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Licensor Information
Toho Co.
Directed by: Mikio Naruse
Featuring: Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Reiko Dan, Tatsuya Nakadai, Daisuke Kato, Ganjiro Nakamura, Eitaro Ozawa, Keiko Awaji
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs might be Japanese filmmaker Mikio Naruse’s finest hour—a delicate, devastating study of a woman, Keiko (played heartbreakingly by Hideko Takamine), who works as a bar hostess in Tokyo’s very modern postwar Ginza district, who entertains businessmen after work. Sly, resourceful, but trapped, Keiko comes to embody the conflicts and struggles of a woman trying to establish her independence in a male-dominated society. When a Woman Ascends the Stairs shows the largely unsung yet widely beloved master Naruse at his most socially exacting and profoundly emotional.
Streaming Options
31995.
+26797
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2
Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Format:
DVD
Disc:
DVD-9 (1 Disc)
Total: 1 Disc
Regions:
1 (DVD)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35:1
Audio Options:
Japanese Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Resolution:
480p/29.97
Subtitles:
English
Supplements
Types of Supplements Included: Audio Commentary, Interview, Theatrical Trailer, Booklet
- Audio commentary by Japanese-film scholar Donald Richie
- New video interview with Tatsuya Nakadai
- Theatrical trailer
- A booklet featuring essays by film scholars Audie Bock, Catherine Russell, and Phillip Lopate
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Film
Picture
Audio
Supplements
Artwork
Release Credits
Producer: Kim Hendrickson
Artwork: steve chow
Release Notes on Restoration
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Black bars at the top and the bottom of the screen are normal for this format. This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit 2K Datacine from the 35mm fine-grain master positive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. To maintain optimal image quality through the compression process, the picture on this dual-layer DVD-9 was encoded at the highest-possible bit rate for the quantity of material included.
The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical track print, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signal will be directed to the center channel on 5.1 -channel sound systems, but some viewers may prefer to switch to two-channel playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound.
The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical track print, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signal will be directed to the center channel on 5.1 -channel sound systems, but some viewers may prefer to switch to two-channel playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound.