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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
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The Mizoguchi Collection
Naniwa erejî (1936)
... aka Osaka Elegy Gion no
shimai (1936) ... aka Sisters of the Gion
Zangiku monogatari (1939) ... aka The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum
Utamaro o meguru gonin no onna (1946) ... aka
Utamaro and His Five Women
Kenji Mizoguchi (1898-1956) is regarded as one of Japanese cinema’s greatest ever directors along with Ozu and Kurosawa. This 4 disc set covers his middle period, which marked his emergence as a serious artist whose films explored Japan’s transition from feudalism to modernism and the oppression of women in Japanese society.... |
Titles
Osaka Elegy
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (Zangiku Monogatari)
Kenji Mizoguchi, 1939
Utamaro and His Five Women Kenji Mizoguchi, 1946 Often regarded as his most autobiographical work, Mizoguchi’s film is based on the life of a prominent 18th Century artist and his complex relationships with the women who inspired him. |
Osaka Elegy | Sisters of the Gion |
Disc Size: 19,479,538,179 bytes Feature Size: 19,034,916,864 bytes Average Bitrate: 31.86 MbpsSingle-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4- AVC |
Disc Size: 17,931,043,557 bytes Feature Size: 17,463,803,904 bytes Average Bitrate: 30.00 MbpsSingle-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4- AVC |
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum | Utamaro and His Five Women |
Disc Size: 38,516,489,661 bytes Feature Size: 38,173,421,568 bytes Average Bitrate: 32.00 MbpsDual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4- AVC |
Disc Size: 24,188,178,149 bytes Feature Size: 23,832,993,792 bytes Average Bitrate: 30.00 MbpsSingle-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4- AVC |
Posters (Remakes of titles included)
Theatrical Releases: 1936 - 1946
Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from:
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Distribution | Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray | |
Time: | Respectively - 1:11:36.333, 1:09:30.207, 2:23:03.491 + 1:34:52.728 | |
Bitrate: Osaka Elegy | ||
Bitrate: Sisters of the Gion | ||
Bitrate: The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum | ||
Bitrate: Utamaro and His Five Women | ||
Audio | LPCM Audio Japanese
1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit Dolby Digital Audio Japanese 224 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps / DN -4dB |
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Subtitles | English, None | |
Features |
Release Information: Edition Details:
• none
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Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were
taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.
ADDITION: Artificial Eye - Region 'B' Blu-ray - March 2012: This is a 4 Blu-ray package. A big part of the monumental appeal for this new Boxset from Artificial Eye in the UK is to have The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum in any type of representational quality. Of the 4 films it is the only one on a dual-layered transfer - more, I suspect, because of the film's length. All 4 renderings are at a strong 30+ Mbps. Often what the SD Criterion/Eclipse exported as noise the new, brighter, Blu-ray transfers show as wonderfully rich, thick, grain. The appealing textures are the most significant part of the HD presentation, in my opinion. I can't say enough about it and even made some of the below captures PNG files to try to convey this film-like beauty. Of course, there is still damage but overall this is a highly beneficial upgrade. These appear to be from the same source as the Criterion DVDs but in 1080P grandeur 'fullness' is realized to an extent that cinema fans will appreciate the most. Could these are looked better if they were all dual-layered? - I doubt it. The bitrate is max'ed out and the thickness is there in abundance. These blew me away in the pitch-blackness of my home theater.
The audio is, predictably, weaker than
one might hope. It is all transferred in lossless linear PCM mono - with
the option for Dolby mono. It seems devoid of any major flaws (dropouts,
pops) but there is a subtle 'crackle'. I honestly expect that this is
the best it will sound. Acceptably imperfect. There are optional English
subtitles (see sample below) on the region 'B'-locked discs. Unfortunately no extras on the screener
discs that I was sent. Even bare-bones this has immense value to
Mizoguchi, or Japanese film, fans in general.
Utamaro and His Five Women is a hoot. This is a rare, landmark,
Blu-ray
set and one that many serious film devotees will gravitate to and
cherish. For North Americans - another in the many reasons to have a
region FREE
Blu-ray
player. We can warmly recommend! |
Menus
Naniwa erejî (1936) ... aka Osaka Elegy
Gion no shimai (1936) ... aka Sisters of the Gion
Zangiku monogatari (1939) ... aka The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum
Utamaro o meguru gonin no onna (1946) ... aka Utamaro and His Five Women
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Screen Captures
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More Blu-ray Captures
Screen Captures
Gion no shimai (1936) ... aka Sisters of the Gion
Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
(Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM)
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(Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM)
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(Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM)
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Screen Captures
Zangiku monogatari (1939) ... aka The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum
Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
Screen Captures
Utamaro o meguru gonin no onna (1946) ... aka Utamaro and His Five Women
Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi