From his early silent films to his final features in the 1960s, Yasujirō Ozu perfected a style that stripped away unnecessary plot mechanics and camera movement. In doing so, he produced a cinema whose surface simplicity belies character studies of depth, warmth and on occasion, humour. This release features two newly restored films, presented on Blu-ray including a longer and previously unreleased version of There Was a Father.
I Was Born, But…(1932, 91 mins): as brothers Ryoichi and Keiji struggle to outwit the local bully and scale the pecking order in their new neighbourhood they find out that injustice does not end with school. Ozu's silent masterpiece prefigures themes from his later, colour classic Good Morning, but with a darker edge.
There Was a Father (1942, 93 mins): Shuhei Horikawa sacrifices his teaching career after an unfortunate accident but refuses to sacrifice the education of his only son.
Extras
Newly restored and presented in High Definition
Newly recorded audio commentaries on both films by writer and film critic Adrian Martin
**FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with an essay on I Was Born, But… by silent film expert Bryony Dixon, writing on There Was a Father by Tony Rayns, and notes on his score for I Was Born, But… by composer Ed Hughes
