BFI: 32 Ozu Films

[MichaelB]

One question as to GM -- 2K or 4K transfer?

It's an HD master - 24fps, 1080p. Sorry, but that's all that's really feasible - the BFI only has the rights to a single territory, which in turn is significantly smaller than Criterion's market, so economic realism has to come into play here.

Basically, this is the same situation as with Playtime the other day - yes, it would be wonderful if that film was turned into an 8K scan (or even 6K, at a pinch) from the 65mm negative, just as it would be great if Good Morning had a full-scale restoration leading to a 4K master. But both these decisions are ultimately down to the holder of the world rights.

[Michael Kerpan]

One can dream ....

(But thanks for finding this out for us).

[Peacock]

So i'm guessing Equinox Flower, Good Morning and There Was a Father will be Blu, with IWBB SD?

[ambrose]

So for some reason while all of ozu's postwar films will receive an high-definition presentation it appears that the BFI will be more selective as to which of his prewar films will receive the same treatment. This can not be totally down to the quality of the available prints as The only son's HD transfer demonstrated?.( I hope this does not come across as a rant,if so i preemptively apologize.)

[MichaelB]

So for some reason while all of ozu's postwar films will receive an high-definition presentation it appears that the BFI will be more selective as to which of his prewar films will receive the same treatment. This can not be totally down to the quality of the available prints as The only son's HD transfer demonstrated?.( I hope this does not come across as a rant,if so i preemptively apologize.)

From a production/budgeting perspective all the supporting features count as extras. Which means that if an HD master is available (as was the case with The Only Son), that's great - but the BFI can't afford to create a new one from scratch.

And because the vast majority of existing HD masters cover the postwar features (thanks to Shochiku and Criterion), that's why a similar bias will be reflected in the BFI's releases.

[ambrose]

I wonder what the chances are of Dragnet Girl eventually receiving a HD release, as far i can determine the current panorama release of this film is sourced from a fairly decent print?(in comparison to some of panorama's other ozu's Dragnet Girl is practically pristine.)

[Peacock]

But remember, it's not the print, it's the digital master used which counts, I doubt Panorama made HD masters of any of their titles, so we just have to hope Criterion or Shochiku have, which seems unlikely for that title sadly..

[zedz]

The Panorama releases were just Shochiku ports (some better than others), so we're back where we started. Another factor in play, but who knows how, is that Criterion will be presumably working on releasing several of the unreleased Ozus, and their transfer work might coincide with the BFI project, with the consequence that an SD Criterion release could sneak out in HD via the BFI (as with The Only Son). Otherwise, I wouldn't hold out much hope for HD silents, since the existing transfers for them are getting rather old now.

[Michael Kerpan]

At one point, if I recall correctly, I Was Born But was rumored as a main-line Criterion release (just like Only Son) ....

[Finch]

Jason Bellamy and Ed Howard look at An Autumn Afternoon in the latest part of their Conversations - well worth a read!

[aox]

At one point, if I recall correctly, I Was Born But was rumored as a main-line Criterion release (just like Only Son)

Yes, and I believe some people were angry when it was relegated to the Eclipse line.

[ellipsis7]

At one point, if I recall correctly, I Was Born But was rumored as a main-line Criterion release (just like Only Son)

Yes, and I believe some people were angry when it was relegated to the Eclipse line.

I always thought the Eclipse disc looked as if it had some digital cleanup work on the film, compared to the other two in the set, which might be the case if originally intended for the Criterion line...

[Michael Kerpan]

Jason Bellamy and Ed Howard look at An Autumn Afternoon in the latest part of their Conversations - well worth a read!

Interesting -- but amazing that there is so little recognition of the fact that this is (overall) a remarkably humorous film. ;~}

[ambrose]

Jason Bellamy and Ed Howard look at An Autumn Afternoon in the latest part of their Conversations - well worth a read!

Interesting -- but amazing that there is so little recognition of the fact that this is (overall) a remarkably humorous film.

Jason Bellamy's and Ed Howard's discussion ploughs the same old and rather tired theoretical furrow of whether Ozu was primarily a formalist (the contention of Mr.Bellamy) or both a formalist and a humanist (Mr. Howard) while ignoring ,as Mr.Kerpan quite rightly pointed out, the humour of this film. After all Ozu's apprenticeship was with a nansensu (nonsense comedy) director.

[antnield]

Play.com and MovieMail have started to list the two January double-bills, no doubt other e-tailers will follow suit shortly.

[ambrose]

Play.com and MovieMail have started to list the two January double-bills, no doubt other e-tailers will follow suit shortly.

I have just searched the MovieMail site antnield and i can't find the January releases listed anywhere,could you provide a link to the page in question or perhaps a link to Play.com?.

[MichaelB]

Good Morning/I Was Born But...
MovieMail
Play.com
Amazon.co.uk

Equinox Flower/There Was a Father
MovieMail
Play.com
Amazon.co.uk

[antnield]

Cover art for Good Morning/I Was Born But...



Cover art for Equinox Flower/There Was a Father

[Michael Kerpan]

No definitive word yet on whether IWBB is HD?

[MichaelB]

No definitive word yet on whether IWBB is HD?

Sadly, it's SD only...
...but the other three will be in HD - i.e. including There Was A Father.

[Michael Kerpan]

Even if you are the bearer of disappointing news. Thanks for the info, MichaelB. ;~}

[Knappen]

Sorry to bring up some strictly technical stuff, but.... All the three Ozy blus freeze in my player after the BFI logo has shown up! I haven't had any similar experiences with other discs, and BFI's The Edge of the World plays without any trouble. I have upgraded the firmware on this cheap no-brand player, but maybe there's some sort of Java programming or whatever in the menu that stops things up?

[MichaelB]

Full specs announced:

More Yasujiro Ozu Dual Format Edition releases
from the BFI on 17 January

Equinox Flower (Higanbana) & There Was a Father (Chichi ariki)

Yasujiro Ozu’s first colour film, Equinox Flower, is a deft comedy that takes an ironic glance at the decline of paternal authority. Shin Saburi plays Wataru Hirayama, an old-fashioned father whose outwardly liberal views on marriage are severely tested when his daughter tells him she wants a love-match. Outwitted and outflanked by his wily female relatives, Hirayama stubbornly refuses to admit defeat. The director’s playful use of colour, poetry and arch humour combine to make this tale of old versus new at once deeply moving and razor-sharp.

Paternal authority is unquestionably ascendant in Ozu’s powerful war-time drama There Was a Father which is included here. Shuhei Horikawa (Chishu Ryu) sacrifices his teaching career after an unfortunate accident but refuses to sacrifice the education of his only son.

Special features

- Standard Definition and High Definition presentations of Equinox Flower and There Was a Father (DVD & Blu-ray);
- Fully illustrated booklet with newly commissioned sleevenote essays by Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns;
- New and improved English subtitles

Cat. No. BFIB1070, region B, RRP £19.99
Japan / 1959 + 1932 / colour + black and white / Japanese language, English subtitles / 94 mins + 87 mins / Cert U / Original aspect ratio 1.33:1
Disc 1: BD25 / 1080p / 24fps / PCM mono audio (48k/16-bit)
Disc 2: DVD9 / PAL / Dolby Digital mono audio (320kbps)

Good Morning (Oyaho) & I Was Born, But... (Umarete wa mita keredo)

A bright Tokyo suburb buzzing with gossip is the backdrop to Ozu’s cheerful comedy, Good Morning. Disillusioned with the seemingly meaningless talk of the adults around them, two brothers take a vow of silence when their parents refuse to buy them a television. With a dexterously woven plot, built on mishaps and misunderstandings, Good Morning pokes fun at the silliness of everyday chatter whilst gently acknowledging its fundamental necessity.

Also included here is Ozu’s superb early comedy I Was Born, But... The forerunner of Good Morning, this silent masterpiece contains many similar themes but a darker edge. As brothers Ryoichi and Keiji struggle to outwit the local bully and scale the pecking order in their new neighbourhood, they find out that injustice does not end with school.

Special features

- Standard Definition and High Definition presentations of Good Morning;
- Standard Definition presentation of I Was Born, But... (DVD only);
- Newly recorded score for I Was Born, But... by composer Ed Hughes and the New Music Players;
- Illustrated booklet with newly commissioned sleevenote essay by silent film curator Bryony Dixon and contemporary review by Jonathan Rosenbaum;
- New and improved English subtitles

Cat. No. BFIB1071, region B, RRP £19.99
Japan / 1958 + 1942 / colour + black and white / Japanese language, English subtitles / 118 mins + 87 mins / Cert U / Original aspect ratio 1.33:1
Disc 1: BD50 / 1080p / 24fps / PCM mono audio (48k/16-bit)
Disc 2: DVD9 / PAL / Dolby Digital mono audio (320kbps)

[Finch]

Newly recorded score for I Was Born, But... by composer Ed Hughes and the New Music Players

Not a fan of silent film music but this has got to be better than the Sosin score on the Criterion.

[Tommaso]

The Sosin score wasn't even bad, but a different score makes the double-dip easier in any case.