The Makioka Sisters (Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray)

This lyrical adaptation of the beloved Japanese novel by Junichiro Tanizaki was a late-career triumph for world-class director Kon Ichikawa (THE BURMESE HARP, FIRES ON THE PLAIN). Revolving around the changing of the seasons, THE MAKIOKA SISTERS (SASAME-YUKI) follows the lives of four sisters who have taken on their family's kimono manufacturing business, over the course of a number of years leading up to the Pacific War. The two oldest have been married for some time, but according to tradition, the rebellious youngest sister cannot wed until the third, conservative and terribly shy, finds a husband. This graceful study of a family at a turning point in history is a poignant evocation of changing times and fading customs, shot in rich, vivid colors.

Starring: Keiko Kishi, Yoshiko Sakuma, Sayuri Yoshinaga, Yuko Kotegawa, Juzo Itami, Akemi Negishi, Fujio Tsuneda, Ittoku Kishibe, Jun Hamamura, Kazunga Tsuji, Kazuyo Kozaka, Kobatcho Katsura, Kuniko Miyake, Michiyo Yokoyama, Motoshi Egi, Shoji Kobayashi, Toshiyuki Hosokawa, Koji Ishizaka