8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Two young boys stop speaking in protest after their parents refuse to buy a television set.
Starring: Chishû Ryû, Keiji Sada, Yoshiko Kuga, Kuniko Miyake, Haruko SugimuraForeign | 100% |
Drama | 78% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Japanese: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu's "Ohayo" a.k.a. "Good Morning" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute. The release also contains Yasujiro Ozu's silent masterpiece "I was Born, but…" (1932). A fully illustrated booklet with a newly commissioned sleevenote essay by silent film curator Bryony Dixon and contemporary review by Jonathan Rosenbaum is also included. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The rebels
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Yasujirô Ozu's Good Morning arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the BFI.
The basics are intact -- fine object detail is good, clarity pleasing, and contrast levels consistent. Excluding various inherited color pulsations, color reproduction is also adequate. This being said, early into the film there are various traces of mild edge-enhancement, and most are rather easy to spot during the daylight scenes. Generally speaking, the fine film grain has been retained, but there are certain areas where mild doses of electronic noise have been mixed with it. Also, there are a few small scratches and debris popping up here and there, but no serious stability issues to report in this review. All in all, despite the various minor issues mentioned above, this Blu-ray release of Ozu's Good Morning represents a notable upgrade in quality over previous DVD releases of the film, and I have absolutely no problem recommending that you consider adding it up to your libraries. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Japanese LPCM 2.0. For the record, the BFI have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The Japanese LPCM 2.0 track is very pleasing. The dialog is clean, stable, and relatively easy to follow. Understandably, its dynamic amplitude is rather limited, but the audio has plenty of depth. There are no balance issues with Toshiro Mayuzumi. Finally, I did not detect any serious pops, cracks, or audio dropouts to report in this review.
This is a very strong release, probably one of the very best in BFI's Blu-ray catalog. Good Morning is a fascinating film to behold, so simple yet so far-reaching in its observations about modernity. Do not hesitate to add it to your libraries, folks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
彼岸花 / Higanbana / The Ozu Collection
1958
秋日和 / Akibiyori | The Ozu Collection
1960
一人息子 / Hitori musuko
1936
麦秋 / Bakushū / The Ozu Collection
1951
秋刀魚の味 / Sanma no aji | The Ozu Collection
1962
晩春 / Banshun
1949
父ありき / Chichi ariki
1942
1932
お茶漬けの味 / Ochazuke no aji
1952
Remastered | 東京物語 / Tôkyô monogatari
1953
長屋紳士録 / Nagaya shinshiroku
1947
浮草 / Ukigusa / Masters of Cinema
1959
一一 / A One and a Two
2000
歩いても 歩いても / Aruitemo aruitemo
2008
生きる | Limited Edition
1952
そして父になる / Soshite chichi ni naru
2013
赤線地帯 / 楊貴妃 | Street of Shame / Princess Yang Kwei-Fei | Masters Of Cinema
1956
1953
Efter repetitionen
1984
Gion no shimai
1936