Yamashita and digital restoration

[Ono Seiko and Aaron Gerow]

Two bits of news:

1) Yamashita Kosaku, one of the top ninkyo (yakuza) movie directors at 
Toei, died this week at age 68.  He was best known for his work in such 
series as "Hibota bakuto," "Gokudo," and "Bakutouchi."

2) The Mainichi reported yesterday that Tokyo University's Sogo 
Hakubutsukan has succeeded in digitally restoring about 5 minutes of 
Ozu's _Tokyo monogatari_, using the latest in technology and software, as 
well as Ozu and Atsuta's notes, to eliminate scratches and blotches and 
restoring the film to its original image.  (The original negative is no 
longer in existence; only an internegative struck from positive prints 
remains.)  The project, which was instigated by Todai President Hasumi 
Shigehiko, apparently took a five-person team one year to do.  It is the 
first reported case of digital film restoration in Japan.

Aaron Gerow
Yokohama National University
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