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

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

YesAsia Editorial Description

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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Technical Information

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〜 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
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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

Product Information

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/堺一三/石山竜嗣/高峰三枝子/徳大寺伸/日守新一/爆弾小僧/佐分利信/田中絹代/笠智衆/川崎弘子/斎藤達雄/日守新一/三村秀子
監督:清水宏

ロケーションを多用する"実写精神"と呼ばれた手法で日本映画に確かな足跡を残した名匠・清水宏。本作「清水宏監督作品 第一集〜山あいの風景〜」は、清水作品の中でも山間部や温泉場といった場所で撮影された3作に、特典としてサイレント映画「港の日本娘」を収録したもの。戦前の古き良き時代の香り高き日本情緒に、名優達の名演、そしてユーモラスであり意欲的な清水監督の演出力がたっぷりと味わえる、邦画ファン必見の作品集である。

■収録内容
「有りがたうさん」(1936年/78分)
昭和始めの伊豆を舞台に、乗合いバスの運転手"有りがたうさん"と人々の触れ合いを描く。原作は文豪・川端康成。主演は上原謙と桑野通子の"アイアイコンビ"。
「按摩と女」(1938年/66分)
山間の温泉場を舞台に、盲目の按摩の恋と、周囲の人々の人間模様を描く。主演は"元祖歌う映画女優"高峰三枝子。
「簪(かんざし)」(1941年/70分)
一人の女が落とした簪をきっかけに、温泉場で起こる様々な人間模様を描く。田中絹代&笠智衆の名優共演作。
■特典DISC内容
「港の日本娘」(1933年/78分)
港町・横浜と神戸を舞台に、3人の娘の恋と友情を描く。北林透馬の同名小説が原作のサイレント映画。

■映像特典:特典DISC付

テクニカル・インフォメーション
:モノクロ
画面:4:3
言語/音声:日本語:DD(モノラル)

その他の情報
備考:4枚組
日本小売価格:¥12000

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

Average Customer Rating for this Edition: Customer Review Rated Bad 8 - 8 out of 10 (1)

Kevin Kennedy
See all my reviews


June 21, 2008

1 people found the following helpful

This is film history! Customer Review Rated Bad 8 - 8 out of 10
Since Shimizu Hiroshi's movies have been unavailable on DVD until the issuance of this set, these movies come as quite a revelation. Shimizu truly has a unique directorial voice, a subtle storytelling technique by which he asks his viewers to seek the deeper significance between the lines.

I have reviewed "Mr. Thank You" (8 out of 10 stars), "Anmo to Onna" (9 stars), and "Kanzashi" (9 stars) on the individual webpages for those films on the YesAsia site. Please check out those individual reviews. All three of these films are excellent and I am eager to see them again.

Here I'll say a few words about the fourth movie in this boxed set, "Japanese Girls at the Port" (7 out of 10 stars), a silent film presented without musical accompaniment. While the film clearly was shot on a shoestring budget, it employs some interesting cinematic techniques, including having characters fade out while the background remains unchanged and, instead of zooming in or out on a subject, using a choppy series of shots showing the subject increasing or decreasing in size within the frame.

The story of "Japanese Girls at the Port" is pure melodrama and is told in a much more literal fashion than the other films in this set. Two school friends part company over a thuggish boyfriend. Jealousy drives one of the girls to commit a terrible crime, then to descend into a sordid life of prostitution. The other friend stays on the straight and narrow, persuades the thug to leave the gangster life behind, and marries him. Fate brings the two old girlfriends together. Will the good girl's marriage be destroyed? Can she persuade the bad girl to live a decent life? The story is told quite frankly and engagingly.

I recommend this Shimizu set very highly, particularly for fans of early Japanese cinema. If you enjoy the films of Mizoguchi Kenji and Ozu Yasujiro, then these films by Shimizu are a "must see".
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