tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post2348493735481027364..comments2024-03-28T02:30:08.913-04:00Comments on Not Just Movies: The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1939)Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-29958613611733183142011-08-13T09:00:06.611-04:002011-08-13T09:00:06.611-04:00Is BFI doing a restoration? It certainly needs one...Is BFI doing a restoration? It certainly needs one, and I can only hope (and kind of assume, since I saw this on Criterion's Hulu channel) that Janus is involved and we see a Blu-Ray coming down the pipeline at some point, along with a number of too-long neglected works by the man such as THE STRAITS OF LOVE AND HATE. Speaking of, I phrased myself poorly: what I meant was that I still prefer that film to this one, if only for its emotional impact. It's not as painterly as this film, but it hits me more. And I would say that SISTERS OF THE GION is a marked improvement over OSAKA ELEGY made only months earlier. You can really see his learning curve with this handful of films even though he'd certainly had his share of experience already.Jake Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15532951308638768249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-57089527182686216412011-08-12T19:28:06.073-04:002011-08-12T19:28:06.073-04:00http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mizoguchi-Collection-DVD-M...http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mizoguchi-Collection-DVD-Minosuke-Band%C3%B4/dp/B004SXSRS2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313191106&sr=8-1<br /><br />Here is the collection on Artificial Eye, actually that has now been pushed back to December 31. OSAKA ELEGY and SISTERS are on there as well as LATE CHRYSANTHEMUMS and UTAMARO AND HIS FIVE WIVES.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-62940460448376504172011-08-12T18:58:05.648-04:002011-08-12T18:58:05.648-04:00that's SANSHO DAYU (typo)that's SANSHO DAYU (typo)Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-472463171943901582011-08-12T18:56:36.031-04:002011-08-12T18:56:36.031-04:00Actually his OSAKA ELEGY (1936) was his first trul...Actually his OSAKA ELEGY (1936) was his first truly great film, though the previous year's SISTERS OF THE GION was an important work. Sadly, to this point we have yet to be blessed with an acceptable print of the film, and even the printg screened at Manhattan's Film Forum a few years ago was damaged and extremely soft.<br /><br />But the promised BFI (it keeps being delayed) may finally bring us a definitive version of this towering masterpiece, perhaps one of the director's three greatest with SANSHO DAU and UGETSU.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.com