--- title: "An Autumn Afternoon: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/an-autumn-afternoon/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/an-autumn-afternoon" critics_score: 85 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # An Autumn Afternoon (1962): what the critics said Critics' score 85 from 11 reviews: 9 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics receive Ozu’s final film with something close to reverence. The reviews describe it as mellow, tender and sad, with the familiar story of a widower marrying off his daughter carrying extra weight for being the last time Ozu told it. The praise clusters on tone: melancholy cut with dry, ironic humour, and a family drama in which father and daughter each give something up for the other. The colour also draws notice, a muted palette broken by careful splashes of red. The spread is narrow, with no outright dissent. Slant Magazine is the coolest, finding a work of bemused resignation rather than tragedy, though it admires the hard-edged visual style. Eye for Film calls it touching but not among Ozu’s most memorable. The Evening Standard, at the other end, ranks it alongside Tokyo Story, and The New Yorker adds a note others pass over: that beneath the melancholy sits pointed social criticism of postwar nostalgia. ## Time Out — TJ Rating 5/5. The review calls Ozu’s final film a movingly valedictory affair. It says the familiar story of a widower marrying off his daughter carries added poignancy. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/an-autumn-afternoon) ## Total Film — Philip Kemp Rating 5/5. 12 May 2014. Kemp describes the film as mellow, rich in ironic humour, and gently melancholy. He praises its variations on Ozu’s themes of marriage and inter-generational tension, while noting its view of loneliness as universal. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/an-autumn-afternoon-review/) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Rating A. 1 October 2008. Phipps regards Ozu’s final film as an affecting, bittersweet meditation on change. He praises Ozu’s ability to make everyday images and family transitions newly resonant. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/an-autumn-afternoon-1798204938) ## Evening Standard — Derek Malcolm Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2014. Malcolm regards Ozu’s final film as the work of a master and equal to Tokyo Story. He praises its poignant, humorous portrayal of family life and its universal resonance. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/going-out/derek-malcolm-recommends-an-autumn-afternoon-9376295.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2014. Bradshaw regards Ozu’s final film as exquisitely tender and sad, a superbly composed family drama. He especially praises its delicate depiction of family burdens and the father and daughter’s painful mutual sacrifices. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/may/15/an-autumn-afternoon-review) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). The critic regards Ozu’s final film as one of his most moving works, balancing emotional force with wry humour. They single out its subtly muted palette and occasional splashes of red for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/a514f586-80d2-5ce9-ae1a-44a210fab6fe/an-autumn-afternoon) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 June 2010. Brody presents the film as humane and politically incisive, with a tender understanding of its characters. He singles out its blend of melancholy and social criticism, especially in its treatment of postwar nostalgia. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/dvd-of-the-week-an-autumn-afternoon) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 1973. Canby presents the film as a profound work and a fitting final film from Ozu. The accessible headline offers no further detail about what the review singles out. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/08/archives/screen-a-profound-japanese-film-an-autumn-afternoon-was-ozus-last.html) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. The available page text provides no review details. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-an-autumn-afternoon-1962) ## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson Rating 3/5. 28 September 2008. Henderson sees Ozu’s final film as a quietly affecting work of bemused resignation rather than a tragedy. He especially praises the increasingly precise, hard-edged visual style and its carefully balanced use of color. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/an-autumn-afternoon-dvd/) ## Eye for Film — Merlin Harries Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 28 February 2007. The critic finds the film touching and thought-provoking, though not among Ozu’s most memorable works. They praise its warmth and poignant depiction of the bond between father and daughter amid social change. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/an-autumn-afternoon-film-review-by-merlin-harries) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/an-autumn-afternoon.md