Shimizu Hiroshi Boxsets

[Michael Kerpan]

What I'd really like to see is the manuscript of Keiko McDonald's Shimizu book. My understanding is that it was mostly finished before her unfortunate death so maybe it will see the light of day sometime soon.

What I would realy like most is for Prof. McDonald to still be around to finish it herself. Maybe a colleague -- or student -- will see it through publication.

As far as I recall, her book did not deal with Shimizu's full career, however.

[foggy eyes]

acquarello has just reviewed this, which looks like it contains a substantial amount of material on Shimizu. I wish (paperback) academic books didn't cost so much nowadays, but it certainly seems to be worth ordering.

[Michael Kerpan]

acquarello has just reviewed this, which looks like it contains a substantial amount of material on Shimizu. I wish (paperback) academic books didn't cost so much nowadays, but it certainly seems to be worth ordering...

I got the Boston Public Library to order this (back when only the VERY expensive hardback version was available). A very valuable resource ( I will eventually get the paperback myself), but it uses a lot of technical jargon (so not for casual reading).

[Murasaki53]

In the version of kodomo no shiki that I have seen (I don't have the Shochiku Box Set),

SpoilerShow

part two finishes with Rokai leaving the company because of the conflict of interest with his directorship of the weaving company. And then the movie just stops with no end credits.

I found this terribly abrupt and was left wondering whether I had seen an incomplete version of the film.

Can anyone enlighten me on this?

Is the end of the film missing or is there more than one version in circulation?

Earlier Michael commented : "I haven't figured out yet what dialect Takamine lapses into (much to the merriment of her students)."

According to my wife she's speaking Kyushu-ben.

[Michael Kerpan]

I felt ALL the four seasons ended pretty abruptly. My assumption was that this was a feature of the source story. I haven't read anything that suggests the film is incomplete.

Thanks for the dialect info on Nobuko.

[Murasaki53]

Thanks Michael,
what took me by surprise was that the film just stopped. Not even the kanji for 'the end' popped up. According to the website http://www.farsidemusic.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; website the film is incomplete:

Volume 2 of the Hiroshi Shimizu film collection of 3 DVDs of his films, plus one extra feature DVD of the film Kodomo no Shiki, Four Seasons of Children. This selection is of his films that feature children. All DVDs come with Japanese and English subtitles, Region Code 2. The three titles below (Children in the Wind, Nobuko and Introspection Tower) plus Four Seasons of Children, the follow up to Children in the Wind, also based on a Joji Tsubota novel following the adventures of children over Spring and Autumn (Chapter 1) and Autumn and Winter (Chapter 2) (1939) 146 minutes. The final chapter is unfinished as the original film was lost.

But I'll find out anyway when I get my wife to pick up this box set on her next visit to Japan. In the meantime, I'll see if she can find anything on Japanese sites that confirms the lost ending.

It turns out that she is only 90% sure about North Kyushu [Hakata] being the origin of Nobuko's dialect. Apparently, when she introduces herself to the other teachers, Nobuko adds 'ken' to the formal 'yoroshiku onegai shimasu' which is a Kyushuism.

[Michael Kerpan]

I would think that the script (or at least some sort of synopsis) might survive -- so there should have been a couple of text screens briefly describing the end.

I would love to find the source stories for both this and Children in the Wind (translated, of course) .

[Murasaki53]

Children in the Wind has been translated by Robert Epp. I found a copy listed on the Amazon UK site.

Meanwhile, a Japanese website has confirmed that the end of Kodomo no shiki is missing. Additionally, it suggested that even Part 1 of the film is missing some footage. From what I can gather, the official running time is 146 minutes with almost 142 minutes extant. Presumably, this is why Shochiku released this film as a bonus disc in the box set. Had it been complete, it could have been the centerpiece of this compilation.

[Michael Kerpan]

Meanwhile, a Japanese website has confirmed that the end of Kodomo no shiki is missing. Additionally, it suggested that even Part 1 of the film is missing some footage. From what I can gather, the official running time is 146 minutes with almost 142 minutes extant. Presumably, this is why Shochiku released this film as a bonus disc in the box set. Had it been complete, it could have been the centerpiece of this compilation.

Well, I am certainly glad that _almost_ the whole film still survives. ;~}

[David Bordwell]

Normally I don't respond to anonymous criticism, but the generous support of several correspondents here has inclined me to reply to poohbear's criticism of my blog entry on Shimizu.

poohbear's objections are twofold. First, he says my sources are "laughable": "So he watches Criterion's box set and reads a few articles on the net and now he's a Shimizu expert?"

I don't think poohbear read to the end of my blog entry. There I cite several sources that are books, not Internet entries. Also, I had read some of those books (Burch, my own on Ozu) before the Net existed. Since I aimed the entry at readers who might be unfamiliar with Shimizu, I didn't reference more out-of-the-way sources, such as the Film Center filmography of Shimizu and Ishida (Tokyo: National Library of Modern Art, 1974), which is in Japanese. As for the films: several Shimizu films that I discuss and illustrate with frame enlargements are not available in this DVD box, or indeed on DVD as far as I know.

Further, while I don't claim to be a Shimizu expert, I started watching his films in the 1970s, before video made it easy. I brought 35mm prints of them to my university in the 1980s. I studied them on flatbed viewers and in some cases had to travel to archives, such as the Library of Congress, to see them (STAR ATHLETE, THE BELL OF SAYON).

In short, I am a longtime admirer of the films I've seen and took the release of the Criterion box as an occasion to write an appreciative essay. That makes no pretense of being definitive, a point I belabor in the piece. But I did want to point out aspects of Shimizu's technique that other writers, to my knowledge, haven't discussed.

poohbear also complains, without evidence or examples, that my entry is "littered with errors" and that I'm "clueless" about Japanese film. If poohbear has found mistakes in the post, or in other things I've written on Japanese cinema, I would be grateful to have them pointed out to me. Readers of our blog know that I post corrections there, and since I've mounted a website I include errata sections for my recent books. poohbear should feel free to write me at the email address on my site, and I'd happily consider his/her objections--but only, as several writers on this thread have suggested, if poohbear supplies his/her name.

[sidehacker]

Reading his/her other comments, it seems people obvious that person is just an instigator. As far as I know, it'll still be awhile until we have any Shimizu "experts." I know people like myself appreciate any writings on Shimizu, especially when they're as extensive as your post.

Great to see you here, David! If you're going to respond to criticism, let's bring up Ray Carney! I kid, I kid...

[David Bordwell]

Sorry, sorry, Foggy Eyes! I printed out the post to read over and somehow your monicker was at the top of the passage. I'm rusty at posting on forums, so my apologies to all. It's poohbear I hope to hear from.

best regards, and thanks to sidehacker,

David

[foggy eyes]

No worries, David! Thank you for checking in about this.

I'm sure that the overwhelming majority of this board holds the work that you do in the very highest regard (myself included, of course), so it's good to hear that you're not accepting poohbear's comments as representative!

[Lemmy Caution]

Bordwell's piece is a very useful analysis of Shimizu's technique and style. Thoughtful, detailed, well-illustrated. And much appreciated.

Thanks foggyeyes for the initial link-up.

I'm sure Shimizu is new to many, including myself, and it's helpful to have a framework in which to approach his work.

While I'm sure it's fun to trash people and be derisive on the internet, professionals rightly take their reputations seriously. Poohbear should either man up with an apology or constructively elaborate on any mistakes he perceives in Bordwell's essay. Nothing wrong with showing a little respect.

[Murasaki53]

Well, I am certainly glad that _almost_ the whole film still survives.

Me too. It's a marvel to me that we are getting to see these movies.

[swo17]

I bought the second boxset (Children) for a decent price off a highly-rated third-party seller on Amazon. It came new in shrinkwrap. A couple things though:

1) I thought this was supposed to be a boxset with a booklet. Mine is two discs in a single-width DVD case, no booklet. Has anyone gotten a repackaged version like this?

2) The timecode for the disc with Four Seasons of Children is all wonky, jumping all over the place, but from what I can tell from what I've sampled, the film itself isn't jumping back and forth. Has anyone noticed anything like this with their disc?

There's also a weird, small smear of clear gunk on the underside of the inner circles for both discs. Can something like this affect playback?

[triodelover]

1) I thought this was supposed to be a boxset with a booklet. Mine is two discs in a single-width DVD case, no booklet. Has anyone gotten a repackaged version like this?

2) The timecode for the disc with Four Seasons of Children is all wonky, jumping all over the place, but from what I can tell from what I've sampled, the film itself isn't jumping back and forth. Has anyone noticed anything like this with their disc?

There's also a weird, small smear of clear gunk on the underside of the inner circles for both discs. Can something like this affect playback?

I bought mine when it first came out from Amazon.jp. Four digipaks in a slipcase with a thin booklet, all in Japanese. Don't recall any problem with Four Seasons of Children but it's been awhile. Can't say for certain about playback issue but it would, in part, depend on the structure of your tray/disc compartment on your player. I'd go the Goo Gone route gently and remove it all, if possible.

[Michael Kerpan]

I bought the second boxset (Children) for a decent price off a highly-rated third-party seller on Amazon. It came new in shrinkwrap.

I strongly suspect (i.e. am virtually certain) this is a bootleg. I see nothing on Amazon Japan that resembles a cheap version of the original sets.

[zedz]

Yeah, sorry swo, but if you'd picked up one of the original boxes you'd still be swooning over the packaging.

Still, at least you get to swoon over the films!

[Michael Kerpan]

Yeah, sorry swo, but if you'd picked up one of the original boxes you'd still be swooning over the packaging.

Still, at least you get to swoon over the films!

Possibly the loveliest packaging of anything I ever bought. Too bad not enough people bought the first 2 sets -- thus causing Shochiku to back off from its initial plan to issue 2 more sets.

[tojoed]

I bought the bootleg too, and it's the same as Swo's.
The gunk on the underside of the discs doesn't affect playback,
or hasn't as yet.

[manasl]

Hi,

This is my very first post on Criterionforum.org and I look forward to more fruitful interaction in the future. I'm currently a grad student with an interest in Japanese films of the late-20s until the beginning of WWII, which is why I've decided to post my first comment here. I've encountered this thread while scouring through the Net for some discussions regarding Shimizu, and I noticed that most of the activity appears to have ended at around 2009, though there are a brief flurry of posts in Jan 2013. Hence, I'd be very grateful if anyone could shed light on the following two matters:

1) Are there any plans, either from Shochiku or from Criterion to release any more of Shimizu's films? I have managed to see a good number of them from a variety of sources but there are 2-3 films that I strongly wish to see, which don't seem to have been released in any format.

2) I know that Prof. Keiko McDonald, who sadly passed away in 2008, was working on a book on Shimizu and had either finished it or come close to doing so. After this, I haven't been able to track any references to it, and I was wondering if anyone might be aware as to whether it will be published or not. Given the relative scarcity of writings on Shimizu, I've been hoping that it will eventually make its way to publication.

[Michael Kerpan]

Sadly, Shochiku seems to have dropped plans to release more Shimizu films on DVD -- presumably because sales of the first 2 sets were disappointing (despite the fact that Shochiku had promoted a Shimizu "revival" quite vigorously). I suspect that Criterion has no plans for further releases either.

I have not heard any updates on whether Keiko McDonald's book will ever show up in print (or even as to how close to completion it was).

[manasl]

Sadly, Shochiku seems to have dropped plans to release more Shimizu films on DVD -- presumably because sales of the first 2 sets were disappointing (despite the fact that Shochiku had promoted a Shimizu "revival" quite vigorously). I suspect that Criterion has no plans for further releases either.

I have not heard any updates on whether Keiko McDonald's book will ever show up in print (or even as to how close to completion it was).

Hello Michael,

Thank you for your update. It is indeed a pity that the majority of Shimizu's films may never be seen by people outside retrospectives and other such events. There are a couple of his films about children that I wish to see (and they do have existing prints), but the chances of them being out on DVD grows more remote.

[Michael Kerpan]

His (made-right-after-the-war Children of the Beehive certainly deserves to be better known (and widely available) -- but I don't even know who holds the rights for this.