35-37 Naruse: Volume One

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

I own the Silent Naruse box but have only watched one movie in it, which I did like a lot. I'm really intrigued and want to get this box, but spending $100 on a director I don't know that much about before I even have a player which can play the set isn't something I can do at this point. Sigh.

Pity you didn't get it when it was going for less than 20 quid for ages and ages. Same for all the rest of yous shedding crocodile tears now it's gone for good. We might have got a Volume 2. It's like fucking Elvis dying all over again except RCA were on hand to mop up then.

[swo17]

I'm really intrigued and want to get this box, but spending $100 on a director I don't know that much about before I even have a player which can play the set isn't something I can do at this point.

Better than having to spend $300 a year from now when you realize you can't live without it.

[matrixschmatrix]

I own the Silent Naruse box but have only watched one movie in it, which I did like a lot. I'm really intrigued and want to get this box, but spending $100 on a director I don't know that much about before I even have a player which can play the set isn't something I can do at this point. Sigh.

Pity you didn't get it when it was going for less than 20 quid for ages and ages. Same for all the rest of yous shedding crocodile tears now it's gone for good. We might have got a Volume 2. It's like fucking Elvis dying all over again except RCA were on hand to mop up then.

No need to add insult to injury- people can't always buy everything they'd like to buy, even at relatively cheap prices, and it sucks if you miss your window. I know that before getting it this time, I'd added and then removed the set from my cart during MoC sales repeatedly, as I always overspend at those things and I still know very little about Naruse.

It's worth pointing out that as much as missing out on this set sucks, there's still the BFI Naruse set and Criterion's release of When a Woman Ascends the Stairs out there.

[knives]

It's worth pointing out that as much as missing out on this set sucks, there's still the BFI Naruse set and Criterion's release of When a Woman Ascends the Stairs out there.

Hate to be a party pooper, but that film is in the BFI set. The eclipse is the only unique to Crit release.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

I own the Silent Naruse box but have only watched one movie in it, which I did like a lot. I'm really intrigued and want to get this box, but spending $100 on a director I don't know that much about before I even have a player which can play the set isn't something I can do at this point. Sigh.

Pity you didn't get it when it was going for less than 20 quid for ages and ages. Same for all the rest of yous shedding crocodile tears now it's gone for good. We might have got a Volume 2. It's like fucking Elvis dying all over again except RCA were on hand to mop up then.

No need to add insult to injury- people can't always buy everything they'd like to buy, even at relatively cheap prices, and it sucks if you miss your window.

It wasn't an insult as such. It's just I am always amazed at how there is so much clamour when something goes out of print or someone dies and suddenly there's queues round the block. This particularly window had been open for 5 years and not many people bothered to gaze through it. More's the pity. I have three spare copies .They're yours for 300 quid each.

[Michael Kerpan]

If MOC ever sets up a low-budget line (a la Eclipse) -- maybe they could reissue these discs sans all the lovely extras (and wonderful packaging). Better than totally unavailable, at least.

The Criterion Woman Ascending is basically superfluous if you have the BFI set. The Eclipse set is essential -- but I bet it has not sold like hotcakes either. The MOC set was the most essential Naruse release to date.

I have a spare copy -- but it's already promised to the Harvard Film Archive (just haven't been able to drop it off in Cambridge during HFA's office hours yet).

[Drucker]

For what it's worth, I've been getting into films for under two years. Before I graduated college, my DVD collection was about 30 DVDs, and half of those were music documentaries or TV shows. It wasn't until graduating, having some free time, getting netflix, and actually taking the time to watch the likes of Citizen Kane, 8 1/2, Godfather, and a few others that I started caring about movies. I've had a proper HD TV and Blu ray for only a few months, and even in the last year was stuck watching movies on my laptop.

So for just me personally, there's really nothing I could've done. My love (time spent engulfing-wise)/knowledge/collection of CDs and records far dwarfs my movie collection.

Personally I get the "told you so" attitude. It might not be applicable in my case for this release, but I'm sure when I get around to seeing more of his films I'll rue not owning it.

All that said, I'm happy to wait around for deals, hope to see it cheap on Ebay or Amazon. I've come across lucky finds online and offline dozens of times before (found The Third Man blu ray at Princeton Record Exchange last month for $25. At the same time, I've paid for CDs used at three times what they currently go for. So I can wait.

[peerpee]

If MOC ever sets up a low-budget line (a la Eclipse) -- maybe they could reissue these discs sans all the lovely extras (and wonderful packaging). Better than totally unavailable, at least.

Once the extras are made, it doesn't really cost anything to keep them included! -- It's making them that costs the money. Obviously, the book wouldn't happen again, but it would be pointless to strip the commentary track for example and have to reauthor (more cost!)

Just to stop the violins playing for a moment -- these films have just gone OOP anyway. We would not have repressed it or relicensed the films anyway, so if there had been no fire, the stock would have been recalled from Amazon, it would have officially gone OOP, and the remaining stock would have been sold via Eureka Direct (or not sold, as was the case before the fire). All the fire has done has hasten it all up a bit. I'll try and find out how many were made and how many were burned, so we have a definitive "LIMITED EDITION OF #" for it.

[matrixschmatrix]

I'm still smarting over never getting the chance to pick up The Savage Innocents, so I'm glad I got in under the wire this time. OOP MoC is much worse than OOP Criterion, I have no chance of finding an MoC in a pawnshop here.

[colinr0380]

The Criterion Woman Ascending is basically superfluous if you have the BFI set. The Eclipse set is essential -- but I bet it has not sold like hotcakes either. The MOC set was the most essential Naruse release to date.

I have a spare copy -- but it's already promised to the Harvard Film Archive (just haven't been able to drop it off in Cambridge during HFA's office hours yet).

Although the Criterion When A Woman Ascends The Stairs has the Ritchie commentary, which makes a nice complement to the different commentary on the BFI edition. Whilst disappointing that the MoC release never got past "Volume 1", I do consider it a worthwhile project for those films that were released, along with inspiring at the time your own comments about the entire Naruse oeuvre in terms of which films were most longed for in a second volume, Michael! (Plus I like to consider the BFI set to be a kind of de facto Volume 2 anyway! And if I were not wishing to preserve the set in good condition, I could probably scrawl "Volume 3" on the Eclipse silent set too!)

I was very interested to hear about the Harvard Film Archive depositing of your spare copy. Is this something they asked for or that you have gifted to them? Do they get many offers of material? How did they react - were they interested in obtaining the set for their records, or would they think of it more as an interesting curio? Will they hide it away in the archives or make it available to the public?

[Finch]

I repurchased the Naruse set over 6 months ago after my original copy had a faulty disc of Repast and I could never find it again nor the booklet so I now have a duplicate copy each of Sound of the Mountain and Flowing. If anyone is struggling to get the set for affordable prices anywhere, I can at least offer interested parties two of the three films.

[Michael Kerpan]

When I ordered a gift copy of the Naruse set from Eureka, it got lost (temporarily) in the mail, so Eureka sent a second copy. As a result, I eventually wound up with an extra copy. I was told not to send it back -- so it seemed like the only fair thing to do was to donate the extra copy to a worthy institution (to help promote Naruse and Masters of Cinema). ;~}

[Perkins Cobb]

I repurchased the Naruse set over 6 months ago after my original copy had a faulty disc of Repast and I could never find it again nor the booklet so I now have a duplicate copy each of Sound of the Mountain and Flowing. If anyone is struggling to get the set for affordable prices anywhere, I can at least offer interested parties two of the three films.

And I have an extra booklet only, because the packaging got destroyed when I ordered this and MOC graciously sent a replacement for everything except the discs themselves. So if anyone does end up trying to cobble together this set from spare parts, feel free to contact me.

[Ozu Teapot]

Someone's selling a sealed copy of the Naruse box set on Ebay starting at £17.99.

It's NOT me or anyone I know, I just saw it and thought it might be of interest to those here who haven't got it. I guess they're hoping the fact it's now OOP will make the price go up and up, but you never know!

[jwd5275]

Good news. If you ordered one from Amazon.uk shortly after it went out of print, you may still be in luck. I ordered one on the 13th at total of 18 pounds (including international shipping), fully expecting it to be cancelled for lack of stock. However, today I got a message saying that it shipped today!

[matrixschmatrix]

Belatedly watching through this set, I've just seen Sound of the Mountain. Weirdly, my primary physical reaction to it was intense nervousness, as though it were a thriller- Hara's performance is so delicately, intensely feeling that I spent the majority of the movie terrified that something else would happen to her. It feels like a movie about terrible domestic violence, even if the violence is primarily emotional and not physical, and the dire tragedy of Hara's relationship with her father-in-law is that he's both evidently her closest friend and a man who's enabling the cruelty to continue through nearly the whole of the movie. His wife is entirely correct that his kindness and sensitivity are fundamentally cruel, because they keep Hara trapped in an abusive, cruel situation; if, as he says, it's horrid to entrap someone with a baby, it is perhaps no less horrid to do so with decency.

And, of course, the father-in-law recognizes this, and makes a sacrifice on the level of Hara's abortion. It's not an ending that bears out Naruse's apparent reputation for pessimism- after all the tragedy and nastiness, the two characters we care about most have been able to grow enough to end the horrible situation that defines the movie. Though still sad, that is an optimistic ending, one that assumes it is possible to escape the traps we find ourselves in, and the one we create for others.

Hara's husband really is a two dimensional monster, the only one we see in the movie- I think every word that dropped from his mouth made me hate him more. It's less of a problem than it might otherwise be, though, because he isn't Hara's motivation for staying in that household, so his monstrosity doesn't create a problem of characterization- it just highlights the central irony of her relationship with her father in law.

It's a beautiful, delicate movie, but not one that makes me want to dive into Naruse straight away- it's intensely emotionally taxing, and not the kind of movie that I seek out when I want to have a good time. It's one I'm very happy to have seen, though.

[Michael Kerpan]

matrix --

I think you will find Repast (my favorite Naruse, despite all the competition) will not be so hard on your nerves. It has a much higher quantum of humor -- and a sweet-natured end (even if it has a dash of bitter-sweetness).

[matrixschmatrix]

I'll try that one next then, thanks.

[linfor]

Hello. I'm new in the forum. I have the luck of having two sealed Naruse MoC sets, as I recently saw them in a library in Mexico (I live in Mexico City). I'm looking for a trade, and I'm very much interested in the Mizoguchi set which I don't have. If anyone is interested or knows somebody that may have the Mizoguchi set for trade or sale, please let me know. Thanks.

[neal]

Hello. I'm new in the forum. I have the luck of having two sealed Naruse MoC sets, as I recently saw them in a library in Mexico (I live in Mexico City). I'm looking for a trade, and I'm very much interested in the Mizoguchi set which I don't have. If anyone is interested or knows somebody that may have the Mizoguchi set for trade or sale, please let me know. Thanks.

The appropriate place for this is in the trades forum...

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Hello. I'm new in the forum. I have the luck of having two sealed Naruse MoC sets, as I recently saw them in a library in Mexico (I live in Mexico City). I'm looking for a trade, and I'm very much interested in the Mizoguchi set which I don't have. If anyone is interested or knows somebody that may have the Mizoguchi set for trade or sale, please let me know. Thanks.

The appropriate place for this is in the trades forum...

The appropriate place for this is on everyone's shelves.

[Lazertron]

As I was able to buy a used copy for €30, coming weekend seems like the right moment to watch... my first Naruse film. Shame on me, but I somehow always eluded a Naruse film for someones other to watch

[Michael Kerpan]

As I was able to buy a used copy for €30, coming weekend seems like the right moment to watch... my first Naruse film.

Enjoy!

[Drucker]

There is an active Ebay listing for this. Currently there are no bids, and it stands at $69.99.

I forked over 85 Euros for this just last week used on ebay in a non-auction, which I'm very excited about. Almost tempted to buy this one as well just to use as trade bait, or something, but figured I'd share the knowledge with someone here who may care. Please refrain from any you shoulda been there during the days when this was in print business. I know I didn't own a single MOC release or region free player until about two years ago.

[Michael Kerpan]

I look forward to your thoughts on the films in this set -- once you get to see them. ;~}