic Michel Ciment
Theatrical trailer
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring new essays by film scholars Geoff Andrew and Donald Richie
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