Early Summer depicts a Japan in transition. Defeated and occupied by the Americans, the Japanese both cling to their traditional ways and embrace new ideas from their occupiers. How does the movie show this transition? Does this movie make a judgment about the new American influence? Is there a political slant, however subtle, in this film? What does this movie think about baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie?
"Early Summer" is a film that explores the changing cultural landscape of Japan in the aftermath of World War II. The movie portrays a society in transition as the Japanese struggle to maintain their traditional ways while also embracing new ideas and influences from their American occupiers. The film shows this transition through the experiences of the Hirayama family, who are grappling with the changing times in their own lives.
ReplyDeleteThis movie depicts the Hirayama family as a microcosm of Japanese society, with the patriarch, Shoji, embodying traditional Japanese values while his children and grandchildren are more open to embracing new ideas. Shoji's daughter-in-law, Noriko, who is the protagonist of the film, represents the younger generation of Japanese who are more receptive to Western culture. She speaks English fluently and enjoys listening to jazz music, which were both new and foreign concepts in post-war Japan.
The film portrays the American influence on Japanese culture as both positive and negative. On the one hand, the Americans bring new technologies, such as refrigerators and cars, which the directors portrays as desirable and helpful. On the other hand, the film also shows the negative effects of the American occupation, such as the loss of traditional values and the erosion of Japanese culture.
The movie does not take a clear stance on the American influence in Japan, but it does hint at a subtle political slant. There are several scenes in the film that suggest the Japanese are conflicted about the American presence. For example, in one scene, Noriko's father-in-law complains about the American occupation, saying that they are not allowing the Japanese to be themselves. This sentiment is echoed by other characters throughout the movie, suggesting that there is some resentment towards the Americans.
Finally, as for the movie's perspective on baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie, it is difficult to draw any clear conclusions. While these are all the symbols of American culture, they are not portrayed as inherently good or bad. The film does show the Japanese characters enjoying baseball games and eating hot dogs, but it is not presented as a definitive endorsement of American culture.
In conclusion, "Early Summer" is a film that portrays Japan in transition after its defeat in World War II. The movie depicts a society that is grappling with the clash between traditional Japanese values and the new ideas and influences brought by the Americans. While the film does not take a clear stance on the American influence in Japan, it does suggest a subtle political slant and portrays both the positive and negative effects of the American occupation.
ReplyDeleteIn Yasujiro Ozu’s film “Late Summer”, he illustrates Japan accepting its defeat at the end of World War II. Ozu captures traditional aspects of Japanese culture and highlights the new American aspects being introduced to everyday life. Koichi Mamiya and Noriko Mamiya illustrate the contrast between traditional and modern Japanese culture. Koichi is more attached to his traditional values, displayed through his thoughts on Noriko getting married. He believes that she is unmarried due to being too modern and too ‘forward’. Noriko states that she is unmarried more in rebellion to traditional standards and pressures from family and society. Noriko’s friend expresses that she believes Noriko should “live Western style, with a flower garden, listening to Chopin, and in your tiled kitchen you’d have a refrigerator tiled with Coca-Cola…” This is a clear description of what Western culture and life is thought to be like. Her friend describing what she thinks Noriko would like perfectly emphasizes how Western culture has quickly integrated with many parts of Japanese culture. The movie doesn’t explicitly make a judgment about the new American influence, suggesting that American culture has now been incorporated into many parts of Japanese life. This is shown through people enjoying hot dogs, baseball games, and apple pie. The acceptance of the combination of American and Japanese culture accentuates mono no aware in the film as well. Mono no aware, emphasizing the beauty in impermanence and in everyday life as well, is shown through this acceptance. Rather than worrying about the impacts of Western culture, mono no aware teaches to notice beauty in parts of western culture, like apple pies, baseball games, and hot dogs, where traditional Japanese characters would be opposed to western culture.
The film Early Summer shows Japan as a modernist, but very "influenced" nation. The period depicted is during the American government's occupancy of the Japanese islands, something that caused a massive cultural shift from a more traditionalistic and paternalistic view into a more reformed and progressive one. This is shown by in this film, baseball. The movie makes a judgment about the new American influence by showing the change of the population's characters and way of life throughout the film in grandeur, from choosing to marry late and break traditional norms to allowing kids to play baseball.
ReplyDeleteThe film shows the population of Japan being effected by the new American population. As American businesses travelled to Japan to invest and purchase cheap land, but also to export jobs. With the population that travelled to Japan, including GIs who stayed in the islands, the population brought with them American goods - dresses, guns, coke, and baseball. Many Japanese people started to play baseball as a past time as that was one of the sports that was available. Many people bought American goods, such as the main character (woman who refuse to get married in a planned marriage). However, another indirect export was the ideals brought by Americans. The US was a much more progressive nation with a definitely more focus on the rights of women, African Americans, and immigrants. Women in Japan during this period started to become more "liberated", with small cultural norms being changed (arranged marriages, traditional family roles, and women not holding many jobs). Women started to have jobs (which technically started during the war but was boosted by US occupancy) and have more rights, which allows for the main character to marry the person she loves rather than the planned marriage. However, the clearest example is the ending where the girl starts to cry after maintaining an almost manufactured smile throughout the film, which shows that American ideals of allowing more emotions to show socially has been shown. However, definitely parts of traditional Japanese culture is existent, with a strict deference to elders and the strict gender norms of the population, although this was slightly decreased during the US occupancy. All in all, the new American influence created during the intervention era of the US troops in Japan by showing the change of the population's characters and way of life throughout the film in grandeur, from choosing to marry late and break traditional norms to allowing kids to play baseball.