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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "Saikaku ichidai onna" or "Diary of Oharu" or "The Life of Oharu" or "Saikaku: Life of a Woman")
directed by
Kenji Mizoguchi
Japan 1952
A peerless chronicler of the soul who specialized in supremely emotional, visually exquisite films about the circumstances of women in Japanese society, Kenji Mizoguchi had already been directing movies for decades when he made The Life of Oharu in 1952. But this epic portrait of an inexorable fall from grace, starring the astounding Kinuyo Tanaka as an imperial lady-in-waiting who gradually descends to street prostitution, was the movie that gained the director international attention, ushering in a new golden period for him. |
Poster
Theatrical Release: April 3rd, 1952 - Japan
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL vs. Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
1) Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL LEFT2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray RIGHT |
Box Cover |
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Also being released on Blu-ray by Criterion in the UK in April 2017: |
Distribution | Artificial Eye - Region 2- PAL | Criterion Collection - Spine # 664 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 2:10:36 (4% PAL Speedup) | 2:16:52.871 |
Video | 1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.5 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
1.37:1 - 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 46,586,072,925 bytesFeature: 39,311,075,328 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.01 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate:
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Bitrate:
Blu-ray
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Audio | Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dolby) |
LPCM Audio Japanese 1152 kbps
1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps |
Subtitles | English (ingrained) | English, none |
Features |
Release Information:
Edition Details: • Mizoguchi
filmography |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion Collection
1.37:1 - 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 46,586,072,925 bytesFeature: 39,311,075,328 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.01 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details: |
Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION Criterion Blu-ray - June 2013: While there is no doubt weaknesses with the source it is easy to see that the Criterion, at over 5X the bitrate, is head-and-tails above the muddy AE SD from 2004. The 1080P is brighter with better contrast but as the superior resolution also brings out detail to a higher degree it also show the light-t-moderate damage - usually in the form of small scratches (often just beneath the surface) that are notable in almost every frame. What is most pleasing is the visible grain. Frankly, this looks significantly better than I was anticipating. A combination of Criterion's restoration and the HD improvement have really given The Life of Oharu an impressive advancement in its digital visual presentation. Audio is uncompressed via a linear PCM mono track at 1152 kbps in original Japanese. It is imperfect but there are no dramatic flaws. The subtitle translation is 'new' and has some significant differences from the AE. I'm confident the Criterion translation is more detailed and accurate. The Blu-ray disc is region A-locked.Extras include 28-minutes worth (from the start of the film) of a new (recorded 2013) audio commentary by film scholar Dudley Andrew and it is quite good although being longer would have been appreciated. We also get Mizoguchi’s Art and the Demimonde, a 19-minute illustrated audio essay written and narrated by Andrew exploring Mizoguchi's interest in the theatre, art and fiction of 17th-18th Century Japan. He locates the root of his idea for the adaptation of The Life of Oharu in his second post-war film, Utamaro and His Five Women. Also included is the 1/2 hour piece The Travels of Kinuyo Tanaka, a 2009 film by Koko Kajiyama documenting the actor’s October 1949 goodwill tour of the United States visiting Hawaii and California eventually heading east. The film by Kajiyama documents Tanaka's controversial journey using archival footage and photos. It was produced in association with Geiyu-kai and was screened as part of an exhibition at the National Film Centre in Tokyo in 2009. There is also a liner notes booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Gilberto Perez. The
Life of Oharu is a touching and indiscreet examination of human violation,
suffering, and humiliation. Criterion have created the definitive digital
release - another worthy of the
most-essential
Blu-ray releases of
the year to date. Strongly recommended!
***
I am pretty
happy with the image but appalled that there are no Extras. Mizoguchi
has had a huge delay on DVD with English subtitles (aside from Image
Entertainments 'The
47 Ronin'). A great film and one worthy of better treatment in
my mind. Still, it could have been as bad as the Columbia Tri-star
Apu
Trilogy. We will take what we can get.
out
of |
Recommended Reading for Japanese Film Fans (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
The Japan Journals : 1947-2004, by Donald Richie |
The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film by Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp |
Kon Ichikawa (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs) by James Quandt, Cinematheque Ontario |
Shohei Imamura (Cinematheque
Ontario Monographs, No. 1) by James Quandt |
Eros Plus Massacre: An
Introduction to the Japanese New Wave Cinema
(Midland Book, Mb 469) by David Desser |
The Films of Akira Kurosawa by Donald Ritchie |
by Yasujiro Ozu, Kogo Noda, Donald Richie, Eric Klestadt |
Ozu by Donald Richie |
A Hundred Years of Japanese Film by Donald Richie |
Check out more in "The Library"
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1) Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
Screen Captures
1) Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
1) Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
1) Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
1) Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
1) Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
1) Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
More Blu-ray Captures
Box Cover |
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Also being released on Blu-ray by Criterion in the UK in April 2017: |
Distribution | Artificial Eye - Region 2- PAL | Criterion Collection - Spine # 664 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |