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Departures (DVD + Film Cell) (Taiwan Version) DVD Region 3

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Departures (DVD + Film Cell) (Taiwan Version)
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All Editions Rating: Customer Review Rated Bad 9 - 9.5 out of 10 (4)

YesAsia Editorial Description

Winner of Best Foreign Language Film at the 81st Academy Awards, Departures takes a sensitive look at life through the rituals of death. Directed by Takita Yojiro (When the Last Sword is Drawn), Departures (a.k.a. Okuribito) follows the experiences of a young undertaker as he grows into his work. Backdropped by an elegant score from master composer Hisaishi Joe, Departures presents a simple, yet poignant study of how one man comes to terms with his unconventional profession, and how the customs of death affect and reflect the course of life. At times humorous and at times heartbreaking, the film approaches its topic with respect and realism, revealing a fascinating aspect of Japanese culture rarely seen on screen. Leading man Motoki Masahiro (Gemini) anchors the film with a magnificent, understated performance. Co-starring popular actress Hirosue Ryoko (Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust) and veteran Yamazaki Tsutomu, Departures swept 10 awards at the 32nd Japan Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress.

Out of work with nowhere to go, cellist Kobayashi Daigo (Motoki Masahiro) and his wife (Hirosue Ryoko) leave Tokyo and move back to his sleepy hometown. Daigo answers a help-wanted ad for what he thinks is a travel agency, but turns out to be an encoffinment agency. Taking the job anyway, he begins a new life as an encoffinment specialist under grisly owner Sasaki (Yamazaki Tsutomu). Despite his initial fears and misgivings about cleansing and clothing corpses, Daigo soon discovers the job and the town suit him just fine. Carefully preparing the departed for their final journey with a musician's precision, he finds a greater appreciation and understanding for life. The stigma of the profession, however, is not lost on his wife, and his choice of work gradually takes toll on their marriage.

This version comes with a limited senotype film cell.

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Technical Information

Product Title: Departures (DVD + Film Cell) (Taiwan Version) 送行者 - 禮儀師的樂章 (DVD+膠片) (台灣版) 送行者 - 礼仪师的乐章 (DVD+胶片) (台湾版) Departures (DVD + Film Cell) (Taiwan Version) Departures (DVD + Film Cell) (Taiwan Version)
Also known as: Okuribito 禮儀師の奏鳴曲/ 禮儀師之奏鳴曲 礼仪师の奏鸣曲/ 礼仪师之奏鸣曲 Okuribito Okuribito
Artist Name(s): Hirosue Ryoko (Actor) | Motoki Masahiro (Actor) | Hisaishi Joe | Yoshiyuki Kazuko | Yamazaki Tsutomu | Yo Kimiko | Sasano Takashi 廣末涼子 (Actor) | 本木雅弘 (Actor) | 久石讓 | 吉行和子 | 山崎努 | 余貴美子 | 笹野高史 广末凉子 (Actor) | 本木雅弘 (Actor) | 久石让 | 吉行和子 | 山崎努 | 余贵美子 | 笹野高史 広末涼子 (Actor) | 本木雅弘 (Actor) | 久石譲 | 吉行和子 | 山崎努 | 余貴美子 | 笹野高史 Hirosue Ryoko (Actor) | Motoki Masahiro (Actor) | Hisaishi Joe | Yoshiyuki Kazuko | Yamazaki Tsutomu | Yo Kimiko | Sasano Takashi
Director: Takita Yojiro 瀧田洋二郎 泷田洋二郎 滝田洋二郎 Takita Yojiro
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Release Date: 2009-07-02
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: Traditional Chinese
Country of Origin: Japan
Picture Format: NTSC What is it?
Aspect Ratio: 1.78 : 1
Sound Information: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Digital Surround
Disc Format(s): DVD-9, DVD
Region Code: 3 - South East Asia (including Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taiwan) What is it?
Duration: 130 (mins)
Package Weight: 160 (g)
Shipment Unit: 1 What is it?
YesAsia Catalog No.: 1020461301

Product Information

Director : Yojiro Takita

Daigo Kobayashi is a cellist whose dream is shattered when his Tokyo orchestra suddenly closes down. Left with no choice but to sell his prized cello, Daigo returns with his wife Mika to his late mother’s house, deep in the Japanese countryside.
In need of money, Daigo responds to an ad in the paper for a job in ‘Departures’, mistakenly thinking that it might be somehow related to travel. But to his complete surprise Daigo finds he has applied for a position as an ‘encoffineer’ – a man who performs the delicate and traditional Japanese ritual of preparing the bodies of the recently deceased for their departure to the next life – and without having time to think about it, he accepts the job…

Academy Awards 2009 - Best Foreign Language Film
Golden Rooster Award (Chinese Academy Award) - Best Picture, Director and Actor
Montreal World Film Festival - Grand Prix Des Americas
Hochi Film Award – Best Film Award
Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix – Best Films, Best Director Award
Hawaii World Film Festival - Audience Award
Additional Information may be provided by the manufacturer, supplier, or a third party, and may be in its original language

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Customer Review of "Departures (DVD + Film Cell) (Taiwan Version)"

Average Customer Rating for All Editions of this Product: Customer Review Rated Bad 9 - 9.5 out of 10 (4)

Kevin Kennedy
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July 31, 2009

This customer review refers to Departures (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Definitely deserves its Academy Award Customer Review Rated Bad 10 - 10 out of 10
I feared that "Departures" might be a grim, starchy arthouse film; I found it to be a movingly warm, human, even sentimental movie. Kobayashi Daigo (Motoki Masahiro) is a failed cellist, deep in debt. With his wife Mika (Hirosue Ryoko) in tow and no real plans, he returns to his remote hometown, where he can live rent-free in his late mother's home. There Daigo answers a newspaper ad for a job at an agency which "prepares departures". Daigo suspects that the job pertains to the travel industry, but the ad had a typographical error; the agency actually gets "the departed" ready to be placed in coffins.

Once Daigo overcomes his shock, he finds fulfillment in the job, which involves a ritualized performance in which the preparer shows respect and affection for the dead. When the job is done well, it comforts the family of the deceased. Daigo has found his true calling, but he is too ashamed of his job to tell anyone of it. When the truth leaks out, his wife and friends are horrified. Mika is repulsed by his intimacy with dead bodies and blurts that he has become "unclean". When Daigo balks at leaving his job, she leaves him. Mika, however, returns when she learns that she is pregnant. She again demands that Daigo leave the job, arguing (reasonably enough) that their future child will be humiliated by classmates when they learn of Daigo's job.

Will Daigo leave his job or will he lose his wife? The issue is especially poignant as, at age six, Daigo had been abandoned by his father. The resolution of this dilemma is beautifully conceived and emotionally true. Motoki Masahiro is perfect for the conflicted role of Daigo. Yamazaki Tsutomu (familiar to American audiences as the cowboy hat-wearing truck driver in "Tampopo") gives a brilliantly quirky performance as Daigo's boss. Yoshiyuki Kazuko (so good in "Gabai Granny") is equally charming as the owner of the public bath, the community's glue in both life and death. Yo Kimiko works subtle wonders as the agency's receptionist. Takita Yojiro's direction is nearly flawless and the cinematography of mountainous Yamagata Prefecture is spectacular. I found "Departures" to be a richly enjoyable, thought-provoking, and warm-hearted treat.
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Best Review
Mossholder
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June 17, 2009

This customer review refers to Departures (AKA: Okuribito) (DVD) (Japan Version)
1 people found the following helpful

Outstanding Customer Review Rated Bad 10 - 10 out of 10
I saw this movie in Yokohama last November and absolutely loved it. The acting is superb. The characters are human, raw, honest and sensitive. The cinematography captures the beauty of the region and highlights the most sensitive nature of being an "undertaker" in Japan and the stigma surrounding it. And yet, for those whose loved ones have died, this is almost like a ministry to the families. Very touching and moving. I can't wait to get the DVD.
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nimitta
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March 24, 2009

This customer review refers to Departures (AKA: Okuribito) (DVD) (Japan Version)
1 people found the following helpful

the Departures Customer Review Rated Bad 8 - 8 out of 10
Congrat ! this movie has won Best Actor Award at the Asian Film Awards.

I would like to see its dvd with English subtitle to be released soon.

great movie and its OST is oso great !
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Cheng Suang Heng
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February 23, 2009

This customer review refers to Departures (AKA: Okuribito) (DVD) (Japan Version)
2 people found the following helpful

congrats - oscar best foreign film 2009 Customer Review Rated Bad 10 - 10 out of 10
I am very very very delighted that Okuribito (Departures) from Japan has won!
;)
I am thinking of getting the DVD, but it is a pity that the DVD (as reflected now) does not have English subtitles.
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