Good Morning

With all they do for film lovers you've got to forgive Criterion their vagaries, including this Technicolor "re-working" of Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu's own 1932 silent comedy I Was Born..., which examines the delicate social dynamic in a close-knit suburban Japanese community, and how that dynamic is easily disrupted when two young boys take a vow of silence after their parents refuse to buy them a TV. The intent, I would assume, is to spotlight the banal pleasantries that serve as the crux of much of our social intercourse, but the result is nothing more than an above average after-school special (and a poorly mastered one at that). One noteworthy item: this is the first Criterion release preoccupied with fart jokes. Not recommended. (S. C. Sickles)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—May 16, 2017—Criterion, 94 min., in Japanese w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: 2 discs, $29.95; Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1959's Good Morning features a great transfer and an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include director Yosujiro Ozu's 1932 silent comedy I Was Born, But... (91 min.), an interview with film scholar David Bordwell (19 min.), a video essay by critic David Cairns (18 min.), fragments from Ozu's 1929 silent film A Straightforward Boy (14 min.), and an essay by critic Jonathan Rosenbaum. Bottom line: a sparkling edition of this low-key comedy by Japanese master Ozu.]