331 Late Spring

[King of Kong]

Gorgeous stuff. I'm eagerly awaiting my copy - I can wait to reaquaint myself with this masterpiece and see Wenders' take on things in Tokyo Ga.

[King of Kong]

No, I mean on Tokyo-Ga. It's mostly in English, but still, CCs always have a sub track.

Hmm, the Tokyo Ga I tried to view at the library was in German with no English subs. Is there an English language version too?

[Matango]

Yep, this is it. With Wenders doing the yakking.

[Matango]

Quite annoying is that we have people like Chishu Ryu talking at length, with Wenders often just paraphrasing over the top (although much is direct translation). There's subs for some of Jap parts, but they're burned in.

[HerrSchreck]

Yes I've only ever seen it with the English track, but there is so much interlingual soundtrack it's screaming out for subs. This seems bizarre.

That's what I was thinking.

As for feature length films, WAGES OF FEAR has no english subs i e when the characters are speaking in english, which should piss off the deaf in hi-def. MONTEREY fully sub-free, pissing off... the deaf.

[HerrSchreck]

No matter how many times I jam my fingers inta my ear and whip it around loosening wax clogs, I still am surprised this was released in early spring.

[Matango]

The film is in fact a lot more damaged than those earlier screen caps indicate. There's a lot of scratch and flicker, although because it's Shochiku, it's to be expected. And because it's Ozu, we're happy just to have it. What strikes me is the marked difference between this 1949 Tokyo and the 1949 Tokyo of Kurosawa's Stray Dog. It's hard to believe we're even looking at the same country.

[HerrSchreck]

Is it just during the beginning & end of reels (i e it lasts for a few film feet then levels off) or more consistent, lasting at a certain level of damage you're talking about for several minutes?

[Matango]

It does seem quite reel-related, especially the last few minutes of the film. Although I didn't really analyse the timing when I watched it (twice, once with commentary). I know these things are usually noticable at reel changes, but it is fairly consistent damage.

[HerrSchreck]

Easy Matango, be gentle with me... I awready got multiple short-circuits in my head poof smoke. Don't start a fire.

Is it reel-related, or consistent?

[Matango]

Ok, I'm going to back off the disclaimer and say it's consistent. Kinda. Worse than Early Summer and Tokyo Story.

[Michael Kerpan]

The film is in fact a lot more damaged than those earlier screen caps indicate. There's a lot of scratch and flicker, although because it's Shochiku, it's to be expected. And because it's Ozu, we're happy just to have it. What strikes me is the marked difference between this 1949 Tokyo and the 1949 Tokyo of Kurosawa's Stray Dog. It's hard to believe we're even looking at the same country.

The 1948 Tokyo of Ozu's "Hen in the Wind", however, is a lot closer to that of "Stray Dog". ;~}

[HerrSchreck]

Now that's surprising-- those caps of LATE SPRING are better looking than anything I've seen thru the sum of TOKYO STORY, which I own & know well. It looks nicer than SUMMER too, which I own & know well. Especially the contrast. So you're saying those caps are caps of just the very very rarest cream of the crop?

[Matango]

The 1948 Tokyo of Ozu's "Hen in the Wind", however, is a lot closer to that of "Stray Dog". ;~}[/quote]

Yes it is, you're quite right.

[Matango]

Now that's surprising-- those caps of LATE SPRING are better looking than anything I've seen thru the sum of TOKYO STORY, which I own & know well. It looks nicer than SUMMER too, which I own & know well. Especially the contrast. So you're saying those caps are caps of just the very very rarest cream of the crop?

Yep, I might have to go out on a limb and say that. Those are good looking caps; better than the overall viewing experience. I look forward to your comments after firsthand experience.

[Michael Kerpan]

On the Shochiku DVD, some parts of this film look quite good, other parts not.

It looks (from the screen shots) like the source material has undergone considerable digital sharpening and contrast boosting, compared to the Shochiku release. I can't really judge until I see the actual DVD (no indication my copy has shipped yet). ;~{

[Matango]

It's much better than the Panorama disc, of course, and I'm sure CC did the usual sterling job. There's a kind of fanning effect that goes from left to right halfway across the screen quite often...no idea what it is, but it's a damage theme throughout. Sorry, I'm no expert on damage causes.

[Matango]

And yes, contrast boosting...definitely noticeable, especially on the faces.

[Matango]

Setsuko Hara looks disconcertingly devilish at times with her overbright white face.

[HerrSchreck]

Now that's surprising-- those caps of LATE SPRING are better looking than anything I've seen thru the sum of TOKYO STORY, which I own & know well. It looks nicer than SUMMER too, which I own & know well. Especially the contrast. So you're saying those caps are caps of just the very very rarest cream of the crop?

Yep, I might have to go out on a limb and say that. Those are good looking caps; better than the overall viewing experience. I look forward to your comments after firsthand experience.

dis-a-POINT-ed!!!!!!....

[kinjitsu]

You are nitpicking and exaggerating unnecessarily, Matango. As I said earlier, there are some rough spots, but they are insignificant in comparison to the overall quality of this otherwise excellent transfer, and as far as I can tell, there is no significant boosting.

[HerrSchreck]

So how would you compare it to TOKYO St. & E. SUMMER, Kin? Your caps lead me to believe his claim that it is worse is simply not possible. There are no areas of either of these two CC DVD's that look at good as your caps.

[mahler]

Preliminary comparison at DVDBeaver:

Here

[kinjitsu]

So how would you compare it to TOKYO St. & E. SUMMER, Kin? Your caps lead me to believe his claim that it is worse is simply not possible. There are no areas of either of these two CC DVD's that look at good as your caps.

He is nit picking, and besides, it is an entirely different film and frankly don't see the point in making comparisons between three different transfers. That said, I think that this compares very favorably with the others, if anything, it looks more balanced, and there seems to be less flickering than in Tokyo Story.

[Michael Kerpan]

The DVD Beaver screen shots make the Criterion's image seem squashed (top to bottom). Faces seem fatter than in the other versions (and than they do in other films I've seen the same actors in). Is this a screen capture problem -- or a DVD anomaly?