130 The Betrayal

[Finch]

Released in the UK/US: September 15th/16th.

To protect his clan, an honourable samurai (Raizo Ichikawa, Shinobi) takes the blame for a murder committed by one of his fellows. He is promised a safe return after one year in exile, but this vow is broken and he becomes a fugitive chased by his own clansmen. Disillusioned by the bushido code of honour, he realises there are only two ways out: vengeance or death. From director Tokuzo Tanaka (The Snow Woman), a former assistant to Akira Kurosawa, this cruel jidaigeki stands alongside such notable works of the genre as Harakiri and Sword of Doom with its classic mix of honour codes and samurai action. Beautifully filmed in black and white ‘scope with thrilling set pieces, The Betrayal features one of the most breathtaking finales in all of samurai cinema.

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY FEATURES

High-Definition digital transfer by Kadokawa
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Select-scene audio commentary by Japanese film historian Tom Mes (2025)
Visual essay by film critic Philip Kemp, comparing The Betrayal with the original Orochi the Serpent (2025)
Visual essay on director Tokuzo Tanaka by Tom Mes (2025)
New English subtitle translation
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Alain Silver
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

Year: 1966
Country: Japan
Cert: TBC
Format: Blu-ray
Region: AB
RAD130BDLE
EAN: 5060974682577
Release date: 15/09/25

[What A Disgrace]

Is there any chance of releasing Orochi the Serpent itself? I've been wanting to see that for years, though I do relish the opportunity to see this highly regarded remake.

[Michael Kerpan]

Orochi was available on DVD once upon a time: https://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic ... nts-3-dvd/. Possibly out of print (and expensive) now.

[Calvin]

I asked Fran on the discord if there was any possibility of getting Orochi (which has recently been restored in 4K) on this disc and he said that the rights are with someone else, which is interesting. I could see it being any one of Eureka / BFI / Flicker Alley / Criterion

[Godot]

Orochi was available on DVD once upon a time: https://akirakurosawa.info/forums/topic ... nts-3-dvd/. Possibly out of print (and expensive) now.

I see it listed at two sources for around $20.

• eBay (5 available from rarefilmsforyou) is "best offer", or $22 at listed price plus US shipping. It only shows the front cover image, and doesn't reference the DigitalMeme release, or the additional 1924 film inclusion as detailed in the helpful "Akira Kurosawa Info" review you linked. The seller confirmed it's only "Orochi".
• SamuraiDVD.com (doesn't list supply) has it on sale for $15 and $3.50 US shipping. It shows same front cover, and back cover shows "DigitalMeme" logo and the listing of both "Orochi" and "Gyakuryu (Backward Flow)", even though the product description also omits mention of the second film. Their customer service confirmed that there are two silent films on the DVD.

That review makes the disc very enticing.
Wouldn't you know, we already have a thread on these Digital Meme talking silents, albeit from 18 years ago.

By the way, I found another more thorough review by our own Tristan! And rewind/DVDCompare has a nice write up as well.

[dwk]

The audio commentary starts on the wrong scene and Radiance is fixing it. If you bought it direct, they will ship you the replacement. If you bought it elsewhere, send proof of purchase and a picture of the disc marked with your initials to [email protected]

[Finch]

I watched the film the other night for the first time and really enjoyed it. Easily one of the most cynical about the samurai code and life, and that 20 minute battle scene that concludes the film is an all-timer. Some second half developments require a bit of suspense of disbelief but it moves at a fast pace and the cast is uniformly good. I liked this even more than the first Shinobi and hope Radiance will get to the Sleepy Eyes of Death series next. The file Radiance got from the Japanese had a bit more print damage than I've seen from films of that vintage but it was not distracting enough.

[A man stayed-put]

Has anyone received their corrected copy of this yet?
I ordered everything from that month alongside The Betrayal, so the entire shipment has been held up. Thought I'd check before bothering Radiance directly again.

[Finch]

I haven't received my corrected copy yet either but I also haven't had notification that those are ready to go out yet.

[domino harvey]

This was in today’s newsletter

[A man stayed-put]

Thanks both. Clearly still working on it.

[reaky]

Just had not one but three notifications that my replacement disc is in the post.

[Finch]

They announced it on their social media too. They're probably going to add mine to the sale order which is held up by the Visconti preorder.

[WrathOfAguirre]

I ordered this (along with the Bresson) and it arrived on Friday, with the replacement disc. It was in a separate, plastic case (DVD case length x width dimensions, but very thin). I don't recall seeing any note explaining why it was sent (I'm probably too quick to dispose of shipping/packaging materials), but thankfully I see here the reason why.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to this one. I'm curious to watch more samurai films that don't romanticize that period of history, or the feudal system. Seems like this is along those lines.