The More the Merrier is a movie with a very defined setting for most of its running time. The whole of it takes place in Washington DC just after the US joined hostilities in World War II. Though it was released in '43, it's clearly set in the summer of '42. DC, at the time, was a very crowded place with a severe housing shortage.

This is not your typical murder mystery. It's set in a wartime British hospital. But it's not in the warzone. And it's not in London; it's outside the city limits in the countryside. Unless you're a fan of '40s British cinema, you probably won't recognize the actors. This shouldn't concern you, however, since they're all so well-cast. They fit their roles beautifully, all except the detective. He seems off, but then, he's supposed to seem eccentric. And eccentric is something Alastair Sim does beautifully.

Here, as before, an aging widower marries off a somewhat reluctant daughter. In contrast to Late Spring, however, the focus in this film is not as much on the daughter and her situation as it is on the father and his. Ozu returns to this simple plot in several movies to examine it from different angles. Why a daughter would not want to be married. Why a father would want her to be. How does it affect them both similarly and differently?

The Hope-Crosby Road series is classic, of course, but not as well-known as it ought to be. Like many classics they are honored more by being ignored than by being watched. Which is a shame, really. A lot of young folks might be affronted by their lack of sensitivity to other cultures, but surprised at the meta-jokes and fourth-wall breaking.