A classic of Japanese cinema described as a ‘masterpiece’ by Ozu Yasujirō, Floating Clouds [Ukigumo] (1955) is a melancholy meditation on the hopeless side of love. Through the lens of Yukiko and Tomioka’s tempestuous relationship, Naruse Mikio’s most acclaimed film quietly captures the devastation of a country in economic post-war ruin.
In French Indochina during the Second World War, a married Japanese man falls in love with a young typist, Yukiko, and promises to marry her when the war is over. Upon their return to Tōkyō, however, their idyllic relationship crumbles – yet they cannot keep away from one another. Despite finding nothing but conflict and instability, they helplessly return to each other repeatedly as they attempt to rebuild their lives amid the ruins.
Now newly restored, Floating Clouds will be released on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, by the BFI on 1 July 2024 at the RRP of £19.99.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Newly restored and presented in High Definition
- Newly recorded audio commentary by writer and film critic Adrian Martin
- Mikio Naruse: Auteur as Salaryman (2016, 73 mins, audio): academic Catherine Russell, an expert in the cinema of Naruse, assesses the director’s career. Recorded at BFI Southbank
- Freda Freiberg on Floating Clouds (2007, 10 mins)
- Paul Willemen on Floating Clouds (2007, 7 mins)
- Floating Clouds selected scenes commentary (2007, 10 mins): cinema historian Freda Freiberg examines a key sequence fromFloating Clouds
- First pressing only: Illustrated booklet with a new writing on the film by Catherine Russell, previously published essays by Adrian Martin and Freda Freiberg, notes on the special features and credits.
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