Floating Weeds (1959) (Blu-ray + DVD)

Towards the end of his career, Japanese master Yasujiro Ozu (Tokyo Story; Late Spring; Early Summer; An Autumn Afternoon; Good Morning) returned to a story he had made some 25 years earlier as a silent, Ukigusa monogatari [A Story of Floating Weeds] , for a magnificent colour reworking, photographed by legendary cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa ( Rashomon, Ugetsu monogatari).

When a travelling theatre troupe brings their show to a seaside port, Komajuro (Ganjiro Nakamura), an ageing actor, is reunited with his former lover, sake bar owner Oyoshi (Haruko Sugimura), and his illegitimate son Kiyoshi (Hiroshi Kawaguchi), to the distress of his current mistress Sumiko (Machiko Kyo).

From this simple scenario, Ozu builds, one exquisite image at a time, a saga of profound humanity and rich understanding. Encompassing a novelistic range of emotions and tones with the utmost delicacy, Floating Weeds stands tall even amidst a body of work as extraordinary as Ozu's. Making its worldwide Blu-ray debut, The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Floating Weeds in a beautiful new high-definition restoration, released as a Dual Format (DVD & Blu-ray) edition and a DVD edition.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Exclusively restored high-definition master presented in the film's original aspect ratio, in 1080p on the Blu-ray
• Newly translated optional English subtitles
• Original Japanese theatrical trailer
• Illustrated booklet featuring the words of Ozu, rare archival imagery, and more
• Further details to be announced nearer the release date!