Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

An Autumn Afternoon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 19, 2015

Yasujiro Ozu's "Am Autumn Afternoon" a.k.a. "The Taste of Sake" (1962) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include two original Japanese trailer for the film; audio commentary with writer David Bordwell; and excerpts from an archival episode of the French TV series Cine regards featuring critic Michel Ciment and writer Georges Perec. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring essays by critic Geoff Andrew and scholar Donald Richie. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Mr. Hirayama

Yasujiro Ozu’s last film, An Autumn Afternoon, tells the story of a middle-class Japanese family facing a difficult dilemma. The head of the family, Mr. Hirayama (Chishu Ryu, Tokyo Story, Late Autumn), is a widower who works hard and spends most of his free time with his married friends. They have a favorite bar whose owner treats them well.

Mr. Hirayama lives with his son, Kazuo (Shinichirô Mikami, Pale Flower, Mankiller), and 24-year-old daughter, Michiko (Shima Iwashita, Ballad of Orin, Harakiri). Koichi (Keiji Sada, Equinox Flower / There Was a Father, Good Morning), Mr. Hirayama’s eldest son, is married to Akiko (Mariko Okada, Banana, This Year's Love), but hasn’t become a father yet.

During a night out in the city, Mr. Hirayama is told by one of his friends that he should start thinking about finding Michiko a husband. A couple of days later, Mr. Hirayama meets Koichi and asks whether he also believes that it is time for his sister to get married.

Even though he does not want to see his father living alone, Koichi agrees that it is a good idea to see Michiko settle down. He even offers to ask one of his colleagues, a well educated young man from a respectable family, whether he might be interested in Michiko. When the two meet, however, the man confesses to him that even though he likes Michiko he has already made plans to marry a different girl.

Eventually, Mr. Hirayama and Koichi approach Michiko and reveal to her that they want to see her have a family of her own. Michiko is surprised and saddened by her father’s sudden desire to see her become a housewife – and incredibly disappointed to hear that Koichi’s colleague is no longer available. Shortly after, she agrees to meet an older bachelor who has been enthusiastically recommended to Mr. Hirayama by one of his best friends.

The plot description cannot possibly reveal how incredibly entertaining the film is. It is enormously sad yet absolutely hilarious, at times cruel yet remarkably elegant. Its characters are quiet and reserved people but their decisions are often utterly unpredictable.

Like most of Ozu’s films, An Autumn Afternoon chronicles interesting transformations. After years of living a quiet life, the aging Mr. Hirayama has started drinking and drifting away from his family. Though he does not admit it in front of his friends, there are days when he feels incredibly lonely. He does not want Michiko to ever experience what he is going through, which she most certainly will if she remains single, which is why he and Koichi begin looking around to get her a good husband.

Koichi has also started realizing that he can no longer make important decisions alone, such as whether his family can afford an expensive set of golf clubs. Naturally, he misses the good old days when his wife would never even think about questioning him.

Finally, Michiko would rather spend the rest of her life with a man she likes, but she also realizes that it is better to be married and respected than be single and try to make ends meet on her own.

The bigger story the film tells is that of a country undergoing a massive transformation while Mr. Hirayama’s generation struggles to adapt to the changes. There is a desire to move forward and an understanding shared by most that the new, meaning different things to different people, is indeed better, but also plenty of nostalgia for the old.

An Autumn Afternoon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Yasujiro Ozu's An Autumn Afternoon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Scanity film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative at IMAGICA Corp. and IMAGICA West Corp. in Tokyo, where the film was restored in 2K resolution. The original monaural soundtrack was removed at 24-bit from a 35mm optical track print. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle wrtr manually removed using Pro Tools HD, AudioCube's integrated workstation, and iZotope RX4.

Transfer supervisors: Takashi Kawamata, Masashi Chikamori.
Colorist: Osami Iseki/IMAGICA Copr., Tokyo."

The release uses as a foundation a new 4K restoration which offers a number of sizable improvements in all of the major areas we typically address in our reviews. Detail and clarity are very pleasing throughout the entire film and the indoor sequences now also boast improved image depth. Virtually all well-lit close-ups also look far better balanced. (Tighter is another term to describe the overall image improvement). Perhaps the most dramatic improvements, however, are in the area of image stability. Indeed, the basic frame instability and edge shimmer from the BFI Region-B release have been completely eliminated and the film now looks very impressive. Debris, damage marks, cuts, warps, and stains have been carefully removed as well. There are no traces of problematic sharpening or degraining corrections. Colors are stable and healthy, but the entire film has an overall warmer appearance (compare screencaptures #2 and 2 and #3 and 15 from our review of the BFI release). I believe that the color scheme of the 4K restoration is a lot more accurate as its basic color identities are far better defined (blues, greens, browns, and reds), but I also feel that there are a couple of outdoor sequences that should have a wider range of nuanced blues. Regardless, at present An Autumn Afternoon is certainly the most beautiful Ozu film available on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

An Autumn Afternoon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release Japanese LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

Dynamic intensity is quite limited, but this should not be surprising. After all, virtually all of Yasujiro Ozu's films have organic sound designs and music never really has a prominent role in them. The audio must have been remastered, however, as overall balance is better (listen to the transition and music theme around the 00.51.23 mark). The dialog is crisp, stable, and easy to follow. There are no pops, cracks, background hiss, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review.

An Autumn Afternoon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer 1 - original Japanese trailer for An Autumn Afternoon. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (3 min, 1080p).

• Trailer 2 - original Japanese trailer for An Autumn Afternoon. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (4 min, 1080p).

• "Yasujiro Ozu and The Taste of Sake" - presented here are excerpts from an episode of the French TV series Cine regards, directed by Jean Baronnet, in which critic Michel Ciment and writer Georges Perec (Série Noire) discuss Yasujiro Ozu's directing style and some of the unique qualities of An Autumn Afternoon (a.k.a. The Taste of Sake). A very young Fabrice Luchini (In The House) and Sophie Chemineau (A Girl on Her Own) are also seen reading a poem and short text by Lao Tzu. The episode was broadcast on November 26, 1978. In French, with optional English subtitles. (15 min, 1080i).

• Commentary - this commentary with David Bordwell, author of Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema, was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2005. It initially appeared on the R1 DVD release of An Autumn Afternoon.

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring essays by critic Geoff Andrew and scholar Donald Richie.

An Autumn Afternoon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Yasujiro Ozu's final film, An Autumn Afternoon, may well be his most elegant film. It tells a simple but moving story that anyone can relate to. The film has been restored in 4K and I think that it looks wonderful on Blu-ray. In fact, from all of the restored Ozu films that have transitioned to Blu-ray An Autumn Afternoon is arguably the best looking one. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.