446 An Autumn Afternoon

[James]

I watched this tonight. It's a achingly beautiful movie with even more humor than Late Spring (and I think I actually might prefer this to that), but I couldn't help but notice the many similarities between the two movies (these are my first two Ozu's) not just in themes — which I was well aware would repeat amongst his filmography — but also in story structure. This is by no means a complaint however, and I'm amazed at Ozu's craftsmanship in both character and his unique mise en scène; I can't wait to see more! Also, I prefered Shima Iwashit to Setsuka Hara, but obviously they are both very talented. And Chishu Ryu is fantastic, too.

[Michael Kerpan]

Many of Ozu's late films are variations on the the theme of Late Spring (or variation on variations of same). One should be aware of the similarities, but pay more attention to the differences (and the repercussion from same).

I like Ms. Iwashita -- but can never put Ms. Hara in second place to anyone. ;~}

[sidehacker]

Yeah, Iwashita is good, but An Autumn Afternoon isn't really about her. Where as the father-daughter relationship in Late Spring is the central one, it seems almost like a side story here. The movie is more about Ryu than his daughter.

[Caged Horse]

Haven't read this entire thread, but has anyone else noticed the movie poster for Masaki Kobayashi's Harakiri -- 2 of them side by side, in fact -- prominently displayed in one of the 'pillow shots'? One of the stills in the accompanying booklet reproduces the scene.

Ozu's intertextual reference to / publicity for another 1962 Shochiku film, and perhaps a jokey comment on the eternal, societal obligations of family?

[Michael Kerpan]

Ozu began playing with movie posters as decorative elements in his earliest silent films, though these early films always featured posters for Hollywood films.

[Caged Horse]

Indeed, such as the prominent Harold Lloyd poster in I Graduated, But..., exactly 80 years ago.

[Steven H]

did anyone watch the French extra on this? It's pretty ridiculous. Half the time the people in it are spouting half-truths and getting facts wrong. Why are we watching Japanese people in an archery tournament? Judo? Yeah, Ozu's films are just chock full of haiku reading judo archerers doing tea ceremonies and writing haikus. This might be the most uninteresting Criterion special feature!

[James]

I'm thinking this would make a pretty sweet Blu-ray!

[ellipsis7]

I'm thinking this would make a pretty sweet Blu-ray!

Well it almost certainly will make a R'B' BFI Blu Ray relatively soon...

[CSM126]

I'm thinking this would make a pretty sweet Blu-ray!

Gee, do you have any other interesting insights into the film. Like, I dunno, "It's a series of moving pictures!"?

[Michael Kerpan]

did anyone watch the French extra on this? It's pretty ridiculous. Half the time the people in it are spouting half-truths and getting facts wrong. Why are we watching Japanese people in an archery tournament? Judo? Yeah, Ozu's films are just chock full of haiku reading judo archerers doing tea ceremonies and writing haikus. This might be the most uninteresting Criterion special feature!

Maybe they mixed Autumn Afternoon with Naruse's Archery Contest at the Sanjusangendo? (When we were in Kyoto, our b&b was about a mile from the Sanjusangendo, so we put off visiting there until the last day -- and arrived just as it was closing). ;~{

I didn't even recall the existence of this extra on the Criterion AA disc.

[Steven H]

Maybe they mixed Autumn Afternoon with Naruse's Archery Contest at the Sanjusangendo? (When we were in Kyoto, our b&b was about a mile from the Sanjusangendo, so we put off visiting there until the last day -- and arrived just as it was closing). ;~{

I didn't even recall the existence of this extra on the Criterion AA disc.

It makes a couple of points, but it's mostly muddle. The Bordwell commentary was very good though. It definitely made for a nice "refresher" on An Autumn Afternoon. It'd been a long time since I'd last seen it. I think this viewing I saw much more ambiguity in the familial relationships, and for some reason I didn't remember The Gourd playing such a significant role.

[swo17]

Blu-ray upgrade coming February 17th

[aox]

Blu-Ray.com Review

[Drucker]

Looks impressive, but was this film shot on the Afga film stock that led to the green tones on his first color films?

[Gregory]

Agfa-Shochikucolor, yes.

[Michael Kerpan]

I wonder where someone came up with "The Taste of Sake" as an alternate title? Assumoing the "sake" refers to a fish and not a beverage, the fish would be "salmon" -- which is not at all the same as Pacific saury (or mackerel pike).

This BR review seem to suggest that the first reel stutters may have been fixed. I hope this is true.

[Gregory]

I believe that's how it was released in France in the '70s, Le goût du saké, maybe because of the all the scenes that include drinking.

[tenia]

Saké is the french word for the rice alcohol drank in Japan.

[aox]

I don't recall a lot of salmon being eaten in this film. But when I saw the alternative title this morning, I did think of rice wine and not the fish.

[jindianajonz]

I'm guessing they only included the alternative title to clarify that the special feature "Yasujiro Ozu and The Taste of Sake", excerpted from a French TV series, is indeed about this film and not something else.

[movielocke]

Looks impressive, but was this film shot on the Afga film stock that led to the green tones on his first color films?

more intriguing to me is what is the color temperature of Japanese projection bulbs at the time of original release and were international prints timed for the projection bulbs of their respective receiving countries? How about screen color? Were they timing for a neutral white screen equivalent to modern times or an aged and smoke hued yellow screen?

[Jack Phillips]

Weirdly de-saturated look if the screen caps are anything to go by. Where are, for example, the vibrant reds? Anyway, a very different color scheme than what's on the Shochiku Blu-ray.

[Michael Kerpan]

Not sure that sanma/saury is actually shown being eaten in the film. The significance of the title is (I believe) something like "you can/should find enjoyment by living in the present moment" -- as sanma is a sort of fish that was traditionally available only for a few weeks each year, at the very beginning of autumn. A secondary thematic motif that echoes this is the fact that the men treat their old teacher to a kind of sea food (NOT sanma) he has never tasted before -- and he enjoys it immensely.

One of our Japanese students sent me a pop-up card of a little hibachi, with a couple of little cardboard whole sanma to grill over it. This now part of my household Ozu shrine. ;-}

[Michael Kerpan]

Weirdly de-saturated look if the screen caps are anything to go by. Where are, for example, the vibrant reds? Anyway, a very different color scheme than what's on the Shochiku Blu-ray.

Did the Japanese Blu-Ray manage to eliminate the first reel stutter (or whatever it is)?