| Release | Sep 30, 2008 |
| Video | Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 |
| Audio |
Japanese: Dolby Digital 1.0 |
| Subtitles | English |
| Studio | Criterion |
| Year | 1962 |
| Genre | Drama |
- Remastered Audio and Video (New, restored high-definition digital transfer)
- New audio commentary featuring film scholar David Bordwell, author of Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema
- Excerpts from Yasujiro Ozu and The Taste of Sake - a 1978 French television program looking back on Ozu's career, featuring critics Michel Ciment and Georges Perec
- Theatrical trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A booklet featuring new essays by film critic Geoff Andrew and film scholar Donald Richie
Yasujiro Ozu's final film (he died a year later) was also his final masterpiece, the gently heartbreaking story of a man's dignified resignation to both life's ever-shifting currents and society's gradual modernization.
Though widower Shuhei Hirayama (Ozu's frequent leading man Chishu Ryu) has been living comfortably for years with his grown daughter, a series of events leads him to accept and encourage her marriage and departure. As elegantly composed and achingly tender as any of the Japanese master's films, AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON (Sanma no aji from Japan, literally: The Taste of an Autumn Mackerel) is one of cinema's fondest farewells.
About the filmmaker...
Japanese writer/director Yasujiro Ozu is often labeled by film scholars as the greatest filmmaker of all time. His films dealt primarily with the dynamics of middle-class Japanese family life and the subtle conflict between generations. Universal themes examining parent/child communication were prevalent in many of his gentle social dramas. Ozu, ironically, had no direct personal exposure to this familial lifestyle remaining a lifelong bachelor.
He is most recognized for his meticulous static-camera style which centered almost entirely on detailed composition. He minimized all camera movement giving his characters an unencumbered field of expression which allowed more intimate viewer bonding through his often simple narratives. With occasional shots of trains, clocks and elevated hydro-electric lines, Ozu subtly broached the conflict of an encroaching modern displacement upon the established traditional lifestyle.
Though widower Shuhei Hirayama (Ozu's frequent leading man Chishu Ryu) has been living comfortably for years with his grown daughter, a series of events leads him to accept and encourage her marriage and departure. As elegantly composed and achingly tender as any of the Japanese master's films, AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON (Sanma no aji from Japan, literally: The Taste of an Autumn Mackerel) is one of cinema's fondest farewells.
About the filmmaker...
Japanese writer/director Yasujiro Ozu is often labeled by film scholars as the greatest filmmaker of all time. His films dealt primarily with the dynamics of middle-class Japanese family life and the subtle conflict between generations. Universal themes examining parent/child communication were prevalent in many of his gentle social dramas. Ozu, ironically, had no direct personal exposure to this familial lifestyle remaining a lifelong bachelor.
He is most recognized for his meticulous static-camera style which centered almost entirely on detailed composition. He minimized all camera movement giving his characters an unencumbered field of expression which allowed more intimate viewer bonding through his often simple narratives. With occasional shots of trains, clocks and elevated hydro-electric lines, Ozu subtly broached the conflict of an encroaching modern displacement upon the established traditional lifestyle.
Criterion
presents
Haruko SugimaraChishu RyuShima IwashitaKeiji SadaMariko OkadaTeruo YoshidaNobuo NakamuraEijirô TonoKuniko MiyakeKyoko KishidaRyuji KitaTokyo TakahashiMasao OdaFujio SugaDaisuke Kato"Autumn Afternoon, An: The Criterion Collection"
Written byYasujiro OzuWritten byKogo Nodaproduced byShizuo Yamanouchi
directed byYasujiro Ozu
Production Year: 1962
Written byYasujiro OzuWritten byKogo Nodaproduced byShizuo Yamanouchi
directed byYasujiro Ozu
Production Year: 1962
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[release]24653[/release]