Japanese Films on DVD/Blu-ray

[FerdinandGriffon]

Three more ATG films coming up on Blu-Ray:

The Youth Killer (Kazuhiko Hasegawa)
Funeral Parade of Roses (Toshio Matsumoto)
Shura (Toshio Matsumoto)

All great films, and Shura and Youth Killer are long overdue for recognition in the West. I can't see Criterion taking a chance on them but they'd be ideal for MoC.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Is it safe to assume all three lack subtitles? All three films are fantastic, but Youth Killer seems particularly neglected in the west. You'd figure with Imamura's name attached it would have some sort of respect in the west.

[manicsounds]

Three more ATG films coming up on Blu-Ray:

The Youth Killer (Kazuhiko Hasegawa)
Funeral Parade of Roses (Toshio Matsumoto)
Shura (Toshio Matsumoto)

According to the King Records website, these 3 will be single layered BDs with only a trailer as a bonus feature, and no English subtitles.
Disappointing since the Toshio Matsumoto DVD box from 10 years ago had English subtitles, audio commentaries, interviews, still galleries, etc, but none of those will be ported over since it's a different company distributing, and it seems they didn't license the older extras.

[manicsounds]

Color 4 Ozu remaster comparison trailer

[L.A.]

Are these possibly available on Blu-ray in Japan and with English subtitles:

Puss in Boots (1969)
Animal Treasure Island (1971)
Taro the Dragon Boy (1979)
Sea Prince and the Fire Child (1981)

[manicsounds]

Sea Prince And The Fire Child Blu-ray

The rest are so far released on DVD only. But beware that the reviews show that the picture quality is barely above the DVD, and the sound is only in Dolby Digital lossy sound.

[longstone]

Has anyone else purchased or received the Color for Ozu Blu-ray set ? or have there been any reviews of any of the four titles included yet?
Because I love these films I couldn't resist ordering a copy which arrived a few days ago even though I have the BFI Blu-rays which have always seemed very good anyway.
So far I only had time to try a small comparison for Good Morning between the two and I only have a small screen ( and no personal technical experience ) but the image and colours seem more stable and consistent and the sound seems very clean. As the films were in better condition I don't think the difference is anywhere near as much as it was with the recent Tokyo Story restoration. I would be interested in hearing some opinions or reviews from people with more technical knowledge than myself . The set itself is nicely packaged with a couple of short leaflet size booklets and a postcard in each disc case. It doesn't have a book like the Tokyo story set though I think there are some limited edition versions of the individual Blu-rays available via Amazon Japan ?

[Jack Phillips]

Has anyone else purchased or received the Color for Ozu Blu-ray set ? or have there been any reviews of any of the four titles included yet?
Because I love these films I couldn't resist ordering a copy which arrived a few days ago even though I have the BFI Blu-rays which have always seemed very good anyway.
So far I only had time to try a small comparison for Good Morning between the two and I only have a small screen ( and no personal technical experience ) but the image and colours seem more stable and consistent and the sound seems very clean.

I purchased the set also, and I agree with all you've said. Colors are nicely saturated. Skin tones are particularly pleasing. I also have the BFI versions, which are very good, but the Shochiku are just a bit better. Sorry, I can't offer a technical perspective.

Now, how I wish Toho would give us their color Ozu on blu (it was always the one that looked best on DVD).

[artfilmfan]

I watched the Blu-ray of Petal Dance last night and liked it very much. The opening scene, with the two actors being filmed against a wall, immediately brought back memory of the director's short film. The narrative technique, the introduction of each of the characters, brought back memory of Tokyo.Sora. The beautiful cinematography reminded me of the first half of Sukida. Aoi Miyazaki is as photogenic as ever and one can sense her star power in every scene that she is in. But the one who steals the show is Shiori Kutsuna. Although I think Tokyo.Sora is still the director's best film to date, Petal Dance is not far behind. I'm sure I'll watch it many more times in the future.

[jojo]

Has anyone else purchased or received the Color for Ozu Blu-ray set ? or have there been any reviews of any of the four titles included yet?
Because I love these films I couldn't resist ordering a copy which arrived a few days ago even though I have the BFI Blu-rays which have always seemed very good anyway.
So far I only had time to try a small comparison for Good Morning between the two and I only have a small screen ( and no personal technical experience ) but the image and colours seem more stable and consistent and the sound seems very clean. As the films were in better condition I don't think the difference is anywhere near as much as it was with the recent Tokyo Story restoration. I would be interested in hearing some opinions or reviews from people with more technical knowledge than myself . The set itself is nicely packaged with a couple of short leaflet size booklets and a postcard in each disc case. It doesn't have a book like the Tokyo story set though I think there are some limited edition versions of the individual Blu-rays available via Amazon Japan ?

Just watched Good Morning from this release. Agree with what you said, although the BDs themselves are more bare-bones than I expected. Menu screen is static, with options just for subtitles, play movie, scene selections and original trailers. It may also be worth mentioning that the pervasive greenish tint in past Japanese DVD releases of color Ozus is generally gone--they've boosted the reds a little more with this release, though probably not quite as much as some of the Criterion DVDs did on their Ozu color releases. The teaser manicsounds posted is an accurate look at what to expect if you are buying this.

[gselich]

I purchased the single disc of 'An Autumn Afternoon'. While in many respects, the transfer is beautifully done, for my taste, the picture is overly saturated with green. Almost every character is dressed in green and all rooms have green walls. Green, green, green, wherever one looks when watching the Sochiku blu-ray. I found it increasingly distracting as the film went on. Afterwards, I purchased the BFI edition of the same film, and while the transfer isn't quite up to the level of the Sochiku, the colors are far more natural and this makes for a more enjoyable viewing experience. Of course, it may be a matter of taste.

[jojo]

I purchased the single disc of 'An Autumn Afternoon'. While in many respects, the transfer is beautifully done, for my taste, the picture is overly saturated with green. Almost every character is dressed in green and all rooms have green walls. Green, green, green, wherever one looks when watching the Sochiku blu-ray. I found it increasingly distracting as the film went on. Afterwards, I purchased the BFI edition of the same film, and while the transfer isn't quite up to the level of the Sochiku, the colors are far more natural and this makes for a more enjoyable viewing experience. Of course, it may be a matter of taste.

I don't understand. If the color green is inherent in the sets and costumes of the film itself, how can one edition feel more "natural" than another insofar as green being overused or not? Or are you saying that the famous/infamous Japanese greenish tint is pervasive in this release of 'An Autumn Afternoon?' Note that I have not watched the new BD of this yet.

[Michael Kerpan]

I can't recall green as being a predominant color in previous releases of Autumn Afternoon -- including the Shochiku DVD.

[Moshrom]

BFI's blu-ray of An Autumn Afternoon has a (very minor) green tint. It's completely absent from the Criterion DVD.

[Michael Kerpan]

The best color (I can recall) in an Autumn Afternoon DVD was a very short-lived French DVD (French subs only -- possibly burnt in) that I got ages ago -- I also seem to recall this didn't have the "stuttering" in the first reel that all other subsequent releases had. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what I ever did with this -- so I haven't rechecked. ;~{

[gselich]

I purchased the single disc of 'An Autumn Afternoon'. While in many respects, the transfer is beautifully done, for my taste, the picture is overly saturated with green. Almost every character is dressed in green and all rooms have green walls. Green, green, green, wherever one looks when watching the Sochiku blu-ray. I found it increasingly distracting as the film went on. Afterwards, I purchased the BFI edition of the same film, and while the transfer isn't quite up to the level of the Sochiku, the colors are far more natural and this makes for a more enjoyable viewing experience. Of course, it may be a matter of taste.

I don't understand. If the color green is inherent in the sets and costumes of the film itself, how can one edition feel more "natural" than another insofar as green being overused or not? Or are you saying that the famous/infamous Japanese greenish tint is pervasive in this release of 'An Autumn Afternoon?' Note that I have not watched the new BD of this yet.

Is the green saturation inherent in the sets and costumes? Ozu is no longer with us to answer that question, so we can only speculate. But for example, when most male characters in the BFI edition are wearing gray suits, whereas in the Sochiku edition they are wearing green suits, it seems improbable that the green saturation was intended. Especially considering that the film was made in 1962, when office dress in Japan would tend to the conservative. But I can't rule out that Ozu had a green fixation. I only know that it's so relentless in the Sochiku edition as to detract from my personal enjoyment. Others may like the look, or not be put off by it. I'd be very interested to hear from others who have seen the Sochiku blu-ray how it strikes them. I'd also be interested to know how the other films in the Sochiku Ozu color set compare in terms of color with 'An Autumn Afternoon'.

[Drucker]

Doesn't the film stock he used in his first few color films have an inherited green quality to it? I don't believe this is one of those films, though.

[Michael Kerpan]

The original color balance in the Agfa film Ozu used -- and its color shifts due to aging -- are totally different from those used in typical Hollywood films of the same era. Until recently at least, trying to conquer the slight greenish cast of Japanese sources resulted in giving Japanese performers unnatural skin colors -- something which didn't bother Criterion a bit, but which clearly did bother Japanese DVD makers (and buyers). I'm not sure that, even if one had a guaranteed accurate capture of exactly what the original colors in Autumn Afternoon were, one could manipulate what we now have into a perfect replica.

Generally, the Shochiku DVDs seemed the best-balanced to me -- and BFI seems to have largely matched its Blu-Ray renditions to this "standard". Perhaps Shochiku has now departed from its past practice. Right now, I haven't the wherewithal to buy the new Shochiku blu-rays in addition to the BFI ones I already have. (I did get the Tokyo Story one -- but that provides no data on the color releases).

[tenia]

I've seen in the UK the new 4K restoration of An Autumn Afternoon and it didn't struck me as having a green tint (so a very slight one, without any reference to compare, could have passed unnoticed). However, I do remember the men having more grey than green suits so this should answer that.

[Jack Phillips]

I took another look at the new Shochiku Blu of An Autumn Afternoon last night. The men wear suits that are either brown, light gray, or charcoal. There is not one green suit in the picture. Not one.

[artfilmfan]

Re: green tint, green suits, static menu screen

I agree with the observation that the green tint is absent in these Shochiku Blu-ray releases (I've only watched three out of the four; GM being the one I've not watched). I didn't miss it much when watching EF (since it's very beautiful); but I found myself missing the green tint when I watched the other two.

Regarding An Autumn Afternoon, I watched/checked it again and did not see green suits or walls/sets as mentioned above. The suits that the men wear are mostly grey or dark grey.

Regarding the static menu screen: I suspect that a dynamic (or inter-active? whatever the appropriate word is to describe "non-static") menu screen will require the use of Java encoding. And as discussed elsewhere on this forum, a Java encoded disc does not allow the playback to pick up at the point where the disc was stopped during the previous viewing. So, I'm happy to trade the dynamic menu screen for the ability to replay at the same point that was previously stopped.

[Michael Kerpan]

artfilmfan -- do you have any of the BFI Blus -- for comparison purposes? (not just as to "greenishness" -- but generally)?

[tenia]

And as discussed elsewhere on this forum, a Java encoded disc does not allow the playback to pick up at the point where the disc was stopped during the previous viewing.

I'm not sure that Java is always used for non-static menus. See Criterion or some FOX discs (the 4 Alien movies or the Archer TV Show, for instance) : they both allow to playback where the disc was last stopped, but has non-static menu.

The FOX BDs for their TV shows even allows "full season" modes and a "quick change" of discs to skip menus when finishing the last episode of one disc and starting the episodes of the following discs.

So I guess there is a way to get the best of both worlds.

[artfilmfan]

Michael,

Yes, I have the BFI Blu-rays except GM. Assuming that one has the corrected Autumn Afternoon of the BFI (the one with the larger file size, which I have), if I were to do it over again, among the three Shochiku Blu-rays that I've watched, I would upgrade/purchase only EF.

[javi82]

Are the translations used for the english subs on the Shochiku discs on par with (or the same as) the BFI's?