BFI: 32 Ozu Films

[Stefan Andersson]

I seem to remember a poem, in one of Ozu´s late films, that was not translated on an earlier (Tartan?) DVD release. Possibly Equinox Flower (not sure). Any comments re: re-subbing the poem if and when BFI releases the film?

[antnield]

I seem to remember a poem, in one of Ozu´s late films, that was not translated on an earlier (Tartan?) DVD release. Possibly Equinox Flower (not sure). Any comments re: re-subbing the poem if and when BFI releases the film?

When classified by the BBFC in October, the version submitted contained new subtitles, so there's hope.

[Stefan Andersson]

Thanks for fast reply!

[carax09]

God, the Beaver caps of the Ohayo BD just made my day.

[MichaelB]

You were obviously so dazzled that you forgot to supply a link!

[carax09]

It's true! Sorry. Now that my faculties have returned, I notice a little cropping of the right side of the image. It also appears that there is a minute amount of "pinching" that is taking place, although that appears to be a holdover from the shochiku source, or perhaps the Criterion is "smashed" a bit---hard to say.

I can't wait to see this in motion! Bravo!

[Peacock]

Not sure about cropping on the right side, but it does look a little cropped at the top, nothing major though. Despite that tiny niggle, this is one of the best looking Blu-rays i've seen, beautiful!!!

[ambrose]

I Was Born But . . . As expected this is a less felicitous SD transfer than the Eclipse version but considering it is only included as an extra that can be overlooked (perhaps?)

[MichaelB]

...and here's the Beev on Equinox Flower and There Was A Father.

Given the considerable efforts the BFI went to to ensure that the colour palette was as true to Ozu's intentions as was realistically possible to achieve, this comment was especially satisfying:

This was Ozu's first color film and this marks one of the major improvements. Skin tones tell a lot between the Tartan and the 1080P BFI rendering. The BFI has stronger blues and shows more information in the frame. Contrast is superior as well on the hi-def visuals. There is some very consistent grain visible and while not a perfect image - it is, by far, the best we have seen digitally. I was very impressed with the appearance as it was far beyond my expectations.

[ambrose]

I am fairly impressed by the quality of the screen-grabs for There Was A Father by comparison with the quixotic image quality of The Only Son, its also quite satisfying to see a young and gorgeous Chishu Ryu in pristine detail.

[Finch]

The HD upgrade definitely made more sense for There Was A Father and I'm seriously debating whether it's worthwhile to hang on to the Criterion double-bill just for the packaging lovely though it is. Equinox Flower is one of my lesser favourites among Ozu's later works but I look forward to seeing it in HD all the same. Hopefully zavvi will ship my orders while I'm off work next week..

[Michael Kerpan]

Equinox was initially a less favored late Ozu film for me (seen on an ugly VHS tape). When I finally saw the Shochiku DVD, my opinion changed. I think it features one of Tanaka's most winning performances -- and the (proper -- i.e., non-New Yorker and non-Criterion) colors are gorgeous.

[perkizitore]

HMV shipped Good Morning and Equinox Flower today, i hope i will receive them by Saturday.

[Finch]

zavvi shipped one film last week and the other one today. At least one Ozu viewing guaranteed this weekend.

[Finch]

Received Good Morning 3 days ago and Equinox Flower today: sampled both of them and I can't thank the BFI enough; these films look really wonderful in high definition.

edit: I think Brynony Dixon is mistaken when she says that Good Morning was shot in Technicolour. I thought Ozu shot all his films in Agfacolour as opposed to Eastmancolour? Can someone confirm?

[MichaelB]

I'll check with Bryony on Monday, but she's usually pretty on-the-ball when it comes to technical matters - as the BFI's silent film curator, it's a fairly essential requirement of her job!

Also, even a cursory Google suggests that quite a few people think that Ozu shot Good Morning in Technicolor. Most usefully, this lengthy comparison of Equinox Flower and Good Morning explicitly asserts that:

Unlike Equinox Flower, which used Agfacolor (to attain a much more sober look), Ozu made Good Morning in glorious Technicolor.

[Tommaso]

If "Good morning" was made in Technicolor, I'm surprised that it also has that greenish tinge (only judging from the Beaver caps, don't have the disc yet). I always thought that this particular colour leaning was due to the Agfacolor material, as you can also see it in many German films from the 40s and 50s, especially if they're not restored.

[Finch]

Thanks Michael for clearing this up.

[ellipsis7]

Both Richie and Bordwell state the original negative of GOOD MORNING remains in existence, so shouldn't be too hard to establish/confirm...

[MichaelB]

Thanks Michael for clearing this up.

In the interests of balance, I should also say that quite a few other people (including our own Michael Kerpan, who'll doubtless be popping up here before too long) have asserted that Ozu only ever used Agfacolor - and I'm absolutely not claiming any expertise in the subject myself.

[Michael Kerpan]

Bordwell (in Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema) says Ohayo was shot in Agfa-Shochikucolor. The Shochiku Films website just says "color" (no specifics).

JMDB says: アグファカラー (i.e. Agfacolor)

P.S. Just for the heck of it, I also watched the opening credits section of the film -- as expected, no mention of anything other than crew and cast.

No help, but here's a link to, what looks like Shochiku's original trailer (with subs)

[MichaelB]

The Digital Fix on the Equinox Flower/There Was a Father Blu-ray.

[MichaelB]

OK, hopefully this will clear up the Good Morning colour issue.

First of all, the booklet is indeed incorrect, so apologies for that: the film was definitely shot in Afgacolor. The three-strip Technicolor process had been phased out by the mid-1950s (along with cellulose nitrate stock), due to the high cost of production and processing - so by the time Ozu belatedly started shooting in colour, he was faced with a choice between single-strip systems, and he favoured Agfacolor over Eastmancolor. The fact that Good Morning was shot on Agfacolor negative stock was definitively verified by David Bordwell in his book Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema - though it's highly possible that prints in Europe may have been produced in Technicolor's labs, which may be where the misapprehension arose.

As for the alleged green colour cast, the discs' technical producer has this to say:

As Ozu produced both Equinox Flower and Good Morning in Agfacolor so closely together, they would both have a similar look and feel, although the elements from both films would be subject to individual storage and fading issues, which would affect colour somewhat. Our HD master for Good Morning was transferred from the best available source material - in this case the original 35mm Interpositive - and as such reflects the colour present in that element. We have not made any attempt to push this or any of our Ozu titles in an overly green direction, just work to a palette we feel is the best appropriation of Ozu's original colour scheme, which has often been brightened up, over-saturated or pushed to Western standards for colour films on past DVD releases.

I also checked with the guy I cited a few posts back, and he said that his source for the Technicolor claim was here. I've emailed to request a correction.

[Finch]

Again, Michael, much appreciated.

[Michael Kerpan]

Perhaps some of the misunderstanding arises from the fact that the (dreadful) Criterion DVD of Good Morning made the film LOOK like a (rather bad) Technicolor production. ;~