Shimizu Hiroshi Collection - Part 1 Yamaai No Fukei (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Japan Version) DVD Region 2

One of the undisputed masters of Japan cinema, Shimizu Hiroshi (1903-1966) made well over 100 films in his career, ranging from children's films to lighthearted comedies to stories from the fringe. His outstanding cinematic achievements match that of contemporary great and lifelong friend Ozu Yasujiro, though the latter has eclipsed him in recognition. Shimizu Hiroshi is particularly well known for his children's films, such as Children in the Wind (1937), but his steady stream of output for Shochiku from the 1920s to 1950s yielded a far wider selection of films, many of which have been sadly lost to time. In comparison to Ozu's films which are readily available, Shimizu's works have been near impossible to find outside of the festival circuit, but Shochiku is now finally releasing Shimizu's films on DVD with English subtitles.

Entitled Yamaii no Fukei ("Mountain Scenery"), the first four-disc boxset in the Shimizu Hiroshi Collection comes with four films: Arigato-san (1936); Anma to Onna (1938); Kanzashi (1941); and Minato no Nihon Musume (1933), a silent film that is only being released as a bonus feature with this boxset.

Mr. Thank You (1936 / B&W / 78min)
Based on a short story by Nobel Prize-winning author Kawabata Yasunari, this lighthearted road film follows the rolling wheels of a country bus manned by a driver who says "thank you" to everyone he encounters. "Mr. Thank You" drives into various humorous and telling episodes with different passenger and travelers as he rumbles his way through the mountainous countryside. Mr. Thank You (a.k.a. Arigatau-san) highlights common Shimizu motifs of location shooting, constant movement, and heartwarming sentiments, while at the same time subtly addressing real-world worries like Depression-era woes and the condition of Korean laborers.

Anma to Onna (1938, B&W, 66min)
Anma to Onna (a.k.a. The Masseurs and a Woman) revolves around a pair of traveling blind masseurs who stop at an inn. One of the masseurs, Tokuichi (Saburi Shin), takes an interest in a woman (Takamine Meiko) from Tokyo who seems be hiding a mysterious past. The film peeks in and out of the lives and stories of the characters in unexpected ways that defy narrative conventions.

Kanzashi (1941 / B&W / 70min)
Based on an Ibuse Masuji short story, this delightful escapist drama is set at a hot spring resort providing sanctuary to people of vastly different backgrounds and personalities bounded by one thing: their common desire to not leave. The resort's patrons include a Tokyo woman (Tanaka Kinuyo) with a mysterious past who develops a brief relationship with a wounded soldier (Ryu Chishu). A comedic piece filmed and set during wartime Japan, Kanzashi (a.k.a. Ornamental Hairpin) makes a statement with its lightness.

Minato no Nihon Musume (1933 / B&W / 72min)
One of Shimizu Hiroshi's most representative silent films, Minato no Nihon Musume (a.k.a. Japanese Girls at the Harbor) portrays the evolving relationships of two young women as fate takes them down different roads. Sunako and Dora, two schoolgirls attending a Christian school in the East-meets-West port city of Yokohama, pledge their eternal friendship to each other, but their lives begin a long spiral downward and apart after they meet westernized gangster Henry.

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Product Title:	Shimizu Hiroshi Collection - Part 1 Yamaai No Fukei (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Japan Version) 清水宏 監督作品 - 第一集 Yamaai No Fukei (DVD) (英文字幕) (日本版) 清水宏 监督作品 - 第一集 Yamaai No Fukei (DVD) (英文字幕) (日本版) 清水宏監督作品　第一集　〜山あいの風景〜 第一集〜山あいの風景〜 Shimizu Hiroshi Collection - Part 1 Yamaai No Fukei (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Japan Version)
Artist Name(s):	Tanaka Kenshiro | Tokudaiji Shin | Uehara Ken | Kasatomi Shu | Takamine Mieko | Sawaki Toshinobu 田中絹代 | Tokudaiji Shin | Uehara Ken | 笠智眾 | 高峰三枝子 | Sawaki Toshinobu 田中绢代 | Tokudaiji Shin | Uehara Ken | 笠智众 | 高峰三枝子 | Sawaki Toshinobu 田中絹代 | 徳大寺伸 | 上原謙 | 笠智衆 | 高峰三枝子 | 佐分利信 | 斎藤達雄 | 川崎弘子 | 二葉かほる | 日守新一 | 堺一三 | 桑野通子 | 爆弾小僧 | 石山竜嗣 | 忍節子 | 三村秀子 | 築地まゆみ Tanaka Kenshiro | Tokudaiji Shin | Uehara Ken | Kasatomi Shu | Takamine Mieko | Sawaki Toshinobu
Director:	Shimizu Hiroshi 清水宏 清水宏 清水宏 Shimizu Hiroshi
Release Date:	2008-04-25
Publisher Product Code:	DB-175
Language:	Japanese
Subtitles:	English, Japanese
Country of Origin:	Japan
Picture Format:	NTSC What is it?
Disc Format(s):	DVD
Region Code:	2 - Japan, Europe, South Africa, Greenland and the Middle East (including Egypt) What is it?
Publisher:	Shochiku Home Video
Other Information:	4DVDs
Shipment Unit:	3 What is it?
YesAsia Catalog No.:	1010703820

タイトル : 清水宏監督作品　第一集　〜山あいの風景〜 出演 : 上原謙／桑野通子／築地まゆみ／二葉かほる／忍節子／高松栄子／石山竜嗣／河村黎吉 監督 : 川端康成(原作)／清水宏(監督)／清水宏(脚色)／青木勇(撮影)／土橋晴夫(録音)／橋本要(録音)／篠田謹治(編曲) 南伊豆のとある港町。一台の乗り合いバスが待合室の前に止まっている。美しい娘を連れた老母が乗り込み、淋しそうに運転手に言う。「有りがとうさんに乗せて行って貰うなら、この娘も幸せです…」。貧しい老母は遠くの町に娘を売りに行くのだ。そして、いわくありげな黒襟の娼婦、娘を鄙猥な目つきで見る保険の勧誘員らを乗せてバスが走り出す。時折、娘の視線が運転手の背中に止まる。娘は以前から運転手に好意を寄せていた。バスが馬車に追いつくと、道端に寄った馬車の横を「有難う」と運転手が窓から顔を出しながらすり抜ける。また、荷車が横に寄る。「有難う」。だから人々はこの丁寧な運転手を“有りがたうさん”と呼ぶ。バスは様々な人生を乗せ、様々な人生とすれ違って走っていく・・・。 当時の日本映画界では画期的であった全編ロケーションでの撮影を敢行、日本の原風景をそのままに映し出した。名優・上原謙（加山雄三の父）の主演デビュー作。 インフォメーション９０秒／港の日本娘 テクニカル・インフォメーション 色 : モノクロ 画面 : Standard 言語／音声 : 日本語:ドルビーデジタルモノラル その他の情報 備考 : 4枚組 本編ディスク3枚＋特典ディスク1枚 封入特典：ブックレット 日本小売価格 : ￥12000