BD 278 Revenge

Discuss releases by Eureka and Masters of Cinema and the films on them.
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Finch
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BD 278 Revenge

#1 Post by Finch » Thu Mar 30, 2023 9:14 am

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Limited Edition Slipcase (First print run of 2000 copies only) featuring artwork by Tony Stella

1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a 2K restoration of the original film elements

Uncompressed original Japanese mono audio

Newly translated English subtitles (optional)

Brand new interview with Tony Rayns

Brand new video piece by Jasper Sharp

PLUS: A collectors booklet featuring new writing on the film

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: BD 278 Revenge

#2 Post by Michael Kerpan » Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:15 am

Nice to see this getting a release -- but I really like Imai's earlier non-samurai work a LOT better overall. And I fear we will never see any of that get a subbed release.

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What A Disgrace
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Re: BD 278 Revenge

#3 Post by What A Disgrace » Thu Mar 30, 2023 12:02 pm

Tadashi Imai is a filmmaker I've wanted to see for ages now, so while I'm delighted that this film is getting a release, it IS frustrating to think the focus may be on samurai films and not the earlier work that won all those Kinema Jumpo awards.

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Finch
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Re: BD 278 Revenge

#4 Post by Finch » Thu Mar 30, 2023 12:24 pm

This is going to be my introduction to Tadashi Imai and if the LE of Revenge sells well (which it might, with the stunning Tony Stella artwork), they might branch out into his non-samurai films (though maybe not before Bushido...).

Calvin
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Re: BD 278 Revenge

#5 Post by Calvin » Thu Mar 30, 2023 1:23 pm

I'll certainly be getting Revenge but I agree with the above sentiments. The cynic in me says that if this sells well then it's more likely that we'll get a wave of samurai films than Imai deep cuts but fingers crossed. It'd be nice if they got more adventurous with their Toei acquisitions (Tai Kato's Sasuke and His Comedians, anyone? Or Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon?)

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rapta
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Re: BD 278 Revenge

#6 Post by rapta » Thu Mar 30, 2023 1:45 pm

Bushido is very likely to be the next Imai title they do (especially since they mention it in the blurb for this) as it's also a Toei title, but maybe if this does well we might get a few of these: Tower of Lilies (1953), Rice (1957), Story of Pure Love (1957), Harbour Lights (1961), A Story from Echigo (1964). Maybe a little set even?

Maybe if these really do well they might consider deals with other studios like Shochiku (Night Drum) and Kadokawa-Daiei (The Possessed, Here is a Spring, When the Cookie Crumbles), especially since it sounds like Toho aren't being cooperative still.

Anyway, happy to see this title especially, and I believe they have Gosha's Samurai Wolf films lined up later in the year, and I'll be surprised if we don't see Bushido (Imai), Shogun's Samurai (Fukasaku) and Golgo 13 (Sato) soon too. Combined with Radiance's Japanese output, there's a lot I'm going to be pre-ordering! I honestly thought we were going to just be getting HK action films left, right and centre at one point...

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Re: BD 278 Revenge

#7 Post by ryannichols7 » Thu Mar 30, 2023 7:22 pm

it seems the only way forward for some of these labels with Japanese films is to release genre flicks only. I understand Toei specialized in these, but it's a little concerning to see Eureka (and Radiance, for that matter) only release samurai or yakuza films. I totally get that they're popular and what sells, but I find it hard to believe a risk can't be taken here and there. Arrow is leading the way - the Masumura titles, A Fugitive From the Past, and To Sleep as so is to Dream were all really good releases and definitely choice. Third Window even branched out a little with the Obayashi set and Adrift in Tokyo. I hope these labels don't just throw in the towel on everything else - I know Toho is difficult to deal with, but it doesn't seem the other studios are. Arrow has had no problem working with Kadokawa and Nikkatsu within the last few years. with Criterion sitting on countless titles in the US, the UK labels are the best hope of getting anything out there (unless of course, Criterion hold the UK rights) and I hope the prolonged "oh Naruse didn't sell on DVD ~10 years ago" or "Ozu didn't do enough numbers with DVD masters we put on BD" don't prevent future releases. like many of you, I've wanted to see Imai's work subtitled (much like I did for A Fugitive From the Past, which I didn't end up loving but am still glad to finally own) and it'll be disappointing if they only get out his samurai pictures. imagine a world where High and Low, Stray Dog, and Ikiru don't get released because they don't feature swords!

it's also disheartening because if you go by what these labels are putting out within the last few years, it seems like Asian films are all violent action movies, but that's a topic for another time and I don't want to derail this thread...

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Finch
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Re: BD 278 Revenge

#8 Post by Finch » Thu Mar 30, 2023 7:55 pm

I'll come to Eureka's and Radiance's defence a little. Revenge is from what I understand a very good companion piece to Harakiri (which I loved) and a Blu-ray world premiere. Ditto Big Time Gambling Boss which was fucking awesome and going to be hard to beat for my favorite discovery of the year. These and rumoured forthcoming titles may be genre films but at least they are little seen or underserved films instead of a reissue of the Kurosawa samurai pics in 4k, though those would be welcome, too. Yakuza and samurai have always sold well (the Arrow titles quoted above are rather outliers in Arrow's own Japanese output) and I don't blame Eureka for going with Violent Streets instead of any non samurai or Yakuza film that Hideo Gosha may have directed, and availability of acceptable HD sources had to have played a factor too. Gosha is finally getting better representation on Blu-ray so I'll take what I can get. Ditto Imai and others. Doesn't mean that I wouldn't secure my own copy of a Naruse or Ozu's Early Summer on Bluray or Seven Samurai in 4k on the first day.

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therewillbeblus
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Re: BD 278 Revenge

#9 Post by therewillbeblus » Fri Mar 31, 2023 12:00 am

I feel like Fran has been open about his interest in plenty of specific titles belonging to non-genre Asian cinema, and I wouldn’t extrapolate their first release into a mission statement or trend that hasn’t been established yet. It makes complete sense to pick safe-ish sellers to get the label off the ground, but I’ll be surprised if we don’t get something ‘riskier’ from that corner of the world within the next year

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: BD 278 Revenge

#10 Post by Michael Kerpan » Fri Mar 31, 2023 9:23 am

The Imai movie I most want to see "rescued" is Nigorie (Troubled Waters) -- which adapted 3 of Ichiyo Higuchi's stories -- and was the most-acclaimed movie of its year (the same one in which Tokyo Story and Life of Oharu came out) in Japan. Even better, a set which paired this with Gosho's Takekurabe (Comparing Heights / Growing Up) -- which adapted another key story by Higuchi (my pick for one of Gosho's most wonderful movies).

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L.A.
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Re: BD 278 Revenge

#11 Post by L.A. » Sun Jun 18, 2023 6:49 pm


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Finch
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Re: BD 278 Revenge

#12 Post by Finch » Sun Jun 18, 2023 8:05 pm

Revenge was an absolutely riveting film. The build-up to the final confrontation was especially well done. Little details stood out, like you could hear the crowds from the distance as the doomed hero and his brother approached the cordoned off area which felt like a Roman coliseum or a bullring , the bystanders that would gawk in awe or terror and shout abuse, two men cheerfully eating melons like this was a picnic out in the open instead of a life and death situation.

An excellent choice from MoC but if I had a small criticism to make is that as good as Tony Rayns is, I'd have liked a Japanese speaker talk about the film (which is why I found the video features on Yakuza Graveyard a refreshing change). It feels like we always get the same people on those video pieces. I appreciate that an interview with a Japanese speaker might have been more expensive to produce (or maybe not?) but Rayns and others pop up with such regularity that you can predict who is going to contribute what with those boutique label releases pretty accurately. What is more frustrating though is that the Tom Mes essay is printed in black letters against a dark background (face palm). Indicator, by contrast, had the good sense to print their Mexico Macabre essays in white letters on black background.

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