52-53 / BD 36 Ugetsu monogatari & Oyū-sama

[Awesome Welles]

Now listed at play.com for pre-order. Release date is April 21. I guess the price will be lower by then

HMV is a bit cheaper.

[fiddlesticks]

It's listed at Amazon for £18.74 as of now; however, I got vol. 1 for £14.44 and vol 2. for £12.75 (after they rebated £3.20 on their pre-order price guarantee), so I anticipate that vol. 3 will drop into this range before it ships in April.

[Kenji]

Miss Oyu is a little gem, a very beautiful film, and will probably remind of Murnau's Sunrise. A strong double.

[Michael Kerpan]

Miss Oyu is a little gem, a very beautiful film, and will probably remind of Murnau's Sunrise. A strong double.

There are some dramatically jarring moments in Miss Oyu -- but its visually loveliness is undeniable.

[TheGodfather]

dvdtimes

[Tommaso]

dvdtimes

Thanks, and the relevant bits read like this:

"Comparing the Criterion transfer to this new one for Ugetsu, both images are similar in terms of contrast and detail with a marginal edge in the Criterion transfer for stronger, deeper black levels in some sequences. I noticed moments of edge enhancement more in the Criterion transfer of Ugetsu but I don't feel either transfer is excessive in this respect."

In other words, MoC seem to have again abstained from fiddling with the contrast knob, thankfully. So as always, this will most likely look more cinematic than CC. Looking very much forward to this!

[Alphonso]

Comparison

I commend MoC for their continued minimalist approach regarding the image.

Maybe irrelevant, but I had a photography teacher that always sent students back to the darkroom if their prints didn't have perfect blacks and whites. I don't know how such arbitrary thinking became standard but perhaps it's only centralized here in America. Black and white are always relative and varying the contrast, it should go without saying, has a dramatic effect on perception.

MoC's image seems well suited for Mizoguchi, however for someone like Teshigahara criterion's image would be preferred.

[colinr0380]

DVD Outsider review

[lazier than a toad]

Has anybody else been really suprised and impressed by Oyu Sama?

I like all of the not-so-historical Mizoguchi films I have seen, excepting Lady from Musashino, but this one is definately my favourite. Visually I think it is really interesting combining the best of the lavish photography from the historical films, the outdoor scenes in Oyu Sama are subtly spectacular (if that's possible). And the indoor scenes, whilst similarly paired down as in the other "modern" films, use the architecture of homes and other structures better than in almost any other Mizoguchi film I have seen. At times this reminded me of the 47 Ronin, though it is a long long time since I saw that. Narratively, I thought the film lagged behind the images, but it was still exciting to watch.

Incidently the Mizoguchi film released by MoC I like the least is Sansho - which I found the opposite of exciting.

[Tommaso]

I have received my set now, and started with "Ugetsu". I hardly need to sing the praises of this utterly magnificent film, so straight on to the presentation. I'm really happy with the transfer itself, which is, expectedly, as good as we're used to from the other MoC Mizoguchi discs. Wonderfully natural looking contrast and clarity. The print itself, however, shows much more damage than "Sansho" or "Chikamatsu", but as I can't compare it to the CC disc, I can't say whether their usual routines helped to get rid of some of it. But I wished that some of the snowstorms occuring at fades or reel changes (probably) might have been diminished a little. No big deal, in any case.

I have a minor quibble about this release, nevertheless. And that is the fact that the trailers come directly after the film, with hardly enough blackness between to stop the player. I can't see any reason why anyone would want to see the same images in the trailers again directly after watching the film. Furthermore, the only reason to watch a trailer is to see how a particular film was marketed to a certain audience, and thus theoretically the inclusion of both Japanese and Spanish trailers is a fine idea. BUT: there are no SUBS on the trailers! This renders them completely useless in my mind. I hope this will not become standard with MoC.

EDIT and CORRECTION: There ARE subs on the trailers, but they only show up if you select the trailers from the menu, not if they play automatically after the film. Very strange.

And while I'm at it, another minor quibble: this is the second time (the other was "Rocco") that a booklet arrived slightly damaged (minor cuffs and tears) with the new cases MoC are using for double discs. It's probably caused by that big plastic thingy on the inner spine. It's not a big deal and there's no need for a replacement in either case, but, well, it never happened with the big Scanavo cases. So perhaps this new solution isn't ideal either.

But as said above: this is a wonderful disc generally, with the booklet texts seeming to be the most substantial yet (Keiko Mac Donald's take on "Ugetsu" is plain excellent), and not even Rayns had anything disparaging to say... Thumbs up!

Now looking forward to watch "Oyu-Sama"....

[Tommaso]

Has anybody else been really suprised and impressed by Oyu Sama?

Here! Honestly, I'm still completely blown away by my last night-watching of "Oyu Sama". Perhaps it's good if you don't know anything about a film and according to the idea of pairing one 'major' film with a 'minor' film don't expect too much from it, as this perhaps makes you more 'open'. Anyway, I didn't expect anything in particular and suddenly found myself in the midst of one of the most entrancing films I've seen in the last months. This is a surprisingly 'accessible' film (helped in its flow by the unusual amount of music it has), and one which contains some of the most impressive outdoor photography I've yet seen in a Mizoguchi film. Those gardens, right from the beginning....! It's like an explosion of light and beauty when Shinnosuke walks out of the house to await the arrival of the sisters. And then it goes on and on like this with a succession of shots and scenes that are pure eye-candy all the time. I think Kenji's comparison to "Sunrise" is very much to the point, I found myself thinking of this film more than once while watching "Oyu-Sama".
Or think of the way how Mizo sets up the scene when the younger sister tells Oyu about the reality of her marriage, with the husband being present. It's amazing to see how he manages to shift the attention on each of the characters simply by blocking and moving the characters around. This in itself isn't something particularly original,of course, but I've seldom seen it in such an effortless and convincing way.

These are just examples. But I almost have to say that I find this film even better, or at least more emotionally engaging, than "Ugetsu". "Oyu-Sama" would have been a jewel in the MoC catalogue even if it had been released on its own, so I really have to recommend this set even to those who already have the CC "Ugetsu". "Oyu-Sama" is definitely too great to be missed, and of course the transfer does it full justice.

BTW: did anyone else notice the funny Freudian slip of Rayns in the video discussion? Talking about Mizo's late works for Daiei he points out that "these form the corpse...ahm corpus of the releases of Masters of Cinema". Hell, he really doesn't seem to like these films very much...

[Michael Kerpan]

If you love Oyu-sama, I think one safely predict you will also love the earlier Portrait of Madame Yuki. Some pretty stunning outdoor photography in this one too. My only niggle with either of these films is the fact that I never quite believe the stories -- but this strikes me as a minor problem in light of the films' other virtues. I hope the MOC Mizoguchi series sells well enough to allow additional releases.

(The wartime Musashi Miyamoto also features gorgeous location shooting pretty much exclusively -- and Straits of Love and Hate has some winter cinematography that prefigures that in Kurosawa's Idiot).

[Tommaso]

Well, thanks for these recommendations, Michael! Sometimes I think I'm a little perverse for not caring too much for the believability of the plot or the casting (and I agree with those who find Tanaka miscast as Oyu) as long as I have enough visual pleasures to soak in...
I also hope that the series sells well and MoC gives us further Mizoguchis in the not so distant future. I actually desire these much more than more Naruse at the moment (and am already hiding from those who want to shoot me for that now...), and already look with a sad eye to the months after May. I really got used to seeing two new Mizo films every six weeks or so, especially in this transfer quality.

[Michael Kerpan]

Between the MOC releases, the Digital Meme releases from Japan and the various French releases, Mizoguchi is probably second only to Kurosawa in terms of completeness of (Western) coverage of any classic Japanese director.

[Cabiria21]

Between the MOC releases, the Digital Meme releases from Japan and the various French releases, Mizoguchi is probably second only to Kurosawa in terms of completeness of (Western) coverage of any classic Japanese director.

Maybe number three, Ozu is missing less than 10 surviving films, plus there are a handful of Mizoguchi films not listed on IMDB that are around, such as Ojo Okichi(1935).

[Michael Kerpan]

Between the MOC releases, the Digital Meme releases from Japan and the various French releases, Mizoguchi is probably second only to Kurosawa in terms of completeness of (Western) coverage of any classic Japanese director.

Maybe number three, Ozu is missing less than 10 surviving films.

Mizoguchi has (around) 31 surviving films. I count 10 English language releases from the UK (2 duplicated in the US) and 3 more from Digital Meme. I count another 12 (or so) films as being available in France. (Some of the unlisted-in-IMDB Mizoguchi is fragmentary or illusory -- Ojo Okichi is at least partly the work of Mizoguchi, however).

Ozu has 37 surviving films. There are still 9 without English or French-subbed editions: Fighting Friends, I Graduated But, Tokkan Kozo, That Night's Wife, Walk Cheerfully, I Flunked But, Lady and the Beard, Kagamijishi, and Munekata Sisters (though there is a Spanish DVD).

[Cabiria21]

well if you're counting the unsubbed French DVD's, then Munekata Sisters would be a release. Plus some of the Ozu's you listed are partially destroyed, I wouldn't count them because no one is most likely to release an incomplete as a stand alone DVD (even though Panorama did with A Mother Should Be Loved. So really there is 3 films and a short documentary, plus a handful of partially lost films, right?

You seem to be more of an expert than I. I was just arguing for the sake of arguing

[Michael Kerpan]

That Night's Wife, Walk Cheerfully, I Flunked But, and Lady and the Beard are all complete (so far as I recall). Kagamijishi is a short, but complete, documentary. I Graduated But is the complete (home movie) digest version (cut by 2/3s or so from the original). Fighting Friends and Tokkan Kozo are incomplete -- but not so much so that they aren't enjoyable. ;~}

The bottom line is that for those willing to watch DVDs from anywhere -- and able to cope with both English and French subtitles -- the situation for Kurosawa is almost perfect, and that for Ozu and Mizoguchi very good (though a few important items ares still missing). All others (including Naruse still) are either mostly or entirely neglected.

[Tommaso]

The bottom line is that for those willing to watch DVDs from anywhere -- and able to cope with both English and French subtitles -- the situation for Kurosawa is almost perfect, and that for Ozu and Mizoguchi very good (though a few important items ares still missing). All others (including Naruse still) are either mostly or entirely neglected.

You're right of course. The only reason why I didn't buy the French discs (yet) is that my English is far better than my French, and although I think I would understand most of the French subs, it definitely requires more effort for me (thus distracting me much more from the images than reading English subs). It's not the same as reading French intertitles in a silent film, for sure. Also, I would hate to buy one of those sets only to find out some months later that some of the films are coming from Eclipse (or even CC). That is what I had in mind when requesting more Mizo from MoC (in whatever form, might well be a 5-disc box set with far less booklet texts than with individual releases, if that should help the decision). Which shouldn't stop them from releasing more (old) Japanese films in general.

[evillights]

Ozu has 37 surviving films. There are still 9 without English or French-subbed editions: Fighting Friends, [...] Kagamijishi [...]

I have English-subtitled versions of both of these films. I believe they were issued on a French disc (although I'm not sure who the publisher is), as French subs are also included. The contents:

-Tokkan kozô (A Straightforward Brat) -- Most Complete Extant Version (1929) -- 13 minutes (PAL) -- commonly translated less accurately as "A Straightforward Boy"

-Wasei kenka tomodachi (Friends Fighting Japanese-Style) (1929) -- 14 minutes (PAL) -- commonly translated less accurately as "Fighting Friends"

-Kagamijishi (1936) -- 23 minutes (PAL)

craig.

[Michael Kerpan]

Maybe these early Ozu films have been fansubbed.

FWIW -- "Kozou" does NOT mean "brat", but just a youngster (or more specifically -- a young Buddhist monk).

"Tokkan" is "charge', "rush" or (my favorite) "lightning attack".

"Wasei" means "Japanese style" -- the film was supposedly inspired by an American film called "Fighting Friends" -- though IMDB doesn't seem to list anything by this name.

[Tommaso]

IN any case Downfall of Osen in any case is an outright masterpiece, Oyuki based on Maupassant's Boule de Suif is a fascinating precursor to STagecoach in some ways, and the final title, Poppy while the most ragged of the prints is of considerable interest.

Well, coincidentally I watched "Osen" last night (and don't ask me where I got the copy from, please), and have to agree: an incredible masterpiece, surprisingly inventive in its flashback structure and almost demoniacally intense in Yamada's performance (sometimes this looks as if she's already rehearsing for "Throne of Blood"). Curiously, in its portrayal of the world of criminals and also with its touches of melodrama and shadow effects this reminded me a lot of German silents, Pabst especially. Is this just my imagination, or was Mizo indeed familiar with German cinema at the time?

[Michael Kerpan]

Based in what I've read, Murnau's "Last Laugh" and Sternberg's "Docks of New York" were two of the most influential films to Japanese film makers of the era.

In the 20s and early 30s, films from the US and Europe were very available to film makers -- with the exception of Russian ones. The more political films (such as those of Eisenstein) were forbidden -- even these films had some impact, however. Very detailed written descriptions were published -- and film makers (directors, writers, cinematographers) who traveled abroad often managed to see such films during the course of their travels.

[Cabiria21]

say Michael, do you have a list of the surviving Mizoguchi films, a quick google search brought up peanuts.

I'd like to know what of his (let's say pre-Utamaro) are surviving?

[Michael Kerpan]

say Michael, do you have a list of the surviving Mizoguchi films, a quick google search brought up peanuts.

I'd like to know what of his (let's say pre-Utamaro) are surviving?

I think this all the pre-Utamaro films that survive (in even partial form):

Furusato no uta / The Song of Home (1925)
Tokyo koshin-kyoku / Tokyo March (1929) (digest version)
Asahi wa kagayaku (1929) (M was co-director, but the parts he directed don't seem to have been preserved)
Fujiwara Yoshie no furusato (1930)
Taki no shiraito / The Water Magician (1933)
Orizuru Osen / The Downfall of Osen (1935)
Maria no Oyuki / Oyuki the Virgin (1935)
Gubijinsô / Poppies (1935)
Ojo Okichi (1935) (M was co-director with Takashima Tatsunosuke)
Naniwa erejî / Osaka Elegy (1936)
Gion no shimai / Sisters of the Gion (1936)
Aien kyo / The Straits of Love and Hate (1937)
Zangiku monogatari / The Story of the Late Chrysanthemums (1939)
Genroku chushingura / The 47 Ronin (1941)
Miyamoto Musashi / Musashi Miyamoto (1944)
Meito bijomaru / The Famous Sword Bijomaru (1945)
Josei no shôri / The Victory of Women (1946)