Japanese Directors - Yasujiro Ozu

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Japanese Directors - Yasujiro Ozu

Eclipse Series 3: Late Ozu Yasujiro Ozu One of the great masters of Japanese cinema, Yasujiro Ozu directed 54 films over the course of his long career, most of which dealt with the lives of lower-middle class families and the effects of modernization on traditional Japan. This collection includes five of his overshadowed, late works: Early Spring (1956, 145 mins.), in which a married, middle-aged office worker succumbs to an adulterous relationship; Tokyo Twilight (1957, 141 mins.), a powerful film about the traumas plaguing a father and his two daughters; Equinox Flower (1958, 118 mins.), a warm comedy about a daughter who defies her arranged marriage (also Ozu's first color picture); Late Autumn (1960, 131 mins.), following three suitors as they pine over a widow who is preoccupied with her aging, unwed daughter; and The End of Summer (1961, 103 mins.), a bittersweet elegy for a vanishing world as evinced by one family's struggles with post-war modernization. Throughout these films, Ozu's utilization of long takes and offscreen space is nothing short of genius. Eclipse from The Criterion Collection. 5-DVD set. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1956-1961, 638 mins. DVD $89

An Autumn Afternoon Yasujiro Ozu This profoundly simple and moving film examines changing familial relationships in an increasingly Americanized postwar Tokyo. With his unmistakable and inimitable style, Ozu has created a serenely beautiful film which tells the timeless, moving tale of a father giving up his only daughter in marriage. Both humorous and heartbreaking, An Autumn Afternoon was Ozu's 53rd and last film. Criterion Collection edition. Newly restored hi-def digital transfer, new audio commentary by film scholar David Bordwell, excerpts from the 1978 French TV program Yasujiro Ozu and the Taste of Sake with film critic Michel Ciment, theatrical trailer, improved English subtitles, and a booklet with essays by film scholars Geoff Andrew and Donald Richie. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1962, 113 mins. DVD $44.95

Early Summer Yasujiro Ozu Director Ozu gracefully portrays the conflicts between three generations in this classic story of a 28-year-old woman who lives with her brother, sister-in-law, nephews and aging parents and must endure their pressure to marry the man of their choice. With Setsuko Hara, Kuniko Miyake and Chishu Ryu. ``A sensitively rendered film about basic human emotions made by a master filmmaker" (Leonard Maltin). The DVD is a Criterion Collection Edition. Japan, 1951, 135 mins. DVD $59

Good Morning (Ohayo) Yasujiro Ozu In this biting comedy, Yasujiro Ozu exposes the hypocrisy of the adult world. When a father (Chishu Ryu, Tokyo Story) refuses to buy a television set for his sons, the two small boys take a vow of silence, refusing to say "good morning" to a neighbor. Soon the gossipy apartment complex where they live is in an uproar--the boys' mother must be holding a grudge against her neighbors. Written by Ozu and longtime collaborator Kogo Noda, this witty film makes keen observations about communication and familial relationships. The charming performances of the young leads and a cast of Ozu regulars make it "an all-around pleasure" (The Faber Companion to Foreign Films). Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1959, 93 mins. DVD $44.95

Late Spring Yasujiro Ozu In Yasujiro Ozu's Late Spring, a father feels he is keeping his daughter from marriage; when she is erroneously told that her father is thinking of re-marrying, she agrees to an offer. Late Spring, wrote Donald Richie, is "one of the most perfect, most complete, and most successful studies of character ever achieved in the Japanese cinema." With Setsuko Hara and Chishu Ryu. 2-DVD Criterion Collection Edition. Includes Tokyo-Ga (Wim Wenders, 1985, 92 mins.), commentary by film historian Richard Pena, essays by critic Michael Atkinson and film historian Donald Richie, and more. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1949, 107 mins. DVD $59

Stories of Floating Weeds: Two Films by Yasujiro Ozu Yasujiro Ozu Yasujiro Ozu was so touched by one story in particular that he filmed it twice, producing two studied, subtle masterpieces of Japanese cinema. The silent A Story of Floating Weeds (1934, 89 mins.) and its remake, Floating Weeds (1959, 128 mins.), tell the story of a group of traveling actors who visits a town where the leading actor's ex-mistress lives with their son. His present lover is understandably jealous of his hidden past and chooses to sabotage the reunion. The latter version features brilliant color cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa. This is a Criterion Collection Special Edition two-DVD set; A Story of Floating Weeds includes a commentary by Ozu authority Donald Ritchie, who also provided new subtitle translations for both films, and a new score by composer Donald Sosin; Floating Weeds includes a commentary by Roger Ebert, and an essay by Donald Ritchie about the differences between the two versions. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1934/1959, 128 mins. DVD $59

Tokyo Story Yasujiro Ozu One of the legendary classics of humanist cinema, Tokyo Story tells the simple, sad story of an elderly couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their two married children, only to find themselves politely ushered off to a hot springs resort. "Ozu's technique, as spare and concentrated as a haiku master's verse, transforms the very banalities of the subject into moments of intimacy and beauty seldom captured on film. As always, the themes go beyond the obvious and are conveyed so gently that only afterwards are many apparent." In Japanese with optional English subtitles. The DVD is a Criterion Collection edition, with an all-new, restored digital transfer that includes an audio commentary by film scholar David Desser; the documentary, I Lived, But... (Kazuo Inoue, 1983, 120 mins.), about director Yasujiro Ozu; a tribute to Ozu featuring reflections by directors Stanley Kwan, Aki Kaurismaki, Claire Denis, Lindsay Anderson, Paul Schrader, Wim Wenders, and Hou Hsiao-Hsien; the original theatrical trailer; an essay by David Bordwell; and more. Japan, 1953, 139 mins. DVD $59