The Ozu thread.

RIP Chikage Awashima

http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/chikage-awashima-1924-2012

man, it's instructive to read the start of this thread and see lamenting enrique, less than ten years ago, bemoaning the fact that the only ozu available for home viewing is tokyo story on vhs - now, in the uk at least, you can get beautiful blu-ray editions from the bfi for less than a tenner

lol that 'lamenting' ^ is strayand i'm sure inaccurately placed

And due to the extensive restoration you can get these shown on TV: it was lovely to watch Late Spring with the parents over Xmas.

I saw the silent "I Was Born, But..." the other weekend at Anthology. Such a beautiful and amusing film.

― Virginia Plain, Monday, 16 January 2012 17:33 (3 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

hou's favourite, apparently, i'm gonna watch

the scene where they run amateur movies is the best

i have that sat in front of the tv waiting to watch...

last thing i watched was 'a mother should be loved' another ozu silent that was also missing the first and last reels. not a very satisfying watch it must be said.

koogs, re the scratch in Late Spring, it seems that Criterion heard you (see screenshot about halfway down this review):

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare7/latespring.htm

Been catching up with the Blu Rays of his late colour films, Floating Weeds, Late Autumn and An Autumn Afternoon. So great, I guess it makes me a heathen but I kinda wish all his movies had that same late fifties look and colour palette.

was disappointed with the bluray of tokyo story : /

Oh really? I have it, but haven't watched it yet cause I'm going to see it at the NFT soon. That's a shame, what was it that disappointed you?

(didn't think floating weeds was out until december 3rd? in the uk anyway (and eureka rather than bfi) but yes, lovely looking. and he keeps a lot of the clothes, especially the traditional dress) black and white even though he's shooting with colour film)

haven't bothered with the two silent BFI sets so far - i must admit i struggled with A Mother Must Be Loved and haven't yet watched I Was Born But...

Ah yes, Floating Weeds was just the SD version. Aren't a couple of reels missing from A Mother? Or am I thinking of another, A Hen In The Wind looks pretty good, if a little grim.

there's an ozu silent gangsters box listed for april 2013 as well, i've just noticed.

yes, first and last reel missing from A Mother

http://vimeo.com/55956937

lovely

That's mostly shots from Good Morning, no?

no, i think there were at least 3 or 4 in there. lots of good morning (those shots through the houses to the bank behind them are great) and i recognised a bit of floating weeds (the geishas walking by outside). that they are all in colour should narrow it down a bit, to 6 in fact:

1958 Equinox Flower
1959 Good Morning
1959 Floating Weeds
1960 Late Autumn
1961 The End of Summer
1962 An Autumn Afternoon

I don't know where to stick this: Donald Richie dead

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/world/asia/donald-richie-american-expert-on-japan-is-dead-at-88.html?_r=0

Oh no

pretty much the inspiration for me to learn japanese - rip

ah fuck

i found a copy of his japanese cinema monograph in the recesses the school library when i was in the lower sixth and i think i read it twice, along with a copy of junichiro tanizaki's 'diary of a mad old man' (strange purchases for a school library and remaindered after precisely 0 other people read them)

I noticed that Dragnet Girl is on Youtube, but all the full-length versions are completely silent, no piano accompaniment or anything. After current work deadlines are passed I'm going to check it out -- somebody recommend me some instrumental music to play along with the film, plz? Watching a couple minutes of it in complete silence was too weird and off-putting.

Hollywoodlove:

http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/ozus-cinephilia

Going to see a silent gangster feature called 'Walk Cheerfully' next week, with Benshi accompaniment, stoked!

still the best director that ever was

i still have never seen any of this guy's films -- prob the singlest biggest gap in my film-knowledge.

!!

dude

yeah i know!

should i leave work right now and go rent 'tokyo story'?

Hmm, whats a good in, other than Tokyo Story? Floating Weeds maybe.

"still the best director that ever was"

otm, THOUGH he had the tendency to repeat himself.

Late Spring

In one of his most famous interview quotes, Ozu likened himself to a maker of tofu: “I just want to make a tray of good tofu. If people want something else, they should go to the restaurants and shops.”

now you made me want to drink some Miso soup

xpost

Late Spring, a few years earlier than Tokyo Story, would be the one I'd recommend as a starter, fwiw. Floating Weeds is v slightly untypical of 'late' ozu, and not an particular favourite of mine. if you're going for one of the colour movies, I really like the one sometimes known as The End of Summer.

bought a copy of the new bfi gangster film set for £12 in glasgow fopp, gd price:

http://www.bfi.org.uk/blu-rays-dvds/ozu-collection-gangster-films

otm, THOUGH he had the tendency to repeat himself.

you don't get it, do you

http://www.troll.me/images/facepalm-picard/son-i-am-disappointed.jpg

http://www.troll.me/images/facepalm-picard/son-i-am-disappointed.jpg

I love all his colour movies tbh

Late Spring or Early Summer, J.D.

fortunately we're at the threshold of both.

i got it, and i understand it's part of his ideology/technique, but still

I'll grant this: it's hard to tell them apart ('Which has Setsuko Hara smiling like a tetanus patient over the vicissitudes of life"?)

A friend appeared with a charity shop bought copy of Tokyo Ga for me last week, had never properly seem it before now.

just to demonstrate my opinion:

my first Ozu was Tokyo Story, which was a jaw dropping experience, and became one of my favorite films ever.

the second one was Late Spring, which was great, but i think i'd have appreciate it more if i didn't see Tokyo Story before.

I swear there's an office set that is exactly the same in Equinox Flower and Late Autumn, had me reaching for the DVD box.

I saw late spring recently and loved it. i saw tokyo story a few years ago and found it tiresome, but that may have been because i was young and immature. i'll rewatch it someday.

he never topped Tokyo Story, all the others ive seen looks like reharsal for the big thing (even the one's after Tokyo).

full disclosure: i only saw 4 of his films.

i'm sure i've mentioned it before, prob on this thread, but the original negative of tokyo story was destroyed in a fire many years ago and so the subsequent prints have never been as pristine as other ozus of similar vintage - and tokyo story is also one of his longest films. again, the bfi blu-ray of tokyo story has good sleevenotes that go some way to explaining why tokyo story became ozu's most celebrated film, in europe and the US, at least.

Watched Tokyo Story first, like everyone else, and watches a lot of others after, but usually spaced pretty far out. I've loved them all, but Late Spring was the definite "masterpiece moment."