UHD Review Ugetsu – Criterion UHD Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[t1g3r5fan]

Today, Ugetsu. One of the most influential filmmakers in the history of Japanese cinema, Kenji Mizoguchi started his career as an assistant director in 1920 before making his directorial debut in 1923 with The Resurrection of Love. Mizoguchi’s stock rose considerably following the end of World War II when he and Akira Kurosawa – a younger contemporary who held the then elder statesman of Japanese cinema in fiercely high regard – helped to introduce Japanese cinema to the world stage and America; following his international breakthrough film The Life of Oharu (1952), Mizoguchi followed with Ugetsu. Previously released on DVD and Blu-ray by Criterion, the company has given the movie its UHD Blu-ray debut.



Ugetsu (1953)



Released: 07 Sep 1954
Rated: APPROVED
Runtime: 96 min




Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, War



Cast: Machiko Kyô, Mitsuko...

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[titch]

One of Martin Scorsese's top 10!

Martin Scorsese’s Top 10

Martin Scorsese is an Academy Award–winning filmmaker who has directed more than twenty features, including The Last Temptation of Christ, available from the Criterion Collection.

www.criterion.com

 

[jayembee]

I know I've been away for a while (hi, Kevin! ); Real Life has a way of interfering with Fun Life. I'm way behind on my disc buying and watching, too. While I'm trying to scrounge up some time to get back to forum-ing, I popped in to ask something regarding Criterion's Ugetsu 4K disc.

I got a copy from B&N this past weekend, and made time to watch it. Got about nine minutes into it (chapter 3), when it started blotching, and alternating freezing and stuttering. Took it back to B&N a few days ago, and got a replacement, but the replacement copy is doing the same thing in the same spot (the point where Genjuro's wife is thrilled by the new kimono he bought her).

I'm not inclined to keep returning copies to B&N, and figure that I'll just try to get a replacement from Criterion instead. I'm also having a similar issue with the 4K of Sanjuro. I'm just curious if anyone else has had this problem with this title. The other Criterions I've gotten during this sale seem to be OK when I chapter-skip through them.

Anyway, Ugetsu is a marvelous film. I can't remember exactly where or when I first saw it, but I was captivated by it. At one point in the early 90s, Criterion was asking for people to suggest titles they wanted Criterion to release. One of a handful of titles I suggested was Ugetsu. They released it on LD in January 1994. I don't expect that my recommendation was the reason this released it, but I like to think it helped.

 

[titch]

I know I've been away for a while (hi, Kevin! ); Real Life has a way of interfering with Fun Life. I'm way behind on my disc buying and watching, too. While I'm trying to scrounge up some time to get back to forum-ing, I popped in to ask something regarding Criterion's Ugetsu 4K disc.

I got a copy from B&N this past weekend, and made time to watch it. Got about nine minutes into it (chapter 3), when it started blotching, and alternating freezing and stuttering. Took it back to B&N a few days ago, and got a replacement, but the replacement copy is doing the same thing in the same spot (the point where Genjuro's wife is thrilled by the new kimono he bought her).

I'm not inclined to keep returning copies to B&N, and figure that I'll just try to get a replacement from Criterion instead. I'm also having a similar issue with the 4K of Sanjuro. I'm just curious if anyone else has had this problem with this title. The other Criterions I've gotten during this sale seem to be OK when I chapter-skip through them.

Anyway, Ugetsu is a marvelous film. I can't remember exactly where or when I first saw it, but I was captivated by it. At one point in the early 90s, Criterion was asking for people to suggest titles they wanted Criterion to release. One of a handful of titles I suggested was Ugetsu. They released it on LD in January 1994. I don't expect that my recommendation was the reason this released it, but I like to think it helped.

Welcome back Mr. Jayembee! It's been a long time since you brightened this corner of the Internet! What 4K UHD player have you been running Ugetsu and Sanjuro on?

 

[jayembee]

Welcome back Mr. Jayembee! It's been a long time since you brightened this corner of the Internet! What 4K UHD player have you been running Ugetsu and Sanjuro on?

LG UP875. To be sure, it's one I've had for quite a while. It was my first (and so far only) 4K player. I just checked at LG's site, and apparently this model is discontinued (which likely explains why I wasn't able to find a firmware update the last time I looked for one). There's no question I should get something newer and better, but this one works well enough. On the occasions that I have a problem like this, it only takes a gentle wipe with a microfiber cloth to remove an invisible dot of schmutz from the disc surface. This time, no such luck.

The other advantage to getting a new player would be to get something other than an LG. I also have an LG Blu-ray player that I use for non-Region A discs, and I have to keep its front panel blocked with something when I'm using the 4K player to keep the remote from activating the Blu-ray player as well (and vice versa if I want to play a Region B BD without activating the 4K player).

 

[titch]

LG UP875. To be sure, it's one I've had for quite a while. It was my first (and so far only) 4K player. I just checked at LG's site, and apparently this model is discontinued (which likely explains why I wasn't able to find a firmware update the last time I looked for one). There's no question I should get something newer and better, but this one works well enough. On the occasions that I have a problem like this, it only takes a gentle wipe with a microfiber cloth to remove an invisible dot of schmutz from the disc surface. This time, no such luck.

The other advantage to getting a new player would be to get something other than an LG. I also have an LG Blu-ray player that I use for non-Region A discs, and I have to keep its front panel blocked with something when I'm using the 4K player to keep the remote from activating the Blu-ray player as well (and vice versa if I want to play a Region B BD without activating the 4K player).

I've run both these discs on my trusty old Oppo 203 and they've played without a hitch.