Eclipse Series 15: Travels with Hiroshi Shimizu

[Michael Kerpan]

re: Kanzashi -- I found the boy's running sports commentary on poor CR's attempts to do his walking exercises VERY funny.

I'll have to watch those sequences of Late Spring very carefully during the next few weeks. ;~}

MEK

[HerrSchreck]

Back to Shimizu: In "Ornamental Hairpin", did anyone else find the sequence in which Chishu Ryu trying to cross the bridge very funny? I had quite a laugh watching this sequence.

I found the kids funny in a spunky, Ozu-esque kind of way (but not anywhere near as naughty), but I also found some unintentional comedy in there owing to Ryu's astonishingly bad physical rendering of a.. er, Simple Limp. At times it stole from the poignancy I was trying to allow to bloom viz the symbolism of his physical handicap, and how the girl props him up on other levels. It didn't ruin the film for me, but when the basic foundation of your metaphor is poorly rendered, it hinders the smoothness (for me it did) of the easing into the deeper nuances of the text.

[Michael Kerpan]

Given the time period of the film, it is possible that Ryu's character is a wounded war veteran -- who is staying at the spa for rest and recovery. Stepping on the hairpin could have exaggerated a pre-existing injury. There are lots and lots of undercurrents in Shimizu's films during this era. If one could find a translation of the original story, it might shed a little light on the matter -- but none seems to be available.

[HerrSchreck]

It's one of the things I'm most anxious to see when the CC comes out-- how much more subtext does or doesn't come out via their subs.

[zedz]

I found the kids funny in a spunky, Ozu-esque kind of way (but not anywhere near as naughty), but I also found some unintentional comedy in there owing to Ryu's astonishingly bad physical rendering of a.. er, Simple Limp.

I agree that Ryu's performance is a real weak point, with all that theatrical 'wiping the sweat off' as well. Couldn't he have just put a stone in his shoe or something? The film's still great, but I much prefer the other ones in the box. Japanese Girls at the Harbour is particularly surprising in terms of technique.

[artfilmfan]

Ryu's performance in that sequence in Ornamental Hairpin, by itself, is not what makes the sequence funny. The actions (i.e., the commentary of the kids) and the reactions of the others (e.g., everytime Ryu is about to fall off) are what make the whole sequence funny.

[htdm]

HTF review of the Shimizu set.

[Michael Kerpan]

HTF review of the Shimizu set.

Not, however, a very perspicacious review, alas.

[Fan-of-Kurosawa]

And he does not compare the Eclipse set with the existing Japanese set.
He does not say for example if the transfers are better or not.
For many people, like myself, that already have the R2 set this is very important.

Well, I guess we will have to wait for the dvdbeaver comparison.

[Perkins Cobb]

Not, however, a very perspicacious review, alas.

Find me somebody at the HTF who knows what that word means. Go on, I dare ya.

[poohbear]

Not, however, a very perspicacious review, alas.

Find me somebody at the HTF who knows what that word means. Go on, I dare ya.

Or find me somebody at criterionforum that can properly use "mise-en-scene". Go on, I dare ya.

[HerrSchreck]

Or find me a post from poohbear that isn't like nails down a chalkboard. Go on, I dare ya.

[Matango]

I see the liner notes on this Eclipse set finally get a credit, albeit just "-MK". Mr Kerpan?

[sidehacker]

Probably Michael Koresky, the guy who wrote the linear notes for almost all of the other Eclipse releases.

[Michael Kerpan]

I see the liner notes on this Eclipse set finally get a credit, albeit just "-MK". Mr Kerpan?

No, Criterion has not asked me to write liner notes (and given my continuing unhappiness on how they handle color in Ozu's films amd the like, they are not likely to ever ask me).

Probably Michael Koresky, the guy who wrote the linear notes for almost all of the other Eclipse releases.

I'd probably only be able to write non-linear notes, in any event.

;~}

[Matango]

My mistake then. I just watched Mr Thank You tonight. The thing that struck me most was how the many people seen following or chasing the bus were shown in very slight slow-motion, especially noticeable with the boys who had been hanging onto the back. Very effective and quite beautiful, I thought, and unusual for an era that tended to speed things up rather than slow them down for effect.

[cdnchris]

I see the liner notes on this Eclipse set finally get a credit, albeit just "-MK". Mr Kerpan?

As sidehacker states it lists the "Contributing writer" as Michael Koresky. They also gave credit to Tag Gallagher for the notes on the Rossellini release.

[gyorgys]

DVDbeaver review of the Eclipse 'Travels with Hiroshi Shimizu' here.

[sidehacker]

I'm almost tempted to double-dip here...

[manicsounds]

Very surprising about the different transfers.

[htdm]

I didn't expect this either - definitely will be picking up this set too.

[HerrSchreck]

I doubt that they're actually different transfers. CC has simply added some processing to the original transfers that drains the hue to pure b&w and tightened the edges.

[Michael Kerpan]

Glad to see the Eclipse set seems to have turned out well. I will stick with my Shochiku set, however -- so as to have money (once Japan travel credit card bills are paid) to buy things like Criterions's recent Bunuel releases and upcoming Imamura ones.

[cdnchris]

Travels with Hiroshi Shimizu DVD Review

[Fan-of-Kurosawa]

I am also very surprised about the differences in the transfers. The plain truth is that the Eclipse set looks a lot better.
But I will also stick to my Shochiku set because, well, I paid a lot of money for it (and Vol 2) and I don' t want to pay more for the same films.

However, I am happy about this release because it will introduce many more people to Shimizu and they in turn may buy Shochiku' s Vol. 2 (which I don' t think that Criterion will ever release) and this in turn may "persuade" Shochiku to release more sets. Ok, I know this is a long shot but one can always hope.