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The final film from Japanese master Ozu Yasujiro, An Autumn Afternoon (Sanma no aji) is often cited as his masterpiece, the gently heartbreaking story of a man's dignified resignation to both life's ever-shifting currents and society's gradual modernization. Though widower Shuhei Hirayama (Ozu's frequent leading man Chishu Ryu) has been living comfortably for years with his grown daughter, a series of events leads him to accept and encourage her marriage and departure. As elegantly composed and achingly tender as any of the Japanese master's films, An Autumn Afternoon is one of cinema's fondest farewells.
Available on UK DVD from the departed Tartan, the film has now been announced for a US release as part of the Criterion Collection on 30th September 2008 at the SRP of $29.95 with the following features:
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer;
- New audio commentary featuring David Bordwell, author of Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema;
- Excerpts from "Yasujiro Ozu and the Taste of Sake," a 1978 French television program looking back on Ozu's career, featuring film critic Michel Ciment;
- Theatrical trailer;
- New and improved English subtitle translation;
- A booklet featuring new essays by film scholars Geoff Andrew and Donald Richie.
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