The legendary director Kazuo Ishiguro called his “favourite filmmaker of all time”
A recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, novelist Kazuo Ishiguro has been at the forefront of the literary world for a while now. Known for his mesmerising works such as The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, Ishiguro has often ventured into different genre frameworks while crafting his sublime narratives. Earning praise from fans and critics alike, his writings have inspired many readers to think about the world around them in new ways.
While his literary influences have been widely discussed, Ishigruo has often drawn inspiration from other art forms as well. In addition to the brilliant songwriting of artists like Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, the British novelist has also been deeply moved by cinema. During a conversation with Criterion, he opened up about the cinematic pioneers who have influenced him the most – ranging from Stanley Kubrick to Jean-Pierre Melville.
The list contains the directors he looks up to the most, including Akira Kurosawa whose film Ikiru was recently remade by Ishiguro and Oliver Hermanus. However, there’s one particular auteur he considers to be his “favourite filmmaker of all time”. That person is none other than Yasujirō Ozu, the director who is hailed as one of the most important figures in the Golden Period of Japanese cinema, alongside Kurosawa and Kenji Mizoguchi.
Ishiguro said: “I had to choose something by Ozu, who is probably my favourite filmmaker of all time. The father-daughter relationship at the heart of Late Spring is something that Ozu returned to several times, and it’s a subject that surprisingly isn’t dealt with in cinema very much. The film is about the generosity that’s required for a parent to let go of a beloved child, which is something all parents have to do if they care about their children’s happiness.”
The novelist added: “Ozu typically tells these stories from the point of view of the father, usually played by Chishu Ryu, a great actor who reminds me of Bill Nighy. The father in Late Spring is faced with ageing in isolation and loneliness, but he nevertheless makes a great effort to push his daughter into marriage because he knows that’s the way to secure her happiness. Love isn’t just about two people meeting on a train and deciding to get married; it’s also about things like this. People often have to make real sacrifices for the people they love, and all of Ozu’s deepest films touch on that.”
Ozu’s most celebrated masterpieces explored the human condition in truly moving ways, creating potent visual representations of the fragile relationships we build with the people in our lives and our own worlds. Late Spring is undoubtedly among his finest achievements, featuring Setsuko Hara in one of the greatest roles of her illustrious career.
Watch the trailer below.
