This Sporting Life from Criterion in January
One of the great wortks of British neo-realism and a showcase of the acting talent of Richard Harris, not to mention the filmmaking skills of Lindsay Anderson, is to get the Criterion makeover in January.
read story>>

Older news stories have been archived by year and month, most recent first. They can be accessed by clicking on the links below.

Note that this update will take a few days to impliment, so there could be some glitches and inconsistencies for a short while.
 
The Mikio Naruse Collection in November

3 November 2007

Despite being ranked alongside the likes of Ozu, Mizoguchi and Kurosawa, the great Japanese filmmaker Mikio Naruse's work was, until recently, surprisingly hard to track down. For many a door to his work was opened by UK DVD distributor Eureka!, who around this time last year released an excellent box set of Naruse's films under the Masters of Cinema banner (a set we criminally never got round to reviewing, but still may cover retrospectively). With the collection tantalisingly labeled Volume 1, a second set has been expected for some time, and although it's finally on the way it's being released not by Eureka! but the BFI, who have announced three of Naruse's finest films for a late November UK DVD release. Individually sleeved, they are collected together in a presentation box under the title The Mikio Naruse Collection. Extra features include exclusive audio commentaries on scenes from each film by Japanese cinema expert Freda Freiberg and extensive filmed interviews with Freiberg, director Teruo Ishii (Naruse's assistant) and Paul Willemen (Professor of film studies).


When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (Onna ga kaidan wo agaru toki 1960)

The widowed Keiko (Hideko Takamine) manages a hostess bar in Tokyo’s Ginza district. She remains faithful to the memory of her husband and supports her mother, brother and his son. The smiling mask she wears allows her to make a living, but the pressure to sell herself is unrelenting. Her business is failing and she must decide whether to raise the money to buy her own bar or marry one of her admiring affluent patrons. A superb, heart-rending film which was released theatrically by the BFI in June.

Extra features

  • Freda Freiberg interviewed by film writer Adrian Martin (16 mins)
  • Freiberg: audio commentary (15 mins) and interview on the film (7 mins)
  • Theatrical trailer


Floating Clouds (Ukigumo 1955)

Adapted from Fumiko Hayashi's best-selling novel, Naruse's undisputed masterpiece contrasts two characters: a strong woman who relentlessly pursues her desire while hoping her lover and society will understand what she has to do to survive, and her lover who craves a conventionally validated social identity. To him, she represents a blind spot that he cannot face. They love each other, but are hopelessly out of synch, trying to live as individuals in a newly democratised Japan.

Extra features

  • Freiberg: audio commentary (10 mins) and interview on the film (10 mins)
  • Paul Willemen on the film (7 mins)


Late Chrysanthemums (Bangiku 1954)
Combining three Fumiko Hayashi stories about ageing geishas, the film focuses on Okin, the ex-geisha who has embraced the new post-war economy most successfully and single-mindedly. Former colleagues Tamae, whose son threatens to become a gigolo, and Tomi, who has a decidedly ‘modern’ daughter, live together and try to make ends meet. With his customary emphasis on the material circumstances that shape our lives, Naruse nevertheless manages to transform the film into a moving celebration of friendship.

Extra features

  • Freiberg: audio commentary (15 mins) and interview on the film (10 mins)
  • Paul Willemen on Naruse (23 mins)
  • Interview with Teruo Ishii (13 mins)

The DVD also contains a fully illustrated 32-page booklet including extensive essays by Freda Freiberg, Adrian Martin and Paul Willemen. It will be released in the UK by BFI Video on 26 November 2007 at the RRP of £44.99.