21 May 2008

Regular visitors should be aware of the title Twenty-Four Eyes and perhaps will even own the Masters of Cinema DVD release from two years back. If not then the disc is still available, but later this year the choice to buy will be complicated by the announcement that Criterion will be releasing their own edition of this remarkable film.

Keisuke Kinoshita's Twenty-Four Eyes (Nijushi no hitomi) is an elegant, emotional chronicle of a teacher's unwavering commitment to her students, her profession, and her sense of morality. Set in a remote, rural island community and spanning decades of Japanese history, from 1928 through World War II and beyond, Kinoshita's film takes a simultaneously sober and sentimental look at the epic themes of aging, war, and death, all from the lovingly intimate perspective of Hisako Oshi (Hideko Takamine), as she watches her pupils grow and deal with life's harsh realities.

Criterion is to release Twenty-Four Eyes as a Special Edition Double Disc Set with the following features:

• New, restored high-definition digital transfer;
• Television interview with director Keisuke Kinoshita;
• New video interview with Japanese cinema historian and critic Tadao Sato about the film and its director;
• New and improved English subtitle translation;
• A booklet featuring a new essay be renowned film scholar Audie Bock and excerpts from an interview with Kinoshita.

Twenty-Four Eyes will be release by Criterion on US DVD in August 2008 (exact date to be confirmed) as a 2-disc set at the SRP of $39.95.

You can read our review of the Masters of Cinema release of the film here.