In a postwar Japanese tale a widowed father says goodbye to his only daughter.

Tradition dictates she must marry. She wishes to remain with her father whom she loves and is happy with. She does not believe marrying will make her happy or any happier than she already is.

How rare to see such an intimate scene between a father and a daughter  (in 1949 or any other time in cinema).

He must convince her to leave and marry and so he lies by saying he will remarry and she will not need to worry about him in the final stages of his life.

In this quiet and touching scene he tells her:

“Happiness isn’t something you wait around for. It’s something you create yourself… Happiness comes only through effort… No, just be happy. You’ll try won’t you?”

 

— Professor Shukichi Somiya (portrayed by Chishu Ryu) to his daughter Noriko (portrayed Setsuko Hara), from the film Late Spring, 1949, directed by Yasujuro Ozu. British Film Insitute 50 Greatest Films.