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The Only Son | There Was a Father
Licensor Information
Shochiku
Directed by: Yasujiro Ozu
These rare early films from Yasujiro Ozu are considered by many to be two of the Japanese director’s finest works, paving the way for a career among the most sensitive and significant in cinema. The Only Son and There Was a Father make a graceful pair, bookending a crucial period in Japanese history. In the former, Ozu’s first sound film, made during a time of intense economic crisis, a mother sacrifices her own happiness for her son’s education; the latter, released in the midst of World War II, stars Ozu stalwart Chishu Ryu as a widowed schoolteacher whose devotion to his son ends up driving them apart. Criterion proudly presents these nearly lost treasures for the first time on home video.
Details by Film
The Only Son
Year: 1936
Time: 82
Aspect Ratios
1.33:1
Audio
Japanese Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Streaming Options
Stream
There Was a Father
Year: 1942
Time: 87
Aspect Ratios
1.33:1
Audio
Japanese Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Streaming Options
29809.
+20916
The Only Son
Yasujiro Ozu’s first talkie, the uncommonly poignant The Only Son is among the Japanese director’s greatest works. In its simple story about a good-natured mother who gives up everything to ensure her son’s education and future, Ozu touches on universal themes of sacrifice, family, love, and disappointment. Spanning many years, The Only Son is a family portrait in miniature, shot and edited with its maker’s customary exquisite control.
There Was a Father
Yasujiro Ozu’s frequent leading man Chishu Ryu is riveting as Shuhei, a widowed high school teacher who finds that the more he tries to do what is best for his son’s future, the more they are separated. Though primarily a delicately wrought story of parental love, There Was a Father offers themes of sacrifice that were deemed appropriately patriotic by Japanese censors at the time of its release during World War II, making it a uniquely political film in Ozu’s body of work.
Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Format:
DVD
Discs:
DVD-9 (2 Discs)
Total: 2 Discs
Regions:
1 (DVD)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33:1
Audio Options:
Japanese Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Resolution:
480p/29.97
Subtitles:
English
Supplements
Types of Supplements Included:
- New video interviews with film scholars Tadao Sato, David Bordwell, and Kristin Thompson
- New video interview with film scholars David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson
- A booklet featuring an essay by critic and historian Tony Rayns
- A booklet featuring an essay by critic and historian Tony Rayns, an appreciation of actor Chishu Ryu by Japanese film scholar Donald Richie, and comments by Chishu Ryu on director Yasujiro Ozu
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The Only Son
There Was a Father
Picture
Audio
Supplements
Artwork
Release Notes on Restoration
The Only Son
The Only Son is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. On widescreen televisions, black bars will appear on the left and right of the image to maintain the proper screen format. The picture has been slightly window-boxed to ensure that the maximum image is visible on all monitors.
This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit HD Datacine from a 16mm fine-grain master positive that is the best surviving element made from the original 35mm nitrate materials, which no longer exist. The 16mm element shows every kind of imaginable wear and tear, including splices, chemical and mold stains, and minor instances of missing footage that could not be replaced. Despite significant efforts on the part of the Criterion Collection to repair the worst of the damage, using MTI’s DRS system, Pixel Farm’s PFClean system, and Digital Vision’s DVNR system, no amount of digital image restoration can ever return the film to its original condition.
The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the optical soundtrack of the 16mm master positive mentioned above. The soundtrack contained clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and other large abnormalities. Some of these were manually removed using Pro Tools HD, but other artifacts could not be eliminated. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube’s integrated audio workstation.
This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit HD Datacine from a 16mm fine-grain master positive that is the best surviving element made from the original 35mm nitrate materials, which no longer exist. The 16mm element shows every kind of imaginable wear and tear, including splices, chemical and mold stains, and minor instances of missing footage that could not be replaced. Despite significant efforts on the part of the Criterion Collection to repair the worst of the damage, using MTI’s DRS system, Pixel Farm’s PFClean system, and Digital Vision’s DVNR system, no amount of digital image restoration can ever return the film to its original condition.
The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the optical soundtrack of the 16mm master positive mentioned above. The soundtrack contained clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and other large abnormalities. Some of these were manually removed using Pro Tools HD, but other artifacts could not be eliminated. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube’s integrated audio workstation.
There Was a Father
There Was a Father is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. On widescreen televisions, black bars will appear on the left and right of the image to maintain the proper screen format. The picture has been slightly window-boxed to ensure that the maximum image is visible on all monitors.
This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit HD Datacine from a 16mm fine-grain master positive that is the best surviving element made from the original 35mm nitrate materials, which no longer exist. The 16mm element shows every kind of imaginable wear and tear, including splices, chemical and mold stains, and minor instances of missing footage that could not be replaced. Despite significant efforts on the part of the Criterion Collection to repair the worst of the damage, using MTI’s DRS system, Pixel Farm’s PFClean system, and Digital Vision’s DVNR system, no amount of digital image restoration can ever return the film to its original condition.
The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the optical soundtrack of the 16mm master positive mentioned above. The soundtrack contained clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and other large abnormalities. Some of these were manually removed using Pro Tools HD, but other artifacts could not be eliminated. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube’s integrated audio workstation.
This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit HD Datacine from a 16mm fine-grain master positive that is the best surviving element made from the original 35mm nitrate materials, which no longer exist. The 16mm element shows every kind of imaginable wear and tear, including splices, chemical and mold stains, and minor instances of missing footage that could not be replaced. Despite significant efforts on the part of the Criterion Collection to repair the worst of the damage, using MTI’s DRS system, Pixel Farm’s PFClean system, and Digital Vision’s DVNR system, no amount of digital image restoration can ever return the film to its original condition.
The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the optical soundtrack of the 16mm master positive mentioned above. The soundtrack contained clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and other large abnormalities. Some of these were manually removed using Pro Tools HD, but other artifacts could not be eliminated. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube’s integrated audio workstation.