Tezuka Shorts to Hit American DVD

Kino Video will release its The Astonishing Work of Tezuka Osamu DVD on the 28th. The $29.95 DVD contain 13 of the late creator’s short anime films, with optional English subtitles for the films that include dialogue, and an 18 minute interview with Tezuka conducted in 1986, three years before his death.

The shorts included on the DVD are:
Tales of the Street Corner (1962), with English subtitles
Male (1962), with English subtitles
Memory (1964), with English subtitles
Mermaid (1964), no dialogue
The Drop (1965), no dialogue
Pictures at an Exhibition (1966), no dialogue
The Genesis (1968), with English subtitles
Jumping (1984), no dialogue
Broken Down Film (1985), no dialogue
Push (1987), with English subtitles
Muramasa (1987), no dialogue
Legend of the Forest (1987), no dialogue (original 29:25 version)
Self Portrait (1988), no dialogue

Known as the god of manga and the father of anime, Tezuka Osamu (1928-1989) has created hundreds of comics, dozens of films, and even some television series (including such internationally beloved shows as ASTRO BOY and KIMBA THE WHITE LION.) His pioneering, unparalleled career is without rival for its extraordinary range of visual styles. Included in this set are some of Osamu’s most legendary works, including Pictures at an Exhibition and Legend of the Forest. The former combines 10 individual short vignettes to create stunning visual riffs on classic fine art. But the 30-minute Legend of the Forest is the animator’s masterpiece. An epic of forest faeries, sprites, wizards, and animals defending themselves against greedy industrialists bent on destroying nature, the film stylistically traces the evolution of animation from 19th-century etchings, to Disney and Fleischer cartoons, to contemporary anime. The animation in Legend of the Forest is as ravishing and inventive as anything seen in Disney’s Fantasia. Kimstim and Kino are proud to release this astonishingly imaginative collection of Osamu’s 13 most innovative pieces, many of which are the master’s own personal favorites.

Source: Ain’t It Cool News

Article provided by Daniel Zelter