Prolific filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu finished strong, directing at least one movie annually during his final seven years. Following his critically acclaimed and commercially successful Tokyo Story (Tôkyô monogatari) are stories that continue to examine post war family life in Japan and the resulting generational conflicts, but these films are told primarily from the perspective of the younger generation. Before this month (June, 2007) only Floating Weeds (Ukigusa) and Good Morning (Ohayô) have been available on DVD, but now the Criterion Collection has blessed film lovers with its Late Ozu box set in its Eclipse Series—Ozu's other five films from 1956-62. Leading off is Early Spring (Shoshun), offering an existential critique of industrial working class life.

From the opening seconds Ozu fans find themselves at home with a familiar sequence of establishing shots—horizontal and vertical lines composed of a billboard, housing, factory smoke stacks, power lines, and the inevitable commuter train. We soon follow a number of working class people getting ready for the work day as they gather in mass on the platform for the train and head to the factory in scenes reminiscent of Chaplin's opening Modern Times montage. Ozu provides a much more serious multi-layered assessment of Japan's white-collar lifestyle. Not only do the anonymous workers stream down streets to catch their appointed trains while buses dart about and gather waiting commuters like Pac-Man, but the work life itself is portrayed in unflattering vignettes.

"I hate my job," says middle aged Kiichi Onodera (veteran actor Chishu Ryu), and this sentiment is echoed widely. When a bar owner expresses his joy at not having to join the monotonous rush hour commute, he tempers his "good fortune" by reminding his patrons that he too is "enslaved" by economic necessity—his "salary" is paid by his customers, so he must cater to their wishes.

Protagonist Shoji Sugiyama (Ryo Ikebe) is a low level salaried employee at the Toa Fire-Brick Company in Tokyo. Without any special skills he seems to do little at work besides shuffle papers, take lunch breaks, and talk with supervisors. His home life also has deteriorated into disillusioned monotony—romance has disappeared and the death of an infant has further challenged the young couple. To relieve the boredom, Shoji spends more time away from home playing mahjong, meeting friends and coworkers in bars, or other outings. His wife Masako (Chikage Awashima) doesn't participate, rationalizing that this is little more than a waste of time and money, yet she begins to worry that her husband may stray.

Her fears are well-founded, as a coquettish working girl nicknamed Goldfish (Keiko Kishi) openly flirts with Shoji. This eventually leads to an extramarital affair, triggering office gossip and sparking more intense conflicts between Shoji and his wife and within Shoji himself.

Ozu's sympathizes with the younger generation, illustrating how pointless their lives of quiet desperation have become—about as dark as he gets. Without specific skills, Shoji feels trapped and does whatever is necessary to avoid being fired. Another co-worker is depressed because his wife has just become pregnant, and all he can see ahead are years of barely scraping by. Even though envied by others for their steady work and paychecks, the "salarymen" find little satisfaction. They muse that people who died in the war or die young are the real lucky ones; their suffering is over.

Oppressive corporate work and the impersonal nature of Tokyo lead to an unending string of trivial pursuits, banal conversations, and loneliness. Only when Shoji accepts a transfer to small town does he regain his bearings—with nothing to do and no friends to hang around, he turns to reading and reconciliation with his wife. Tokyo lies just a short train ride away, but hopes for happiness reside in rural Japan in Early Spring.

Note: Other movies included in the Eclipse box set:

Tokyo Twilight
Equinox Flower
Late Autumn
End of Summer, The