This year marks the 120th anniversary of Japanese filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu’s birth. From his early silent films to his final features in the 1960s, Ozu perfected a style that stripped away unnecessary plot mechanics and camera movement. In doing so, he produced a cinema whose surface simplicity belies character studies of depth, warmth and on occasion, humour.
This new set features three newly restored films, all presented on Blu-ray in the UK for the first time:
Dragnet Girl (1933, 99 mins)
Sweet-faced Tokiko is an ordinary typist, but come nightfall she's a fun-loving gangster's moll. When her boyfriend strays, Tokiko is forced to reassess her life. Hugely popular when it was released, Ozu's Dragnet Girl remains one of his most enduring silent films.
Record of a Tenement Gentleman (1947, 75 mins)
Tashiro, a fortune-telling resident in a poor district of Tokyo, has been followed home by a young boy whose father took him to the city but became separated from him. Initially unwilling to look after Kohei, Tashiro gradually warms to the boy.
A Hen in the Wind (1948, 84 mins)
A soldier returns home at the end of World War II, and refuses to forgive his wife for prostituting herself one night to pay off medical bills for their son.
Extras
All three films newly restored and presented in High Definition
New audio commentary on Dragnet Girl by Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns
New audio commentary on Record of a Tenement Gentleman by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp
New audio commentary on A Hen in the Wind by film critic Adrian Martin
**FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with essays on the films by Bryony Dixon, Tony Rayns and Jonathan Rosenbaum and notes on his score for Dragnet Girl by Ed Hughes
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