Yoshishige Yoshida on DVD

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Michael Kerpan
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Yoshishige Yoshida on DVD

#1 Post by Michael Kerpan » Thu Jul 27, 2006 2:58 pm

Yoshishige Yoshida's "Women in the Mirror" has come out on DVD in France.

While Alapage doesn't SAY it has English subtitles, the scan of the DVDs back cover indicates that it does. Anyone seen this?

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Steven H
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#2 Post by Steven H » Fri Jul 28, 2006 12:05 am

I've seen the film twice, but since it was subtitled in french only once and none in the other, I can only comment on the mood and the visuals, which were more than memorable. This film is definitely along the lines of a quiet, sincere, melodrama, with gorgeous cinematography. Okada is fascinating to watch, and the pacing is that of a master of cinema.

I searched and searched and couldn't come up with any site listing it as having english subtitles, but the back cover is probably the most reliable source. I'm going to buy this tomorrow, so if you want, you can wait until I get it to find out. This would be the first official release of any Yoshida film with english subtitles.

(interview with yoshida, in french, about the film here.)

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Michael Kerpan
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#3 Post by Michael Kerpan » Fri Jul 28, 2006 8:32 am

I would hope that the back cover information would be reliable -- then again the recent (HK?) DVDs of the two earliest HHH films claimed to have English subs -- but didn't.

fred
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#4 Post by fred » Mon Sep 11, 2006 3:16 pm

Steven H wrote:I searched and searched and couldn't come up with any site listing it as having english subtitles, but the back cover is probably the most reliable source. I'm going to buy this tomorrow, so if you want, you can wait until I get it to find out. This would be the first official release of any Yoshida film with english subtitles.
Any word on this? I'd love to pick this up, but it's a little pricey for me if it doesn't have English subs...

yoshimori
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#5 Post by yoshimori » Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:02 am

I have it. No english subs.

fred
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Yoshishige Yoshida on DVD with English subtitles?

#6 Post by fred » Fri Nov 24, 2006 5:18 pm

I've heard conflicting reports as to whether any of these films have been released on dvd with English subs. Can anyone help me on this?

Thanks!

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shirobamba
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#7 Post by shirobamba » Fri Nov 24, 2006 5:27 pm

There are no Yoshida DVDs with English Subs.

yoshimori
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#8 Post by yoshimori » Fri Nov 24, 2006 5:27 pm

None yet, I'm afraid.

Japanese New Wave Classics now lists 3 Yoshida films (Heroic Purgatory, Eros + Massacre, and Coup d'etat) as coming in summer 2007.

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Awesome Welles
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#9 Post by Awesome Welles » Thu Oct 11, 2007 8:34 am

shirobamba wrote:There are no Yoshida DVDs with English Subs.
This was written nearly a year ago, has the situation still not changed?

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Steven H
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#10 Post by Steven H » Thu Oct 11, 2007 8:41 am

Nope, still nothing. There are a couple of underground releases of his late 60s early 70s things (fansub versions of Eros Plus Massacre and Coup d'etat), and maybe a couple others taped off of television doing the rounds. According to this site, there's a big retrospective in France for him next spring, which could lead to more exposure (and hopefully DVD releases in France, at least.)

I don't think the guy made a bad film between 1960 and 1973 (a couple of "only decent" ones, but still.)

edit: there are also Chinese subtitled releases for all of his 68 to 73 stuff, but I can't find a link. This, of course, does most of us no good whatsover.

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Scharphedin2
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#11 Post by Scharphedin2 » Sun Nov 04, 2007 12:33 pm

I recently had the opportunity to see Eros + Massacre, and it is a hugely impressive film.

The film I saw was approximately 165 minutes long, but I have seen mention of an even longer cut (3+ hours). Has anyone seen this, and can comment as to what is inclunded in this longer version?

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Steven H
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#12 Post by Steven H » Sun Nov 04, 2007 1:08 pm

The longer cut has more of the Taisho era stuff in it. When Yoshida made the film in 1970, Osugi's mistress (that's in the film) was still alive and a member of parliment who loudly objected to her depiction and threatened to sue if scenes weren't cut. The 3 1/2 cut is available in Japan without subtitles, but I think there are REALLY awkwardly subbed versions of that one out there.

Yoshida obviously prepared the film with the 3 1/2 hour version in mind. Hopefully this one will make it out there with decent subtitles one day soon.

Its also important to note that Eros Plus Massacre forms an informal trilogy (induced by Desser) centered around "politics" in a way, with Heroic Purgatory and Coup d'etat following (both great films, by the by.)

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Sanjuro
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#13 Post by Sanjuro » Sun Nov 04, 2007 7:16 pm

Is it copyright problems preventing anyone from picking these up or just that nobody cares?

The Japanese remaster DVDs are fantastic quality, seems like somebody should be interested. A boxset of Eros (long version), Purgatory and Coup d'etat would be excellent.

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Steven H
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#14 Post by Steven H » Sun Nov 04, 2007 9:55 pm

Sanjuro wrote:Is it copyright problems preventing anyone from picking these up or just that nobody cares?
Yoshida has received about zero attention in every part of the world except for Italy (a festival programmer there or two are fans.) Other than Roland Domenig (who has been talking him up for a few years) and Desser's book (that came out over twenty years ago) there's really not much being said (until recently I'd just been putting socks on both my hands and pretending to have conversations about his movies, but I've moved on.) There will be a retrospective next year for Yoshida in France, and hopefully some DVDs will come out of it, but I wouldn't expect anything with english subs for a while (ever?)

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Sanjuro
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#15 Post by Sanjuro » Mon Nov 05, 2007 12:36 am

I guess it'll be quicker to write my own English subs then. Hmph.

Anyone got a text file of the Japanese subs to hand. Or is that a bad thing to ask on the forum?

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Steven H
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#16 Post by Steven H » Mon Nov 05, 2007 12:45 am

Unfortunately the DVDs do not have Japanese subtitles.

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the dancing kid
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#17 Post by the dancing kid » Mon Nov 05, 2007 12:48 am

Yoshida was at the University of Chicago a few years ago for a conference on political modernism in Japanese cinema. Two of his films were screened and he participated in a discussion on his work and that period of filmmaking.

There are people interested in his work, but the English speaking DVD industry apparently only sees two possibilities for Japanese cinema: genre cinema and postwar "humanist" auteurs. That might be all that will sell these days, but surely the industry has painted themselves into that corner by failing to cultivate a diverse audience over the past decade.

I'm pretty sure Yoshida's films are available on DVD with French subtitles. My adviser from graduate school (who organized the conference) had one or two boxed sets of his films from France. I also know someone who subtitling some of the other ATG films, but I don't know if he has any plans for Yoshida. Either way I doubt they will be made available outside of academic circles.

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Steven H
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#18 Post by Steven H » Mon Nov 05, 2007 12:53 am

the dancing kid wrote:I'm pretty sure Yoshida's films are available on DVD with French subtitles. My adviser from graduate school (who organized the conference) had one or two boxed sets of his films from France. I also know someone who subtitling some of the other ATG films, but I don't know if he has any plans for Yoshida. Either way I doubt they will be made available outside of academic circles.
All of the Japanese DVD box sets have the titles in French as well as Japanese on the covers, so maybe that's what your adviser had. There's already a couple of his films that have been subtitled by the nice folks at UCLA (I know the *amazing* Story Written With Water is one of them), and yeah, they're not available outside of academic circles. Again, hopefully something of his will get a French release next year, and start making the rounds among movie people. There are a few things out there for those looking that have shown up in the last few months, but still. His really early stuff is impressive as well (like Good-for-nothing and Bitter End of a Sweet Night.)

ptmd
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#20 Post by ptmd » Wed May 07, 2008 9:11 pm

The Japan Foundation has a print with English subtitles, and they should be able to help you coordinate a screening in London. PM me if you want more information.

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Awesome Welles
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Re: Eros + Massacre (1970) by Yoshida Yoshishige

#21 Post by Awesome Welles » Thu May 08, 2008 5:53 am

romoore wrote:I am trying to programme the film for London
Where? I'll be there if it's a public screening!

macaca
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#22 Post by macaca » Mon Aug 25, 2008 2:16 pm

I just acquired "Good-for-Nothing", "Bitter End of a Sweet Night" & "Escape from Japan" all with custom English subs. (They're Japanese editions) and all I can say is - I hope these see a North American release in some form. They definitely deserve it. (his early works would make a great a edition to the eclipse series!)

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