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[4LOM]

"Ninjo kami fusen / Humanity and Paper Balloons [DVD-Titel]" [J 1937, Sadao Yamanaka]

Widely regarded as Yamanaka's greatest achievement, Humanity and Paper Balloons [Ninjo kami fusen] was, tragically, his last film, and only one of three that survive today. In a short, six year, 22 film career Yamanaka quickly earned a reputation for exceptionally fluid editing and a beautiful visual form likened to the paintings of Japanese masters.

The story develops in the Tokugawa era of the 18th century, in a poor district of Tokyo, where impoverished samurai live from hand to mouth among equally poor people of lower social classes. One such ronin (masterless samurai) Matajuro, spends his day looking for work whilst his wife, Otaki, makes cheap paper balloons at home. One rainy night, Shinza, a barber, and equally penniless, impulsively abducts the daughter of a wealthy merchant, hiding her at Matajuro's home. Their desperate plan has grave consequences when a ransom attempt backfires. The film, which starts and ends with suicide, is deeply pessimistic, insisting that life in feudal Japan was hellish and short for those at the foot of the social ladder.

Humanity and Paper Balloons premiered the day Yamanaka was drafted to the frontline at the start of WWII. He died in Manchuria, 1938, aged just 29. Boasting naturalistic performances and fine ensemble playing (from the left-wing theatre troupe Zenshin-za), The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present this rare gem for the first time on home video in the West.

S P E C I A L F E A T U R E S
- New restored transfer
- Optional English subtitles
- Production stills gallery
- New English subtitle translation
- 16-page booklet with excerpts from Yamanaka's diaries and new essays by Tony Rayns, Shinji Aoyama, and Kimitoshi Sato
- Plus more!
_________________
Race hate isn't human nature; race hate is the abandonment of human nature.
--- Orson Welles

[4LOM]

Die DVD sollte erst im April erscheinen, der Termin wurde aber jetzt auf den 23. Mai 2005 verlegt.
_________________
Race hate isn't human nature; race hate is the abandonment of human nature.
--- Orson Welles

[4LOM]

Laut Play.com erscheint die DVD jetzt erst am 20. Juni 2005.
_________________
Race hate isn't human nature; race hate is the abandonment of human nature.
--- Orson Welles

[4LOM]

Schon wieder ein neuer Termin. Play.com listet die DVD jetzt für den 25. Juli 2005.
_________________
Race hate isn't human nature; race hate is the abandonment of human nature.
--- Orson Welles