British distributors Eureka Entertainment have officially announced and detailed their upcoming Dual Format Edition of Yasujirô Ozu's Ukikusa a.k.a Floating Weeds (1959), starring Ganjirô Nakamura, Chishū Ryū, Machiko Kyô and Haruko Sugimura. The release will be available for purchase on December 3rd.
Towards the end of his career, Japanese master Yasujirō Ozu (Tokyo Story, An Autumn Afternoon) returned to a story he had made some 25 years earlier as a silent, Ukigusa monogatari (A Story of Floating Weeds), for a magnificent colour reworking, photographed by legendary cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa (Rashômon, Ugetsu Monogatari).
When a travelling theatre troupe brings their show to a seaside port, Komajurō (Ganjirō Nakamura), an ageing actor, is reunited with his former lover, sake bar owner Oyoshi (Haruko Sugimura), and his illegitimate son Kiyoshi (Hiroshi Kawaguchi), to the distress of his current mistress Sumiko (Machiko Kyō).
From this simple scenario, Ozu builds, one exquisite image at a time, a saga of profound humanity and rich understanding. Encompassing a novelistic range of emotions and tones with the utmost delicacy, Floating Weeds stands tall even amidst a body of work as extraordinary as Ozu's.
Special Features:
Exclusively restored high-definition master presented in the film's original aspect ratio, in 1080p on the Blu-ray
Newly translated optional English subtitles
Original Japanese theatrical trailer
Illustrated booklet featuring the words of Ozu, rare archival imagery, and more
Further details to be announced nearer the release date
