446 An Autumn Afternoon

[Perkins Cobb]

Gary the Beaver

I wonder if he's rethinking that URL right about now....

[Matango]

That's a tricky one - Criterion do not officially recognise non-US (& Canada) customers - so will not mail you a replacement in Spain, or anywhere outside North America for that matter... You could contact your retailer and ask them to obtain a replacement for you, or alternatively get a friend living in the States to request a replacement booklet from Criterion sent to their address, from where they can pass it on to you....

It's worth a try. They've sent me stuff to Hong Kong before, including the Rohmer resized box, and have just agreed to send me a new Autumn Afternoon booklet. The only thing they wouldn't send was a missing Elevator to the Gallows booklet. I guess because that was not a widespread/systematic mistake/problem.

[Jack Phillips]

With all due respect, ellipsis, I would submit that Ozu's fondness for reds would never have led him to portray Japanese men with pink skin.

The reds in the Shochiku release are varied and gorgeous. And the people are not pink-skinned.

Further we can say that the best examples of Ozu color films on DVD are Toho's End of Summer, Daiei's Floating Weeds, and Shochiku's Equinox Flower. All three display thrilling reds; none present actors with pink skin tones.

[ellipsis7]

Jack Phillips, you clearly are misled... Repeat, there are no primarily pink flesh tones in the Criterion AUTUMN AFTERNOON disc... Period!... I have the evidence of my own eyes... Adjust your set, buy a pair of spectacles etc....

If you prefer another transfer, good and well, but stop repeating the pink fallacy... Do you really think Criterion are so off their game to portray pink people in Japan?... In fact their transfer, when screened properly is very subtle and sensitive indeed... It was only when I viewed the actual disc (rather than the screen captures) that I really appreciated what they have achieved...

I quite understand people preferring the transfer they have in their hand, and not wanting to double dip...

Anyway this argument is getting quite boring.... It's actually great AUTUMN AFTERNOON is available in so many editions, and in pretty decent condition throughout...

[Finch]

Have to side with ellipsis here: viewing the actual disc on a 50-inch plasma with the colour settings at their default level, I didn't see any pink skin tones either and feel that Criterion's transfer of this film achieves a natural balance in terms of colour. Yes, it's a pity they didn't fix the errors in the first reel (and their insistence on pictureboxing almost all their 1.33:1 transfers except for some Eclipse titles still sucks) but otherwise, how can anyone find fault with this release? I can understand criticism of some of the Eclipse transfers but AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON was a pleasant surprise for me (and superior to Tartan's disc). Judging by the screengrabs Michael provided of the Japanese disc, the Criterion looks to my eyes only marginally more saturated but still aesthetically pleasing. If you really want to see an extreme example of oversaturation and pink-tanned characters, how about Artisan's transfer of Twin Peaks Season One? Now that's distracting.

[manicsounds]

I emailed Criterion directly, and told them about the missing pages and how I lived overseas. They told me that they would send me a new booklet, and it's on its way.

[manicsounds]

I received the new booklet from Criterion, received it quite promptly in this package

Funny to see what the Wacky C people wrote on the customs slip:

Criterion wanted to let me know that there was nothing pornographic within the missing pages of the booklet.

I'll have to beat Domino H to it, but should I have been expecting
Pornozu?

[Steven H]

Tamara is teasing you. Subtly.

[Matango]

Booklet just arrived from CC here in Hong Kong. A little beaten up, and with no porn disclaimer. Good service.

[Adam]

I received the new booklet from Criterion, received it quite promptly in this package

Funny to see what the Wacky C people wrote on the customs slip:

Criterion wanted to let me know that there was nothing pornographic within the missing pages of the booklet.

I'll have to beat Domino H to it, but should I have been expecting
Pornozu?

Actually, Criterion is not letting you know; they are letting customs know. It's an irritating custom for customs in the US for media, that one is supposed to assert that nothing pornographic is contained, but usually it's done for video tapes & DVDs, not a few pages.

[GringoTex]

What a beautifully resigned film. It's drenched in spirits. Was Ozu an alcoholic?

[Jack Phillips]

Maybe. But Japan's is a drinking culture.

[Michael Kerpan]

First peek at the Criterion DVD (and a look back at the Shochiku one).

I like the colors on the Shochiku one more, though the Criterion (and the reds, in particular, look better). At least, AA is better than the Eclipse Equinox Flower in this respect. Possibly more worrying -- an overly heavy hand on contrast boosting (which makes flickering look worse than on the Shochiku and makes the image look more "harsh" than the Shochiku). On the other hand, it did not seem to be as glitchy in the first 10 minutes as the Shochiku -- but I need a team of observers to do comparative viewing (as a timely or untimely blink can easily make these glitches disappear).

The first 15 minutes of Bordwell's commentary sounded very fine.

P.S. Rewatched -- Still a good number of glitches in the first 10 minutes or so -- so I'm not sure if there has been any improvement or not in this area.

[Jack Phillips]

The first 15 minutes of Bordwell's commentary sounded very fine.

With minor reservations, I'd say it's fine throughout. There is a moment late in the film where his analysis of the montage is especially revealing.

[Michael Kerpan]

The first 15 minutes of Bordwell's commentary sounded very fine.

With minor reservations, I'd say it's fine throughout. There is a moment late in the film where his analysis of the montage is especially revealing.

I only sampled the first 15 minutes. The rest will probably have to wait until I've made it through the Mizoguchi Eclipse set.

Other than checking the integrity of my booklet, I've not looked at any other extras. (My booklet was fine). ;~}

If only this had looked as good as "Late Autumn" ...

[Jack Phillips]

If only this had looked as good as "Late Autumn"

"Late Autumn" has it's problems, though. Even the Shochiku has an odd, harsh look to it. To my mind, the gold standard is the Toho "End of Summer."

[sidehacker]

Was Ozu an alcoholic?

Yes.

[Michael Kerpan]

Was Ozu an alcoholic?

Yes.

He certainly liked to drink. Does that necessarily make him an "alcoholic" as the term is used medically/psychologically. I don't think this is all that clear.

[sidehacker]

I meant this without the slightest bit of disrespect, but I always assumed it was implied that he was an alcoholic towards the very end of his career/life. Maybe my definition of an alcoholic isn't as specific as others, though.

On a sort of a similar note:

[King Prendergast]

What could we say about An Autumn Afternoon vis-a-vis Deleuze?

[domino harvey]

Is that an improv prompt?

[King Prendergast]

Is that an improv prompt?

I'm thinking specifically of the Deleuze of Cinema II: The Time Image... i.e. how does Ozu treat the passage of time?

[HerrSchreck]

What could we say about An Autumn Afternoon vis-a-vis Deleuze?

What would YOU say about An Autumn Afternoon vis-a-vis Deleuze?

[Knappen]

Haha

[jsteffe]

Is that an improv prompt?

I'm thinking specifically of the Deleuze of Cinema II: The Time Image... i.e. how does Ozu treat the passage of time?

He discusses Ozu on p. 247. Moi, je préférais la défenestration.