Digital Meme (Japanese Classics on DVD)

Discuss internationally-released DVDs and Blu-rays or other international DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Steven H
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:30 pm
Location: NC

#1 Post by Steven H » Mon Jan 15, 2007 11:48 am

Digital Meme

This deserves it's own thread.

excerpts from the Mizoguchi thread in the Criterion Rumors and News section:
unclehulot wrote:Apparently the following Mizoguchi films are scheduled for production in 2007 by a company called Digital Meme.

Taki no Shiraito (The Water Magician) 1933
Orizuru Osen (Osen of the Paper Cranes) 1934
the dancing kid wrote:That website claims that they're also releasing 'Orochi', which is great news. I don't know if that film has ever been officially released anywhere, but it's a really important piece of film history. I wonder what their source material looks like and whether or not it will include benshi narration.
Steven H wrote:Fantastic news! I can only hope they're paired together, as it might reduce the price. They also have a four disc collection of classic anime listed as "upcoming" which has my name all over it. Great find, unclehulot.
Michael Kerpan wrote:I think Orochi was available on video (with benshi narration -- but not subtitles) from Matsuda in Japan.
I also received this very encouraging email from Digital Meme:
Dear Mr. Harrison [that's me]:

Thank you very much for your interest in our upcoming product, Japanese Anime Classic Collection and our future products … we will definitely be exploring the inclusion of master directors like Gosho, Kinugasa, Shimizu, Shimazu, Uchida, and Ito as you have suggested.

Our subtitles which we will make available not only in English and Japanese but also other European and Asian languages. These subtitles will be removable except where the original film has included inter-titles and the state of the original film.

As for the upcoming DVD anime collection, due to the high level of interest generated by this product we are extremely pleased to announce a pre-launch campaign offering a 10% reduction off the retail price of \12,800 for orders placed by February 1, 2007. As we have already announced the product is due to be released on April 30, but we hope to be able to fulfill pre-launch orders before the official sales release date.

To apply for the special offer, please visit our website to download the pre-launch order form and fax to us.

Please be advised that your credit card will not be charged until the product is shipped. Please also note that the price in US dollar is an estimated price based on current exchange rate and that your credit card will be charged in Japanese yen to which your credit card will apply their exchange rate to bill you in US dollar. Please also note that you will be charged \1860 for shipping (postal courier service). We will you advise by email when the order has been fulfilled with a tracking number for the package.

If you have any questions regarding the special campaign offer which ends February 1, 2007 please contact us at pre-launch@digital-meme.com.

Kind regards,

Marie Saotome
Marketing Manager
Digital Meme

User avatar
vogler
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 8:42 am
Location: England

#2 Post by vogler » Mon Jan 15, 2007 12:40 pm

Steven H wrote:Thank you very much for your interest in our upcoming product, Japanese Anime Classic Collection and our future products … we will definitely be exploring the inclusion of master directors like Gosho, Kinugasa, Shimizu, Shimazu, Uchida, and Ito as you have suggested.
Kinugasa! Surely they don't mean Kurutta Ippeji (A Page of Madness)? At first I thought that it would have to be one of Kinugasa's later films but then I found this on their website

'Our first target is the Japanese classic film genre.

In Japan silent film was a unique art form. Around the world, film has developed as a visual art. In Japan, silent films were, and still are, presented with the accompaniment of a live narrator called a benshi. Benshi are highly trained artists who bring life to the characters in the films they perform. Indeed, silent cinema in Japan was and continues to be a performing art. By digitizing classic Japanese films and equipping them with multiple language versions of subtitles, Digital Meme brings this unique art form to film lovers around the world.
'

Their currently available releases are Bantsuma: The Life of Tsumasaburo Bando, a documentary featuring many excerpts from Silent films and the Masterpieces of Japanese Silent Cinema (DVD-ROM).

Maybe, just maybe, they might release Kurutta Ippeji.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Kurutta Ippeji is one of the most incredibly audacious visual creations of the silent (or any other) era. An absolute avant-garde masterpiece. How I would love to ditch that awful, awful bootleg.

This all looks very exciting considering the present almost total unavailability of Japanese Silent films on DVD.

User avatar
Steven H
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:30 pm
Location: NC

#3 Post by Steven H » Mon Jan 15, 2007 12:45 pm

vogler wrote:I've said it before and I'll say it again, Kurutta Ippeji is one of the most incredibly audacious visual creations of the silent (or any other) era. An absolute avant-garde masterpiece. How I would love to ditch that awful, awful bootleg.

This all looks very exciting considering the present almost total unavailability of Japanese Silent films on DVD.
I agree, very exciting. Kinugasa's Crossroads is also supposed to be amazing, and they do seem to be starting a "two films at a time" motif, so that's also a possibility (I believe I've heard of both films going around with new prints). I'll burn my awful bootleg copy of Crazy Page in effigy if they put it out with subs.

User avatar
vogler
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 8:42 am
Location: England

#4 Post by vogler » Mon Jan 15, 2007 12:55 pm

Steven H wrote:Kinugasa's Crossroads is also supposed to be amazing
Crossroads is also very good although not quite as visually inventive or narratively compelling as Page of Madness. Still a great film though and it would be absolutely wonderful to see that one on DVD as well.

User avatar
Michael Kerpan
Spelling Bee Champeen
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
Location: New England
Contact:

#5 Post by Michael Kerpan » Mon Jan 15, 2007 1:00 pm

Kinugasa's later work is so dire, it is hard to see how his earlier work could have been much better. Until I see "Crossroads" myself, I will continue to think that "Page of Madness" was simply a fluke. ;~}

User avatar
vogler
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 8:42 am
Location: England

#6 Post by vogler » Mon Jan 15, 2007 1:16 pm

Michael Kerpan wrote:Kinugasa's later work is so dire, it is hard to see how his earlier work could have been much better. Until I see "Crossroads" myself, I will continue to think that "Page of Madness" was simply a fluke. ;~}
I've not seen any of Kinugasa's later work. After reading your comment perhaps I won't bother. I don't want another experience like Austerlitz by Abel Gance. His silent films were absolutely magnificent but most of his sound films (with a few exceptions) are either poor or dreadful. Unfortunately this seems to be a common career trajectory for quite a few great directors of the silent era. Many never managed the transition from silent to sound even remotely successfully.

I'd definitely like to see more Kinugasa silent films other than the two we have mentioned. Do you know if any more actually exist?

User avatar
Steven H
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:30 pm
Location: NC

#7 Post by Steven H » Mon Jan 15, 2007 1:23 pm

According to the jmdb, he directed fifty some silent films. No telling what survives of these, and how many were feature length. In doing a search I found what seems to be an interesting article on his films here, but it's pay for access.

User avatar
Steven H
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:30 pm
Location: NC

#8 Post by Steven H » Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:28 am

Here's an update on their coming soon page:
Now in production … Two DVDs featuring Taki no Shiraito (The Water Magician), Tokyo Koshinkyoku (Tokyo March), Orizuru Osen (The Downfall of Osen), and a fragment of Tojin Okichi by Kenji Mizoguchi, and two other DVDs featuring Tsumasaburo Bando in Orochi (Serpent), Gyakuryu (Backward Flow), Yuki no Wataridori (Koina no Ginpei, Migratory Snow Bird), and Kosuzume Toge (Kosuzume Mountain Pass). Check back soon for details!

User avatar
Sanjuro
Joined: Fri Nov 03, 2006 1:37 am
Location: Yokohama, Japan

#9 Post by Sanjuro » Sun Feb 18, 2007 9:18 pm

It's about time one of these remastering companies offered English subtitles! I also note that Digital Meme have (will have?) films for rental. Around 1500 titles apprently. Now would these be DVD rentals or actual film rental?

Digital Meme offers rentals of original classics — 1,500 of the best-loved and most influential silent movies, film classics, anime, television programs, documentaries and educational films from Japan and the West.

The Digital Meme collection features:

Japanese silent films and other Golden Age classics from the 1920s through the 1940s
Some of Japan's most interesting and popular films of the 1950s and 1960s
Japanese anime from the 1950s through the 1970s
An intriguing collection of Hollywood and European films from the 1950s through the 1970s
Japanese documentary films
Japanese mid-century television programs
And much more!

Always nice to have "much more!" included too. :D

User avatar
Steven H
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:30 pm
Location: NC

#10 Post by Steven H » Sun Feb 18, 2007 10:00 pm

Also, the specs are up for the Classic Anime collection. In addition to three discs of 20s and 30s films, there are also some 40s and one from 1950. I wonder if Ichikawa Kon worked on any of these?

Mestes
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 8:39 pm

#11 Post by Mestes » Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:48 pm

Steven H wrote:Also, the specs are up for the Classic Anime collection. In addition to three discs of 20s and 30s films, there are also some 40s and one from 1950. I wonder if Ichikawa Kon worked on any of these?
Received this set today. The films are severely windowboxed, and naturally, unrestored. Most are in OK condition, and the subtitles are good. I care almost nothing about packaging, but those that do, I suspect, will be pleased. Each disc includes a folded, one page summary table of the films on the disc. One half of the folded page is in English, the other in Japanese. Each table item has the original and translated title, production year, sound, length, production company, and film staff.

User avatar
Steven H
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:30 pm
Location: NC

#12 Post by Steven H » Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:31 am

Some great news from Digital Meme:
Digital Meme to Release Masterpieces of Japanese Silent Films on DVD

Digital Meme has news that is sure to excite film aficionados around the world. We will soon release Talking Silents, our long-awaited next series of products, featuring masterpieces of Japanese silent films. In Japan, silent films were not really "silent." Back in the age of silent films, the movie theaters in Japan fascinated audiences with exciting performances in which screenings were accompanied by live music and Benshi narration. Through its new DVD product Talking Silents Digital Meme brings back to life this unique Japanese cultural heritage in a digital format.

Talking Silents release schedule

To be released in October 2007
Talking Silents 1 Taki no Shiraito (The Water Magician) and Tokyo Koshinkyoku (Tokyo March), directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
Talking Silents 2 Orizuru Osen (The Downfall of Osen) and Tojin Okichi (a PR fragment), directed by Kenji Mizoguchi

To be released in November 2007
Talking Silents 3 Orochi (Serpent) and Gyakuryu (Backward Flow), featuring Tsumasaburo Bando
Talking Silents 4 Koina no Ginpei, Yuki no Wataridori (Koina no Ginpei, Migratory Snow Bird), and Kosuzume Toge (Kosuzume Pass), featuring Tsumasaburo Bando
¥4,980 (excluding tax) / ¥5,229 (with tax)

Talking Silents Special Features

Digital reproduction of the unique Japanese screening format from the silent films age, including orchestral musical accompaniment and Benshi narration
An option to select between the narrations by famous Benshi masters of the past and Ms. Midori Sawato, one of today's top Benshi performers
Bonus features including commentaries by the renowned film critic Tadao Sato and a word by the Benshi, Ms. Midori Sawato,
Subtitles in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese for the hearing impaired.

Don't miss out on our special pre-order campaign! Order the DVD before September 30 and pay only ¥4,482 (before tax) (10% off the regular price). Order Now.
The quality will more than likely not be Criterion level, but these films are extremely rare so its exciting enough to have the chance to get them on DVD (with English subtitles no less). I've sent an email off to Digital Meme to find out some more information. I'm especially interested in whether or not the commentaries and Benshi narration will be subbed as well as the intertitles (though I'm betting they're not .)

User avatar
ltfontaine
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 3:34 pm

#13 Post by ltfontaine » Thu Sep 06, 2007 1:01 pm

Spectacular news, especially with regard to the recorded benshi tracks. I know there was some experimentation with recorded benshi narration back in the day, and that it later often accompanied television broadcasts of silent films in Japan (sometimes by Midori Sawato, who is involved here), but I've never before had the impression that audio “recordings of famous Benshi masters of the pastâ€

User avatar
Steven H
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:30 pm
Location: NC

#14 Post by Steven H » Thu Sep 06, 2007 2:14 pm

ltfontaine wrote:Has anyone gotten a look at Digital Meme's books on benshi and Japanese film history studies?

Mizoguchi silents commercially released on DVD, including footage from Tojin Okichi, at around $20 U.S. per title. This is a good day!
I was planning on picking up one of the books when I bought the Animation set, but I'm still having a hard time coming up with the cash. If I do, I'll be sure and let you know.

User avatar
Steven H
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:30 pm
Location: NC

#15 Post by Steven H » Sun Sep 09, 2007 9:16 pm

Wow, according to one of the Digital Meme people, via email:
Yes, Mr.Sato's commentary is subtitled with 3 languages; English, Chinese and Korean.

His commentary is very interesting as you imagine.
I never would have thought.

User avatar
Michael Kerpan
Spelling Bee Champeen
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
Location: New England
Contact:

#16 Post by Michael Kerpan » Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:10 am

These Mizoguchi discs do not contain _two_ films -- one contains one film and a short home video digest version of a film that no longer exists the other contains one film plus some stray fragments of an otherwise lost film.

This is not to say that these are not likely to be wonderful releases -- but I'd rather people not get false expectations as to their contents. ;~}

User avatar
ltfontaine
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 3:34 pm

#17 Post by ltfontaine » Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:46 am

Michael Kerpan wrote:These Mizoguchi discs do not contain _two_ films -- one contains one film and a short home video digest version of a film that no longer exists the other contains one film plus some stray fragments of an otherwise lost film.
You're right, Michael, the distinction is an important one, as the discs do not each contain two complete films. If the Mizoguchi scraps are as rich and suggestive as the surviving bits of Ozu's Fighting Friends--Japanese Style and, especially, I Graduated But . . ., however, I'll be most grateful to get what might be all we'll ever see of these films.

User avatar
Michael Kerpan
Spelling Bee Champeen
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
Location: New England
Contact:

#18 Post by Michael Kerpan » Mon Sep 10, 2007 12:01 pm

ltfontaine wrote:You're right, Michael, the distinction is an important one, as the discs do not each contain two complete films. If the Mizoguchi scraps are as rich and suggestive as the surviving bits of Ozu's Fighting Friends--Japanese Style and, especially, I Graduated But . . ., however, I'll be most grateful to get what might be all we'll ever see of these films.
The surviving digest version of Tokyo koshinkyoku preserves 20-some minutes out of the original 80 or so. It follows one strand of the plot -- and essentially cuts all others. None of Takako Irie's (many) scenes made it into this.

I find no hint of just how much Tojin Okichi survives (and how coherent the remains may be). I did find a brief summary of the (based on a true) story it relates.

User avatar
htdm
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:46 am

#19 Post by htdm » Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:44 am


User avatar
Sanjuro
Joined: Fri Nov 03, 2006 1:37 am
Location: Yokohama, Japan

#20 Post by Sanjuro » Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:00 am

Got my Talking Silents sets 1&2 today and can confirm subtitles on all the benshi tracks, the introduction from Sawato Midori, the comments/video by Tadao Sato, the menus, hell even the BOX is bilingual. That's pretty impressive for a Japanese DVD.

I guess the only drawback (apart from the Japanese price-tag) is that if you want to watch it silent with no commentary or music then you won't get subs for the intertitles (but since the point of the DVD is to introduce 'silents' as being anything but, I guess that's to be expected).

The picture quality isn't great but with the amount that's lost forever from pre-war Japan I suppose we should be thankful they exist at all.

Tokyo March runs 28 minutes and the benshi fills in all the gaps nicely to give some idea of what the rest of the film is about.

User avatar
Steven H
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:30 pm
Location: NC

#21 Post by Steven H » Sun Oct 21, 2007 5:37 pm

I posted some screen captures from Downfall of Osen here. I'm very happy with this disc, but I have to echo that I would have liked an option of subtitles on intertitles, with music only or no sound, etc. I was very happy with the image on this, and the Sato "commentary" is actually a very informative 20 minute interview, which is subtitled, and might actually be one of the few english subtitled extras on a Japanese DVD *ever* (just a guess.)

User avatar
Michael Kerpan
Spelling Bee Champeen
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
Location: New England
Contact:

#22 Post by Michael Kerpan » Sun Oct 21, 2007 5:49 pm

Steven H wrote:I posted some screen captures from Downfall of Osen
Based on these captures -- this is a whole lot better than any previous version of this I've seen!

User avatar
Sanjuro
Joined: Fri Nov 03, 2006 1:37 am
Location: Yokohama, Japan

#23 Post by Sanjuro » Sun Oct 21, 2007 7:39 pm

Music only or silent (turn the sound off...) options with subtitles would have been nice, but I guess Digital Meme are trying to point out that watching it as such would be a misrepresentation of that time in Japanese cinema history. And if everyone opted for silence those few working Benshi's might go out of business I guess.

User avatar
ltfontaine
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 3:34 pm

#24 Post by ltfontaine » Mon Oct 29, 2007 12:57 pm

Following up on earlier comments from Stephen H and Sanjuro about the new Mizoguchi DVDs from Digital Meme, I'll add that, despite the condition of the source prints, these are two of the most satisfying releases of the year.

Both discs feature an identical format, including one full-length film, elements relating to another, a separate video discussion by critic Sato Tadao, and brief comments from benshi Sawato Midori. Each main feature includes a choice of benshi tracks by either Sawato or Matsuda Shunsui with corresponding subtitles and distinct soundtrack scores. As previously noted, the subtitles are removable, but one cannot choose to view the films without one of the benshi tracks, short of turning off the sound. The condition of all four films is basically the same, which is to say, a bit better than the circulating boots, but a long way from full restoration. Vertical scratches fluctuate throughout between light-moderate to heavy, suggesting that the elements are most likely heavily used release prints. On a scale of 1 to 10, these prints probably rate in the 5 – 6 range

The first disc in the Talking Silents series includes Tokyo March and The Water Magician. Tokyo March (1929), the second earliest Mizoguchi film for which elements are extant, and a great popular success in its day, survives in fragments that are presented here in their original sequence, knit together with new expositional title cards in Japanese. The full running time of the film is unknown, but the segments here add up to about 28 minutes, as indicated by Sanjuro. It is not clear whether this is the Japanese version running 22 minutes at 18 fps, padded out to 28 minutes by the addition of the title cards, or the longer version restored by the Cinémathèque Française in 1999. Judging by the running time of other Mizoguchi films from the period, this portion of Tokyo March might account for one third to one half of the complete film, and it would have been useful for Digital Meme to have provided a full synopsis of the story for the purposes of context. As it is, the continuity is somewhat obscure even with the intertitles, and entire threads of the narrative, such as the relationship between Sayuriko and Sakuma, are entirely absent. The film is subtitled, without commentary, a precious fleeting glimpse of Mizoguchi's early “Nikkatsu style.â€

User avatar
htdm
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:46 am

#25 Post by htdm » Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:18 pm

Just received my copies of Talking Silents #3 and #4 (Orochi/Gyakuryu) and (Koina no Ginpei no Wataridori/Kosuzume Toge). Looking forward to seeing how Orochi compares to the VHS I had.

Post Reply