Cinema Guild

[artfilmfan]

Thank you.

I have the unsubbed Japanese DVD; but this CG release is very tempting.

[Michael Kerpan]

The long-ago unsubbed Japanese DVD was really surprisingly quite low-quality. The version that was on the Criterion Channel looked MUCH better.

[artfilmfan]

The unsubbed Japanese DVD that I have is the one from long ago. You are making it harder for me to resist the temptation to buy this CG release, Michael.

[Michael Kerpan]

As I recall it was released by some really minor label. The scenes from the dream climax did not look awful, but the more ordinary life stuff looked pretty grotty.

[artfilmfan]

I watched the unsubbed DVD probably only once, on a 20-in CRT TV years ago. It didn’t look too bad on such a small-screen TV. But I remember I liked the movie a lot. This was around the time, or soon after, my discovery of the films of Ozu and Naruse. So, for it to stand out like that, it must be a very good film. That was my opinion of this movie then. Michael, your subtle persuasion has been fairly effective so far. I think I’ll revisit the DVD, with the low expectation on the picture quality on a large-screen TV, and let the movie itself do the final persuasion.

By the way, I’ve always felt that this movie/film would look amazing on a high definition TV, especially if it has been restored.

[Finch]

I put an order in too for the Moving UHD. Crazy that CG are offering it for 50% off during the pre-order period. I hope it sells strongly enough for them to consider releasing The Friends.