Early Summer

Name: Early Summer
Genre: Drama
Released: 1951-10-03
Duration: 2 h 5 min
Rating: 7.9
Cast: Setsuko Hara, Chishū Ryū, Chikage Awashima, Kuniko Miyake, Ichirō Sugai

1951·Movie·NR·125 min·★ 7.9(207)

Drama More Japanese titles

In postwar Tokyo, Noriko lives with her extended family. Although she enjoys her career and her social life, her more traditional family worries about her single marital status at the advanced age of 28. 40-year-old business associate Takako proposes, Noriko's family press her into accepting, but when her widowed childhood friend Kenkichi returns to the neighborhood, she finds her heart leading in another direction.

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Where to watch Early Summer in United States

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Click a service to open Early Summer there. Availability last verified on June 20, 2026.

Where is Early Summer streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel, HBO Max	Apple TV Store
United Kingdom	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Canada	Criterion Channel	—
France	—	LaCinetek
Spain	Acontra Plus, Acontra Plus Amazon Channel	Acontra Plus
Japan	Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, U-NEXT, Plus Shochiku Amazon Channel	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies

About Early Summer

Early Summer is a 1951 Japanese-language drama film directed by Yasujirō Ozu. The cast is led by Setsuko Hara, Chishū Ryū, Chikage Awashima. It has a runtime of 2h 5m. Viewers rate it 7.9/10 across 200 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel.

Early Summer was produced by Shochiku and Shochiku Ofuna Film Studio and made in Japan. It was released on October 3, 1951, and carries a NR certification.

Director: Yasujirō Ozu
Writers: Yasujirō Ozu, Kōgo Noda
Release date: October 3, 1951
Original language: Japanese
Age rating: NR
Status: Released
Country: Japan
Production: Shochiku, Shochiku Ofuna Film Studio

#marriage proposal#family relationships#matchmaking#tokyo, japan#post world war ii#post war japan#family issues#unmarried woman

Early Summer cast & crew

Early Summer was directed by Yasujirō Ozu and written by Yasujirō Ozu and Kōgo Noda.

The cast features Setsuko Hara as Noriko Mamiya, Chishū Ryū as Koichi Mamiya, Chikage Awashima as Aya Tamura, Kuniko Miyake as Fumiko Mamiya, Ichirō Sugai as Shukichi Mamiya, and Chieko Higashiyama as Shige Mamiya.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Senji Ito, cinematography is by Yûharu Atsuta, and it was produced by Takeshi Yamamoto.

Is Early Summer worth watching?

Early Summer holds an audience score of 7.9/10 from 207 ratings, marking it as well-reviewed drama films.

At 2h 5m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy drama, Early Summer is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch Early Summer

In United States, you can stream Early Summer on HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel, and HBO Max, or rent and buy it on Apple TV Store. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.