8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
An aging actor returns to a small town with his troupe and reunites with his former lover and illegitimate son, a scenario that enrages his current mistress and results in heartbreak for all. A remake of Ozu's 1934 silent classic "A Story of Floating Weeds."
Starring: Chishû Ryû, Machiko Kyô, Ganjirô Nakamura, Ayako Wakao, Hiroshi KawaguchiForeign | 100% |
Drama | 62% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Japanese: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Yasujirô Ozu's "Ukikusa" a.k.a. "Floating Weeds" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The only supplemental feature on the disc is an original theatrical trailer for the film. The release also arrives with an illustrated brooklet featuring Ignatiy Vishnevetsky's essay "Getting an Angle on Ozu" and excerpts from Yasujiro Ozu's personal diaries. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Stay with me
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Yasujirô Ozu's Floating Weeds arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The high-definition transfer is somewhat inconsistent. While detail is mostly satisfying, depth is often quite problematic; a number of the outdoor sequences in particular look notably flat (see screencapture #1). Many of the close-ups also look disappointingly soft (see screencapture #8). The good news here is that serious sharpening corrections have not been performed. But there is very little healthy and properly resolved grain, which is why the film does not have the convincing organic look it ought to have. Also, most colors are relatively stable, but the blacks are often weak, at times looking even desaturated. Lastly, some small frame skips are easy to spot, as well as tiny flecks and scratches. All in all, the Blu-ray release represents a step up in quality over the R1 DVD release of the film, but it is quite clear that there is plenty of room for sizable improvements. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Japanese LPCM 2.0. For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
Generally speaking, the dialog is stable and easy to follow. Some light hiss occasionally sneaks in but it never becomes distracting. The range of nuanced dynamics is fairly limited, but this should not be surprising considering the film's modest sound design. There are no serious audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.
Yasujiro Ozu's Floating Weeds is a deceptively simple, notably quiet film. Like the majority of the Japanese master's best films, it touches the heart in a special way and forces one to think about life and what makes it worth living. I think that it is an essential film to see and own. Eureka Entertainment's Blu-ray release offers a nice upgrade in quality over previous DVD releases of the film, but there is definitely room for sizable improvements. RECOMMENDED.
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1958
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1962
麦秋 / Bakushū / The Ozu Collection
1951
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2008
長屋紳士録 / Nagaya shinshiroku
1947
神々の深き欲望 / Kamigami no Fukaki Yokubo / Masters of Cinema
1968
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1936
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晩春 / Banshun
1949
一人息子 / Hitori musuko
1936
にっぽん昆虫記 / 西銀座駅前 | Nippon konchûki / Nishi Ginza ekimae | Masters of Cinema
1963
おくりびと / Okuribito
2008
お早よう / Ohayō / The Ozu Collection
1959
秋日和 / Akibiyori | The Ozu Collection
1960
山椒大夫 / Sanshô dayû
1954
赤線地帯 / 楊貴妃 | Street of Shame / Princess Yang Kwei-Fei | Masters Of Cinema
1956
そして父になる / Soshite chichi ni naru
2013
万引き家族 / Manbiki kazoku
2018
1942