(aka "Equinox Flower' or 'Higanbana" )

 

Japan 1958

 

Another close examination of family life, Ozu's first, gorgeous colour film is presented from the viewpoint of the younger generation. Focusing on a modern young woman who wishes to choose her husband over her father's objections, Ozu opens an age-old discussion on respect for the beliefs and values of elders and the tensions spawned by youthful rebellion. As the father is slowly won over, the entire family is subjected to Ozu's gentle irony and loving detail. The colour enhances the tone and mood of the film and showcases Yamamoto's famous beauty. The film begins and ends ironically on the railway - first with a warning sign 'strong winds expected', finally with a train gliding into a blissful autumn afternoon, all parties reconciled.

Theatrical Release: September 7th, 1958

Reviews    More Reviews  DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Tartan (Ozu Volume 3) - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Henrik Sylow for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from;
All 3 Tartan Ozu Boxsets	The Noriko Trilogy - "Late Spring", "Early Summer" and "Tokyo Story" Record of a Tenement Gentleman and Flavor of Green Tea over Rice Equinox Flower, Tokyo Twilight and Good Morning
Distribution	Tartan Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:53:05 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.51 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	2.0 Dolby Digital Japanese Mono
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Tartan Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Restoration featurette (3:43) • Trailer (1:54) • Liner notes by Doug Cummings DVD Release Date: April 24, 2006 Slimcase Chapters 16

 

Comments

NOTE: Let's start with the best news - these are not unconverted PAL transfers. Tartan have converted first and hence we have no ghosting or artifacts associated with that frugal transfer process. **** Slightly overscanned compared to the Panorama Entertainment version by 1%, Tartans transfer is breathtaking. Details are strong and original color scheme maintained. There are by closer examination of stills visible artefacts, but not by normal viewing.  - Henrik Sylow Comparing: The Tartan is far less green than the Panorama (which may not be a good thing) but it does look better - superior in both contrast and detail. The big bonus is that the subtitles are vastly better than the Panorama. The Tartan is the definitive version at present.

 

 

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DVD Menus
 

 

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Screen Captures

Capture is resized from 768px to 720px

 

(Tartan - Region 2 - PAL TOP vs. Panorama - Region 3 - NTSC - BOTTOM) NOTE: Panorama fully reviewed HERE

 

 

 

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(Tartan - Region 2 - PAL TOP vs. Panorama - Region 3 - NTSC - BOTTOM) NOTE: Panorama fully reviewed HERE

 

 

 

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(Tartan - Region 2 - PAL TOP vs. Panorama - Region 3 - NTSC - BOTTOM) NOTE: Panorama fully reviewed HERE

 

The Japan Journals : 1947-2004, by  Donald Richie	The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film by Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp	Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema by David Bordwell	Eros Plus Massacre: An Introduction to the Japanese New Wave Cinema (Midland Book, Mb 469) by David Desser	Transcendental Style in Film : Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer by Paul Schrader	Tokyo Story by Yasujiro Ozu, Kogo Noda, Donald Richie, Eric Klestadt	Ozu by Donald Ritchie	A Hundred Years of Japanese Film by Donald Richie

Check out more in "The Library"

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(aka "Tokyo Twilight' or 'Tokyo boshoku" or "Twilight in Tokyo")

 

Japan 1957

 

Many will instantly notice the obvious sameness Ozu's classics have ("Twilight Tokyo" being his last before moving to color) with similar parent/child communication themes, cast, locales, even titles in many his sublime minimalist melodramas.

The opening scenes of the twilight scenery completes the précised expression of the narrative involving the disintegration of the family unit - another typical conservative middle-class Japanese family. Abandoned by his wife many years hence, a father (Chishu Ryu) is coping with two daughters, one (Setsuko Hara) has separated from her husband with child in tow, the other (Ineko Arima) refuses to communicate her pregnancy and ultimate decision of abortion. Possibly Ozu's darkest film, it still maintains an extremely high level of personal awareness and family love.

Theatrical Release: April 30th, 1957 - Tokyo

Reviews    More Reviews  DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Tartan (Ozu Volume 3) - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Henrik Sylow for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
All 3 Tartan Ozu Boxsets	The Noriko Trilogy - "Late Spring", "Early Summer" and "Tokyo Story" Record of a Tenement Gentleman and Flavor of Green Tea over Rice Equinox Flower, Tokyo Twilight and Good Morning
Distribution	Tartan Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	2:14:48 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.16 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	2.0 Dolby Digital Japanese Mono
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Tartan Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Restoration feature (1:30) • Liner notes by Doug Cummings DVD Release Date: April 24, 2006 Slimcase Chapters 16

 

 

 

Comments

NOTE: Let's start with the best news - these are not unconverted PAL transfers. Tartan have converted first and hence we have no ghosting or artifacts associated with that frugal transfer process. **** Slightly overscanned compared to the Panorama Entertainment version by 1%, Tartans transfer is very similar, but differs slightly by having more depth and definition in detail, mainly due to contrast and light levels. A difference here, as well as in the other films, is the wording in the translations. Here, in the Tartan version, the subtitle says "She needed it to help this friend of hers.", while the Panorama versions says "She needed it suddenly to help a friend." Not speaking Japanese, I am unable to say what is most correct, either by literary or context translation.  - Henrik Sylow Comparing: The Panorama has contrast boosting which becomes more apparent next to the Tartan. Detail looks quite similar. The big bonus is that the Tartan subtitles are vastly superior to the Panorama. The Tartan is the definitive version at present.

 

 

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DVD Menus

 

 

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Screen Captures

Capture is resized from 768px to 720px

(Tartan - Region 2 - PAL TOP vs. Panorama - Region 3 - NTSC - BOTTOM) NOTE: Panorama fully reviewed HERE

 

 

 

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(Tartan - Region 2 - PAL TOP vs. Panorama - Region 3 - NTSC - BOTTOM) NOTE: Panorama fully reviewed HERE

 

 

 

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(Tartan - Region 2 - PAL TOP vs. Panorama - Region 3 - NTSC - BOTTOM) NOTE: Panorama fully reviewed HERE

 

 

 

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(aka "Ohayô" )

 

Japan 1959

 

Ozu’s hilarious Technicolor re-working of his silent "I Was Born, But...", "Good Morning" ("Ohayo") is the story of two young boys in suburban Tokyo who take a vow of silence after their parents refuse to buy them a television set. Shot from the perspective of the petulant brothers, Good Morning is an enchantingly satirical portrait of family life that gives rise to gags about romance, gossip, and the consumerism of modern Japan.

Theatrical Release: February - 1959

Reviews    More Reviews  DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Tartan (Ozu Volume 3) - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Henrik Sylow for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
All 3 Tartan Ozu Boxsets	The Noriko Trilogy - "Late Spring", "Early Summer" and "Tokyo Story" Record of a Tenement Gentleman and Flavor of Green Tea over Rice Equinox Flower, Tokyo Twilight and Good Morning
Distribution	Tartan Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:30: (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.99 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	2.0 Dolby Digital Japanese Mono
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Tartan Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Restoration featurette (4:06) • Trailer (1:37) • Liner notes by Doug Cummings DVD Release Date: April 24, 2006 Slimcase Chapters 16

 

 

Comments

NOTE: Let's start with the best news - these are not unconverted PAL transfers. Tartan have converted first and hence we have no ghosting or artifacts associated with that frugal transfer process. **** Slightly over scanned compared to the Japanese Shochiku version by 1%, the image is superior to previous versions. Details are much more defined in Tartans transfer, and the original Japanese color scheme has been maintained. Tartan can brag that this is the best DVD version with English subtitles.  - Henrik Sylow

 

 

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DVD Menus

 

 

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Screen Captures

Capture is resized from 768px to 720px

 

(Tartan - Region 2 - PAL TOP vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Panorama - Region 3 - NTSC BOTTOM)

 

NOTE: Criterion, Panorama and Shochiku are fully compared HERE

 

 

 

 

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(Tartan - Region 2 - PAL TOP vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Panorama - Region 3 - NTSC BOTTOM)

 

NOTE: Criterion, Panorama and Shochiku are fully compared HERE

 

 

 

 

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(Tartan - Region 2 - PAL TOP vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Panorama - Region 3 - NTSC BOTTOM)

 

NOTE: Criterion, Panorama and Shochiku are fully compared HERE

 

 

 

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