Third Window Films

[Calvin]

Some more tidbits:

Yoshihiro Nakamura - No to A Boy and His Samurai but TW are working on another of his for a 2013 release

TW mention that the Early Works of Sion Sono are being sold to distributors but don't mention if they're going to pick them up

TW are going to "look into" Shinji Somai, specifically Typhoon Club

Lots of people requesting Shunji Iwai

TW are in final negotiations to bring "2 VERY funny comedies" to the UK, only one of them is Japanese

[dadaistnun]

So -- how long is the longer version of Bright Future -- and what is the shorter version missing? (Never realized that there was more than one version).

The longer version is around 115 minutes. I've only seen the long one, so I can't say what what was cut.

[Ultimo]

Some more tidbits:
TW mention that the Early Works of Sion Sono are being sold to distributors but don't mention if they're going to pick them up

Hopefully they don't pick that up, everything i've seen before Suicide Club is awful.

[joshua]

Has there been any mention of Yamashita's two most recent films, My Back Pages and The Drudgery Train? I haven't seen them but from the reviews and trailers, they seem to be within the wheelhouse of what Third Window releases.

Someone prior mentioned Okaeri which reminded me of how much Donald Richie's description of the film made me want to track it down immediately after reading about it in his 100 Years of Japanese Film. Alas it never received a dvd release and tracking down a grey market edition seemed next to impossible.

[Michael Kerpan]

I still have the Japanese VHS release of Okaeri -- but never got around to digitizing it.

[repeat]

Yeah, Donald Richie has repeatedly championed Okaeri in various connections, comparing it to Bresson (specifically Une Femme Douce - a particularly outstanding recommendation in my book) and Ozu; it was also included in the Midnight Eye book where I think I first read about it. There used to be a dodgy-looking VHS on a French label called K-Films, and Trigon-Film has it listed in their distributed titles, along with a slew of highly positive press quotes - but no DVD release to this day.

Typhoon Club is another frustratingly unobtainable Richie recommendation that I've been wanting to see for ages - I really hope they could get that, or anything from Somai...

[Adam X]

Another non-Facebook user here. Guess I should just email 'em.

Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Serpent's Path, Eyes of the Spider, Barren Illusion (1998-1999) - and an English-friendly disc of License to Live (1998) would be essential as well.

I second the wish for these films. Kurosawa's well overdue for some more extensive home video love.

...and I think I've said this before, but would really love to see Ishii Sogo's 'August in the Water' & 'Labyrinth of Dreams' get a release too.
You know, I could swear someone had plans to release 'Crazy Thunder Road', but I guess I could be getting mixed up with 'Burst City'.

Very curious to see what the "something better" TW hinted at's going to be.

[repeat]

Let's not flood their mailbox - I just e-mailed them about Kurosawa and got a rather gladdening reply: they reckon there might be sufficient demand to consider a box set, if rights issues can be sorted out! I know I'm not the only one who would consider even a bare-bones set of those films a blind buy - and a reasonably-priced option to the existing Asian releases could probably sell well internationally, esp. in France where his work seems to be much more highly regarded / better understood, what with the recent near-complete retrospective (!), several dedicated books etc.

[Adam X]

Let's not flood their mailbox - I just e-mailed them about Kurosawa and got a rather gladdening reply: they reckon there might be sufficient demand to consider a box set, if rights issues can be sorted out! I know I'm not the only one who would consider even a bare-bones set of those films a blind buy

Though I'd hate to be responsible for the unsent email they were waiting on to change "might be" to "is".
Great news, and yes I'd definitely buy these films regardless of extras. That'd just be icing on a very nice cake.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

So -- how long is the longer version of Bright Future -- and what is the shorter version missing? (Never realized that there was more than one version).

The longer version is around 115 minutes. I've only seen the long one, so I can't say what what was cut.

The short version cuts several scenes with Nimura and Shinichiro working in the shop. I'm sure there's other scenes too, but that's mainly what I recall. The most significant difference I remember is

SpoilerShow

an additional scene after Shinichiro gets stung by the jellyfish -- Shinichiro is seen working in the shop by himself (not Nimura as I wrote earlier), then finally says "You can stay here forever" and spins a fan around with his hand (this shot is in the trailer). Then it cuts to the same closing sequence seen in the short version.

[Ultimo]

Off Third Windows Facebook Tetsuo mock packshots

Thinking about having a reversible sleeve which will have both the 1st and 2nd ones included. Thinking the 3rd one makes people realise that both films are included

Won't be getting them but not bad.

[MichaelB]

Just a quick note to give a very firm thumbs-up to the Tsukamoto package.

The director-approved transfers of the Tetsuo films are as good as I imagine these films will ever look - there's grain galore, especially with the first film, and I assume that the softer shots were duped during production as a by-product of special effects, because much of the image really is pin-sharp. It's certainly among the best 16mm-sourced black-and-white HD transfers I've seen to date. But it's the sound that really justifies the upgrade - being able to turn the volume right up without fear of distortion made a substantial difference.

The major extra is the 45-minute The Adventures of Electric Rod Boy (1986), one of Tsukamoto's early Super 8 projects, and clearly a dry run for Tetsuo (it uses many of the same techniques and, I suspect, the same props). Obviously, given the source, an HD transfer would be an extravagance - in fact, I strongly suspect it came from an analogue video transfer made some time ago - but it's good to have it with English subtitles for what I believe is the first time.

[manicsounds]

I wonder why Third Window is not cramming the special features onto the Blu-ray disc, and instead putting them on separate DVDs. I understand for the 4-hour "Love Exposure", but their other titles are at a regular length and put out on 25GB single layer discs.

If they upped the discs to 50GB dual layer discs, they could easily fit the stuff from the bonus DVDs, which are only 9GB, and have a lot more space to spare.

Manufacturing 2 discs seem more costly than 1, does it not?

[MichaelB]

Third Window's press release was less than clear, but when I asked them for clarification it turns out that they're releasing two separate Blu-ray and DVD packages, with each containing two discs - and while the first disc has been pressed in a fashion appropriate to each package (i.e. both features on either BD or DVD), the extras disc is identical in both.

Which makes perfect logistical sense, because you wouldn't want to cram nearly an hour of extras onto a DVD that already contains two features, even if their combined running time is well under three hours.

[manicsounds]

Ah, I wasn't thinking about that... makes sense now.

[Ultimo]

They're bringing out Yoshihiro Nakamura's The Foreign Duck, The Native Duck and God on January 11th, 2013

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151270502197425" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[McCrutchy]

Reviews of the Kotoko Blu-ray Disc:

Blu-ray.com

The Digital Fix

High praise all around. It looks like TWF have produced a winning transfer of an excellent film. I can't wait to get my copy!

[bigP]

They're bringing out Yoshihiro Nakamura's The Foreign Duck, The Native Duck and God on January 11th, 2013
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151270502197425" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Amazon pre-order The Foreign Duck, The Native Duck and God [DVD]
Also The Woodsman & The Rain [Blu] [DVD] - January 28th
The King of Pigs [DVD] - March 11th
Vulgaria [Blu] [DVD] - March 28th

[antnield]

They've just tweeted...

We have acquired 2 Japanese films from the 90s made in the same year by the same director and starring the same cast. Can you guess what they are?? Will be released as a double-disc set around April/May of next year.

[repeat]

Yes yes YES! Third Window, I love you!

Technically speaking shouldn't that be "starring the same guy" though? Apparently they were meant to have the same cast but according to IMDB only share a lead actor

[Calvin]

Yes yes YES! Third Window, I love you!

Technically speaking shouldn't that be "starring the same guy" though? Apparently they were meant to have the same cast but according to IMDB only share a lead actor

What film(s) would that be?

EDIT: Kurosawa's Serpent's Path and Eyes of the Spider?

[repeat]

Serpent's Path and Eyes of the Spider?

Exactly! They did already mention that they'd look into releasing them, and I can't think of very many other films that would fit those hints equally well. Also, as they were conceived as companion pieces it would make perfect sense to put them out as a double set.

I'll be falling from considerable heights of excitement if they now announce it's the last two Tora-san films instead

[repeat]

Serpent's Path and Eyes of the Spider confirmed at Twitch - again, this is wonderful news!

[Calvin]

Third Window will be announcing their 2013 schedule soon and, apart from what's already announced, they "have 4 BIG releases scheduled for next year: 2 restored classics and 2 new Japanese hits".

[Finch]

2013 lineup announced:

After a very turbulent 2012 in which we spent the first half of the year trying to recover from the Riots which saw all our stock burnt down in the Sony fire (and the following crash of the home video industry) plus having to pull out of theatrical distribution (which will now see many more companies doing the same with the announcement that Cineworld have acquired the Picturehouse Chain, the same chain which itself had acquired/programmed most indie cinemas in the UK - therefore leaving barely any left), Third Window Films is going for a make-or-break 2013 with a wide variety of titles, across many genres and years, to try and promote the best of Japan to the West.

We believe, that at Third Window we have always attempted to do all we can with mixing up Asian cinema more than any other company. We think that too many of the same films are being screened at festivals and released on home video across the world, so we are trying to show what else is out there (while at the same time trying to give the audience what they want) by mixing established and new directors, plus unseen works from those with big followings. We want to both listen to what our audience want, by taking requests on titles on-board as well as giving our audience the choices of what sleeve art design or DVD extras they would prefer, plus try to educate with the releases of titles which they might not know about, therefore expanding their scope on the East. Unfortunately though, it's not easy balancing all these things, especially with the very high costs of manufacturing Blu-rays and extortionate BBFC costs, but we'll do our best so that we can keep it going as far as we can!

So with that, we hope that you enjoy our schedule of 2013 releases!

Already announced and scheduled

January 14th - The Foreign Duck, The Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker - A slightly older title from the fantastic combination of director Yoshihiro Nakamura and writer Kotaro Isaka (the team behind Fish Story), Foreign Duck... runs along similar lines to Fish Story in the way its multi-stranded and complex plot brings in many characters and back-stories to an highly engrossing tale of revenge and identity.

Presented on DVD with an anamorphic widescreen transfer with a 35 minute Making Of, Deleted Scenes and Theatrical Trailer

January 28th - The Woodsman & The Rain - From one of the great new emerging talents of Japanese cinema in director Shuichi Okita, The Woodsman... tells the heart-warming and comedic tale of a young, nervous film director (Shun Oguri) who while attempting to film his apocalyptic zombie film in a small village, comes across a simple woodsman (Koji Yakusho) who, along with the local villagers, help him fulfill his dream.

DVD and Blu-ray release with Deleted Scenes, Interviews with Cast & Crew and Theatrical Trailer


April 15th - Vulgaria - Been a while since we've released a Hong Kong film, but we've been huge fans of Pang Ho-Cheung ever since we saw You Shoot I Shoot on VCD back in 2001! Over the years we've tried over and over again to get his films released in the West, but had major problems with Hong Kong sales agents, though finally we have been able to snap up this very fun piece of entertainment: a witty and vulgar sex-comedy which satirises the film industry. Like all his films it comes with a great script and is a great piece of pure entertainment.

On DVD and Blu-ray with Making Of and Theatrical Trailer

June 24th - Eyes of the Spider / Serpent's Path - In 1998, Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Tokyo Sonata, Kairo) with a very low budget made 2 films back to back over the course of 2 weeks which featured Sho Aikawa as the lead actor in both films. Neither really sequels nor remakes of each other, though with traits of both, they are fantastically gripping revenge films which for some reason have never really been seen outside of a few special festivals screenings in the West.

We are pleased to present them both as a double-disc set, though unfortunately since we could not get proper HD materials, and can't afford to create new materials from the original negatives, we will be releasing on DVD only, but we hope that due to the fact they're great films from a great director, which aren't available with English subtitles, that people will still enjoy them on DVD. Extras TBC

And our new acquisitions:

April 29th - For Love's Sake - Takashi Miike returns with another musical/comedy genre mix-up (after Happiness of the Katakuris). Selected for an Out of Competition premiere at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, For Love's Sake is an adaption of the 1970s manga Ai to Makoto which itself was turned into many films and TV series back in the day. Both a great piece of nostalgia for fans of the originals (try watching them with Japanese people from that generation and watch the smiles on their faces!), it's also a wonderfully silly and entertaining stand-alone for those who don't know of the originals due to Miike's trademark over the top style and action coupled with incredibly catchy song and dance routines!

DVD and Blu-ray release. Extras TBC

September (TBC) - Story of Yonosuke - Our choice as Best Japanese Film of 2012 (actually theatrically not released until 2013, but had its Japanese premiere at the Tokyo Film Festival in October 2012), Story of Yonosuke is a dream-team pairing of The Woodsman and the Rain director Shuichi Okita (proving once again how talented he his), author Shuichi Yoshida, the writer of the novel 'Akunin' (Villain) with a script adapted by famous theatre playwright Shiro Maeda (who wrote the original play of Isn't Anyone Alive) and starring one of our favourite newcomers of the Japanese film industry in Kengo Kora (Fish Story, The Woodsman and the Rain). What might seem like a very simple tale, plus a run-time of 160 minutes might put people off, but let us assure you, the brilliance of the film beauty is that such a simple tale and a long running time keep you engrossed for every single second!

Due to its running time though, Blu-ray release may not be possible due to the costs involved, as BBFC will take so much money from us with the film's release.

October (TBC) - See You Tomorrow, Everyone! - Our 2nd Yoshihiro Nakamura release of 2013 is his latest film which will be released in Japanese cinemas in February 2013. Nakamura regular Gaku Hamada (Fish Story, Foreign Duck..) returns to play the role of a teenage boy who throughout his life cannot leave the projects he was born into. Gaku Hamada plays the part of a teenager through to a 30-something perfectly (probably one of the only actors who could do so) in a film which, like many other Nakamura films, isn't quite what you'd expect....

Dates TBC

Bullet Ballet / Tokyo Fist - As with our release of Tetsuo a couple months ago, we are pleased to once again present, for the first time in the world, two of Shinya Tsukamoto's classic films digitally restored by Tsukamoto himself and presented on Blu-ray and DVD with exclusive extras and cardboard slipcases with original artwork. These though will be released as separate releases, not together as Tetsuo I and Tetsuo II were.