Yasujiro Ozu Student Comedies (1929-1932) (UK Import) on 2 DVDs

Master Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu (Tokyo Story) is revered for his unique and poetic style. This 2-disc set brings together all of his surviving early student-genre comedies for the first time.

DAYS OF YOUTH (Wakaki Hi)
Ozu’s earliest surviving film follows students Watanabe and Yamamoto as they unknowingly compete for the same girl.

I FLUNKED, BUT…(Rakudai Wa Shita Keredo)
Takahashi finds a creative way to avoid doing his revision in this roguish comedy reminiscent of Harold Lloyd’s The Freshman.

THE LADY AND THE BEARD (Shukujo To Hige)
Graduate Okajima finds his old-fashioned beard makes life difficult in a comedy exploring the Tension between tradition and modernity.

WHERE NOW ARE THE DREAMS OF YOUTH? (Seishun No Yume Ima Izuko) Ozu’s long-term collaborator Kogo Noda scripts a subtle shift from light to dark as Hirano’s carefree college life is marred by tragedy.

Special features

I Graduated, But… (Yasujiro Ozu, 1929, 11 minutes): surviving fragment of Ozu’s early student comedy
Newly-commissioned scores for all films by Ed Hughes featuring The Camilleri Trio and Richard Casey
Ozu: Emotion and Poetry (2011, 20 minutes): Tony Rayns discusses Ozu’s early work and influences
Illustrated booklet with newly commissioned essays from Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns and Alexander Jacoby