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I Was Born,
But . . .
(1932)

This early thirties Japanese silent film, I Was Born, But . . . (1932), is a wonderful story of two brothers who are new to a suburban neighborhood of Tokyo.

Due to the entrenchment of the Benshi narrator tradition in Japanese film exhibition, the production of Japanese silent films extended well into the 1930s. This film is an excellent example of the continued development of the Japanese silent film and a film in the Ozu oeuvre.

The Criterion Collection
2017 Blu-ray Disc edition

Good Morning (1959), color, 94 minutes, not rated, with I Was Born, But . . . (1932), black & white, 90 minutes, not rated, and A Straightforward Boy (1929) [fragment], black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

The Criterion Collection, CC2768BD (collection number 84),
UPC 7-15515-19801-1, ISBN 978-1-68143-304-2.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region A Blu-ray Disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) progressive scan AVC (MPEG-4) format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, Japanese language intertitles, optional English language subtitles; 15 chapter stops; standard BD keepcase; $29.95.
Release date: 16 May 2017.
Country of origin: USA

This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered from a very-good 35mm source print.

The film is accompanied by a music score performed on piano by Donald Sosin.

As would be expected of a Criterion Collection release, this Blu-ray Disc has been lovingly produced for home video and is enthusiastically recommended.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.

This Region A Blu-ray Disc edition is also available directly from . . .

The Criterion Collection
2017 DVD edition

The Criterion Collection, unknown catalog number (collection number 84), unknown UPC nunmber, unknown ISBN number.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc (two DVDs in the set); 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; Japanese language intertitles, optional English language subtitles; chapter stops; standard BD keepcase; $29.95.
Release date: 16 May 2017.
Country of origin: USA

This DVD edition has been mastered from a very-good 35mm source print.

The film is accompanied by a music score performed on piano by Donald Sosin.

As would be expected of a Criterion Collection release, this DVD has been lovingly produced for home video and is enthusiastically recommended.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.

This Region 1 NTSC DVD edition is also available directly from . . .

The Criterion Collection
2008 DVD edition

Silent Ozu: Three Family Comedies (1931-1933), black & white, 291 minutes total, not rated, including I Was Born, But . . . (1932), black & white, 90 minutes, not rated.

The Criterion Collection, ECL046 (Eclipse series 10),
UPC 7-15515-02912-4, ISBN 978-1-60465-033-4.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD discs (three DVDs in the set); 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; Japanese language intertitles, optional English language subtitles; 16 chapter stops; three slimline DVD keepcases in cardboard slipcase; $44.95.
Release date: 22 April 2008.
Country of origin: USA

This DVD edition has been mastered from a very-good 35mm source print.

The film is accompanied by a music score performed on piano by Donald Sosin.

As would be expected of a Criterion Collection release, this DVD edition has been lovingly produced for home video and is enthusiastically recommended.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.