Yasujiro Ozu Tokyo Story Tokyo monogatari Criterion DVD Review Yasujiro Ozu Tokyo Story Tokyo monogatari Criterion DVD Review Yasujiro Ozu Tokyo Story Tokyo monogatari Criterion DVD Review Yasujiro Ozu Tokyo Story Tokyo monogatari Criterion DVD Review Yasujiro Ozu Tokyo Story Tokyo monogatari Criterion DVD Review Yasujiro Ozu Tokyo Story Tokyo monogatari Criterion DVD Review Yasujiro Ozu Tokyo Story Tokyo monogatari Criterion DVD Review Yasujiro Ozu Tokyo Story Tokyo monogatari Criterion DVD Review Yasujiro Ozu Tokyo Story Tokyo monogatari Criterion DVD Review Yasujiro Ozu Tokyo Story Tokyo monogatari Criterion DVD Review

(aka "Tokyo monogatari" or "Tokyo Story")

Japan 1953

2003 marked the 100 year anniversary of the birth of Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu who died of cancer in 1963. Film fans around the world were treated to theatrical retrospectives of his major works. Critics note "Tokyo Story" as his masterwork achievement, and rightly so.

What I personally noted about this film was Ozu's style of the 180 degree cuts when there is conversation. Unlike modern cinema pans and multiple cameras and angles, I found the flow of these dialogues took some getting used to. I can only assume these are "cuts" - individual takes which shows immense effort and choreography. I can appreciate his use of them for "allowing each character to impart his/her lines with adequate importance" without distraction - akin to not "cutting a person off" in mid-conversation. In repeat viewings although I was aware of this convention, it was far less noticeable to me. This type of strict adherence to a particular style is so wonderful to see. It signifies to me that the director was not influenced to manipulate his vision as we see so often in cinema today. This was Ozu's trademark and it works for the most important evaluation of any work of art - longevity. This film sits proudly as a DVD in my collection - one I can revisit repeatedly for the rest of my life. out of

Gary W. Tooze

Poster and Script Book

Theatrical Release: November 3rd, 1953 - Japan

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DVD Comparison:

Tartan Region 2- PAL vs. Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Oasis - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Pavel and Henrik Sylow for the Oasis captures!

(Tartan - Region 2 - PAL LEFT vs. Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Oasis - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers			Thinking of buying from YesAsia? CLICK HERE and use THIS UPDATED BEAVER PAGE to source their very best...
Distribution	Tartan Region 0 - PAL	Criterion Collection Spine # 217 - Region 1 - NTSC	Oasis (Korea) Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	2:16:00 (taken from NTSC source)	2:15:56	2:16:08
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.79 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.12 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.4 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Tartan
Bitrate: Criterion
Bitrate: Oasis
Audio	2.0 Dolby Digital Japanese	Japanese (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono)	Japanese (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono)
Subtitles	English, None	English, None	English, Korean and none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Tartan Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Trailer (4:14) • Photo Gallery DVD Release Date: December 6th, 2004 Transparent Keep Case (inbox with rest of The Noriko Trilogy) Chapters: 22	Release Information: Studio: Criterion / Home Vision Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: Disc one: Newly restored digital transfer of film with improved subtitle translation Audio commentary by Ozu-scholar David Desser, editor of Ozu's Tokyo Story Original trailer Disc two: I Lived, but...(1983), a two-hour documentary about the life and career of Ozu Talking with Ozu: a 30-minute tribute to Yasujiro Ozu, featuring directors Stanley Kwan, Aki Kurasmaki, Claire Denis, Lindsay Anderson, Paul Schrader, Wim Wenders, and Hsiao-Hsien New essay by David Bordwell, author of Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema Number of discs: 2 DVD Release Date: October 28, 2003 Keep Case Chapters: 27	Release Information: Studio: Oasis (Korea) Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Theatrical Trailer DVD Release Date: October 28, 2003 Keep Case Chapters: 27
Comments:	ADDITION - Tartan (Dec -04) - Tartan are using the more economical route to sell these DVDs. For the price of 1 1/2 of the Stellar Criterions, you can have three Ozu films. The image is undeniably weaker using the NTSC masters and not converting to PAL. The rest of the Noriko Trilogy (also includes Early Summer and Late Spring) is the same but an improvement over the Panorama editions. We have also compared now and they are, but still fall short for the more expensive and extra-laden Criterions. Stick with your Criterions folks, these Tartans were done on the cheap, and it shows! Gary Tooze The Tartan image is slightly cropped, aprx 1% right, versus Criterion, suggesting different source, not overscan. The Tartan, based upon the restored Shochiku masters, is basically spotless, but soft and dark, especially details in long shots are obscured by the soft image. The Criterion image is almost the exact opposite, lots of contrast, lots of details, but also lots of cracks and dirt. If I were to chose based on this alone, by vote would go to Tartan, because the Criterion, while most detailed, simply is below their usual standard and of poor quality. Compare Criterion “Tokyo Story” vs. “Early Summer” and you see the difference. But sadly, Tartan’s presentation notes on production blunders and a messy production. Originally the first box was to contain “Late Spring”, “The Flavour of Green Tea over Rice” and “Tokyo Story”, but was late autumn changed to the Noriko Trilogy, replacing Green Tea with “Early Summer”. Fair enough, this happens a lot, press releases are only notes, so lets move on to the real problems. The first and major blunder is a NTSC to PAL transfer. One thing is that Shochiku only makes NTSC masters and really push the envelope when negotiating rights, but Tartan could for instance have chosen to have released the set as Region 0 NTSC instead, rather than PAL. This causes ghosting, most of the time not noticeable at all, unless one goes forward with single frame, but once its in your head, you notice it. This is a critical element and thus Criterion gets away with the better picture, as I have to compare. The minor blunder is that the box notes on commentaries not present. While due to conflicting deadlines, it is still an element, where Tartan has to excuse. When one releases something as central in film history as the “Noriko Trilogy”, everyone's eyes targets it, and people will be more critical than usual, because of the legacy of the films. As such, the production simply has too many excuses to be acceptable. Granted, we critics often take a production for granted, never realizing the problems involved, and they probably had a deadline for Christmas sales and some boss said no to postponing it, but there are too many hiccups production wise here, too many excuses, and regardless of a, what I personally think is, beautiful image and presentation, this is too flawed a product. Henrik Sylow *** Not much needs to be said here - again we have a question s to whether Criterion "sold" the rights and image to a Korean company or they simply bootlegged. The image quality is poorer on the Oasis with excessive contrast boosting. They have the same menus. It has AWFUL yellow subtitles and virtually no extras. I hate seeing things like this, but I guess it is a factor of $'s. Buy the Criterion! - Gary W. Tooze**

DVD Menus

(Tartan - Region 2 - PAL LEFT vs. Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT vs. Oasis - Region 0 - NTSC - copy of the Criterion menus)

Screen Captures