NOTE: December 2010: Comments added for addition of the BFI I Was Born... But - see HERE.

****

NOTE: The 3 features of this boxset are housed in individual slim transparent keep cases (see image above) and they are not sold separately at this time. These particular editions can only be obtained in Criterion's Eclipse Series Ten - Silent Ozu package at present.

All three DVDs are dual-layered and, very encouraging, are NOT pictureboxed transferred (see our full description of 'pictureboxing' in our Kind Hearts and Coronets review), but each are slightly pillarboxed. All 3 are coded for Region 1 in the NTSC standard. Passing Fancy is interlaced but the other two are progressive. The audio is optionally silent or with new scores by silent-film composer Donald Sosin. There are optional English subtitles for the original Japanese intertitles (samples below). The Janus logo precedes each film.

Tokyo Chorus : is the elder statesmen here and looks quite rough especially throughout the first 20 minutes. Severe damage marks are dramatically visible in every frame but the middle third of the feature has, comparatively, the most watchable image quality. Regardless, I am confident that it looks as good as it ever can on standard-def DVD considering the source quality. The Japanese are notorious for poor standards of film storage and I don't know that anything more can be realistically done to drastically improve this appearance. It is too far gone. It may be as damaged as I have ever seen - as an example, it requires even more 'viewer discretion' than Masters of Cinema's Humanity and Paper Balloons. On the positive, the film is easy to follow and the intertitles seem translated with Criterion's usual care. The film hints at later Ozu - escalating to his own style and for that it is very much worth watching. What we have here is an irreparably damaged film has seen the digital light. Perhaps we should be thankful that we have it available at all.   

I Was Born, But... : A highly anticipated film-to-DVD that, although, has strong improvements over Tokyo Chorus, still has its share of weakness. A lot of vertical scratch damage and marks that are light enough to enjoy the film but certainly visible throughout. Black levels are decent enough and probably boosted a slight degree. The popular film obviously harkens to the later Good Morning but with its own brand of familial humor. With the high bitrates and dual-layering we really can't point fingers why these don't look better except perhaps surmising it is the inadequate storage taking its toll over the years. A shame, but it is what it is.  

Passing Fancy : We compared it to the single-layered Panorama (Hong Kong) edition. Both are interlaced but the Panorama has it much more prominently visible. It seems obvious that a healthy portion of the left edge of this source is either lost or severely damaged. Even starting at the title credits the film is left biased. The Panorama has a large black border on the left edge where Criterion have attempted to center it. Damage marks seem exactly the same on both and although the Criterion is superior - it is not highly evident... except upon very close inspection. Where the Criterion vaults ahead is in the Japanese Intertitle translation to English which is always a weakness with Panorama. I expect the Criterion interlacing is dependant on the given source (as Tokyo Twilight was non-progressive in the Late Ozu Eclipse set).

Bitrates are very strong ranging from from 7.93 MPS (Passing Fancy) to 8.75 MPS (Tokyo Chorus).

Aside from one page liner notes for each film (visible on the inner case sleeve through the transparent case cover) there are no supplements. This is consistent from Eclipse. 

The new optional audio tracks by silent-film composer Donald Sosin are fairly piano based and sound wonderful. They flow very well with the films and after a while one develops a kinship with them and the storyline. I think it a benefit to have them consistently available in all three films. I, admittedly only sampled the 'silent' choice momentarily but much prefer the Sosin inclusions. I don't think I could watch them again without.

I tried to be quite diligent in my selection of screen captures to represent the transfers as accurately as I could. It might have been easy to frame jump and find cleaner samples but they wouldn't adequately 'demo' the image quality. I'm sure some might have been anticipating more from the transfers but I am hoping this review serves as a caveat on what to expect. Eclipse are making some of the most important films ever made affordable and accessible to vast audiences that have never been exposed to them before. We continue to encourage them in this project and find this Silent Ozu package essential to fans of the director, film scholars, silent cinema aficionados or just plain 'buffs' everywhere. Even in their, often, decrepit state they still exude humor, genuine warmth and Ozu's patented familial gentleness. A perfect escape from Hollywood's modern malady of excess.