BFI: 32 Ozu Films

[MichaelB]

I'm just cranky because if we're looking at two releases every six to nine months it'll be years before we get to the really obscure stuff.

Well, since one release = two features, it won't take that long. After all, if these are indeed the next four titles (I honestly don't know either way), that will mean that ten are in circulation already, so they're nearly a third of the way through the extant catalogue.

[Tommaso]

Actually EQUINOX FLOWER & THERE WAS A FATHER also are well paired in a general thematic sense (exploring in depth the father-son/daughter relationship), as are the other two (yes, remake is probably going to far)...

And I'm selfishly hoping that these pairings won't come true, as that would mean double-dipping on the CC releases for two films for me So I either want "Good Morning" combined with "There was a father", or better, the two as main features with some pretty unknown other Ozus as the second films...

[Michael Kerpan]

The most appropriate pairing (after Floating Weeds and Story of Floating Weeds) is What Did the Lady Forget and Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice -- but WDtLF? has already been issued. ;~}

[ambrose]

while there is a superficial thematic connection between what did the lady forget and Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice (both are bourgeois comedies) the later film explores areas of social antagonism in the relationship between the more plebeian husband and refined wife not really explored in the earlier film.(the conflict between husband and wife in the earlier film has no clear class basis)

[Michael Kerpan]

Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice is basically a mixture of the censored wartime script for a film that was to be called Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice and What Did the Lady Forget (plus a bit of new stuff). Green Tea is clearly not technically a re-make of WDtLF, but it does carry over a very high percentage of elements from that earlier film.

[movielocke]

I wonder if Criterion will pair Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice and WDtLF the way they paired The Only Son and There Was a Father?

[ambrose]

In reference to michael kerpan's observation that "Green Tea is clearly not technically a re-make of WDtLF, but it does carry over a very high percentage of elements from that earlier film" the eponymous meal of "green tea over rice" through which the patrician wife tries to reconcile herself with the tastes of her husband does appear to reflect upon and counterpoint itself with the more sexual reconciliation at the end of "what did the lady forget".

[Finch]

If the (relatively good-looking) Australian DVD of Flavour is anything to go by, then the film is definitely in good enough condition to warrant a HD upgrade, especially when the much inferior print of The Good Son was put out on Blu. I hope the BFI can fix the soundtrack for Flavour since the track on the Madman disc is among the five discs with the loudest and most intrusive background hiss I've ever come across. As for the film: wonderful as anticipated, but also the first Ozu film to make me laugh out loud

Spoiler

when the four women relax in the spa for the first time: Takeo has just called her husband at home and picks the phone up again, ordering some sake, only to find that he is still on the line!

[zedz]

As for the film: wonderful as anticipated, but also the first Ozu film to make me laugh out loud.

For me, The Flavour of Green Tea Over Rice is Ozu's funniest sound film in general, a great romantic comedy that sharply skewers a lot of the commonplaces of married life.

[ambrose]

I found the humour in "The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice" rather bitter and cynical zedz! while there are laugh out loud moments there is also an underlying sadness that permeates the film, both husband and wife are trapped in a deceptively benign nightmare. of all his comedies only Good Morning is truly good-natured and optimistic!.

[zedz]

Maybe

both husband and wife are trapped in a deceptively benign nightmare

=

the commonplaces of married life

?

I tend to prefer the bitter and cynical humour of Flavour to the more amiable Good Morning, but it's all good. Ozu's range is often underestimated, and he's as adaptable in comic modes as he is in dramatic ones.

EDIT: Going into a bit more detail, I like how Flavour gets deeper into the problematic dynamics and ambivalences of a long-term relationship than most films about marriage, which often come down to in-love / out-of-love binary oppositions or the ongoing rehearsal of fixed positions. The scene where the couple negotiate their way around the kitchen is at once painful, moving and very funny. Who else are these people going to end up with?

[ambrose]

Going into a bit more detail, I like how Flavour gets deeper into the problematic dynamics and ambivalences of a long-term relationship than most films about marriage, which often come down to in-love / out-of-love binary oppositions or the ongoing rehearsal of fixed positions. The scene where the couple negotiate their way around the kitchen is at once painful, moving and very funny. Who else are these people going to end up with?

It certainly is a painful and poignant depiction of how dependent the middle to upper-middle classes had become on the domestic labour of the working-class, the kitchen is both a strange and comically hostile environment!

[Michael Kerpan]

I would say that, in the end, Green Tea is actually one of Ozu's sweetest-natured films -- largely due to the gentle equanimity of Shin Saburi's character (a meta-cinematic joke by Ozu -- as Saburi typically played rash and irascible characters). In fact, both leads are softer-edged than their close counterparts in WDtLF.

I see this film as a response, of sorts, to Naruse's recent (and very successful) Meshi (Repast). Both of these are romantic comedies (with a serious inner layer). Both deal with mending marriages gone stale. Both involve stasis disrupted by the intrusion of a younger niece. In this case, though I love both films, I think Naruse wins on points.

[perkizitore]

I assume that their goal of releasing 32 films by the end of 2012 is unreachable if they continue releasing titles so slow...

[MichaelB]

I assume that their goal of releasing 32 films by the end of 2012 is unreachable if they continue releasing titles so slow...

Although this post is marginally less rude than your last one on this subject (which I pointedly ignored at the time), can I respectfully suggest substantially modifying your tone if you're seriously expecting a response?

My colleagues in DVD Publishing are working unbelievably hard at the moment (only last night they launched the massive Shadows of Progress project, the product of two years' intensive, often primary research), in the face of great uncertainty about the future in the wake of significant cuts to the BFI's funding.

That said, it just so happens that an Ozu announcement was imminent anyway, so here are the relevant points, complete with a story-so-far summary:

* In July 2010, the BFI published 6 Ozu films across 3 individual volumes.

* In January 2011, the BFI will publish two more Ozu editions: Good Morning / I was Born But... and Equinox Flower / There was a Father.

* That's 10 films released within 6 months, over 50% of which are Blu-ray premieres.

* If the BFI continues to publish at this rate, then they'll have released all 32 titles within 18 months.

And please rest assured that all official announcements will be posted within seconds of them appearing in my email inbox. These forums are usually the first place they appear in public, and it will be no different with the Ozu titles.

[Michael Kerpan]

Thanks for the info.

Where is BFI getting is master for Ohayo? The (long-ago) Criterion DVD was a fiasco.

Any hope that IWBB will be issue in BR format?

[ellipsis7]

This is great confirmed news... Fantastic that 2 Ozu colour films are coming to BR soon, hopefully LATE AUTUMN & AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON not far away too, and immune from any budgetary cutbacks etc...

[Michael Kerpan]

Also, Shochiku's DVD transfer of Equinox Flower looks quite a bit nicer than Criterion's. Is BFI locked into using Criterion's materials?

[MichaelB]

From what I was told a few months ago, the BFI will not be using Criterion's master for Good Morning - I'll try to get confirmation that this is still the case.

I don't believe the BFI is under any obligation to use Criterion's masters if Shochiku has superior alternatives.

[Finch]

Very pleased about the January announcements (my wallet less so since I just spent quite a bit on preorders of Criterion's January line-up) - hope Flavour is included in the next batch!

[matrixschmatrix]

Apologies if this has been covered already, but- should I assume all the Ozu releases are going to be movie only, as they have been to date (unless I've missed something)? I mean, a second movie is a pretty good special feature, so I'm not complaining.

[MichaelB]

Apologies if this has been covered already, but- should I assume all the Ozu releases are going to be movie only, as they have been to date (unless I've missed something)? I mean, a second movie is a pretty good special feature, so I'm not complaining.

As far as I'm aware, the "extras" in every package will be the supporting feature and the booklet.

[zedz]

This raises a point I've been wondering about, which is whether BFI will get around to including the various surviving fragments and shorts (e.g. Fighting Friends, Kajamijishi). They'd probably make the most sense as additional material with an incomplete film like A Mother Should be Loved.

[MichaelB]

OK, I have answers on Good Morning and Equinox Flower, sourced from/fact-checked by the relevant producer and technical supervisor.

Good Morning is a brand new HD master created by the BFI using the best available film elements kept by Shochiku Studios in Japan. The film has been newly graded and restored for this release.

Equinox Flower was sourced from Criterion's master, as this was deemed the best available existing HD transfer. However, it underwent extensive additional colour grading and restoration to improve the overall quality and to bring the film closer to what the BFI believes to be Ozu's correct colour palette.

For the record, the reception of previous releases has been extensively researched, and every effort has been made to minimise former problems, even if a common source was used - and the Ozu threads in these very forums have offered some invaluable pointers. This doesn't mean that all previous problems will necessarily be resolved, as budgeting/scheduling issues are always a major consideration, but anything that's realistically fixable will hopefully be corrected.

[Michael Kerpan]

MichaelB -- thanks for al the info. Great news on Good Morning. And keeping my fingers crossed on Equinox Flower (which was the big disappointment of the Eclipse set).

I'm sure it's a challenge to get te colors right -- and happy to hear that BFI is trying hard to come up with good results.

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