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Licensor Information
Toho Co.
Directed by: Kaneto Shindo
Filmed on the virtually deserted Setonaikai archipelago in south-west Japan, The Naked Island [Hadaka no shima] was made - in the words of its director - 'as a 'cinematic poem' to try and capture the life of human beings struggling like ants against the forces of nature'. Kaneto Shindô (Onibaba, Kuroneko) made the film with his own production company, Kindaï Eiga Kyôkai, who were facing financial ruin at the time. Using one-tenth of the average budget, Shindô took one last impassioned risk to make this film. With his small crew, they relocated to an inn on the island of Mihari where, for two months in early 1960, they would make what they considered to be their last film. The Naked Island tells the story of a small family unit and their subsistence as the only inhabitants of an arid, sun-baked island. Daily chores, captured as a series of cyclical events, result in a hypnotising, moving, and beautiful film harkening back to the silent era. With hardly any dialogue, Shindô combines the stark 'Scope cinematography of Kiyoshi Kuroda with the memorable score of his constant collaborator Hikaru Hayashi, to make a unique cinematic document.
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Technical Specifications
Format:
Blu-ray
Disc:
BD-50 (1 Disc)
Total: 1 Disc
Regions:
B (Blu-ray)
Aspect Ratio:
2.45:1
Audio Options:
Japanese PCM Mono 2.0
Resolution:
1080p/24
Subtitles:
English
Supplements
Types of Supplements Included: Audio Commentary, Introduction, Booklet
- Full-length audio commentary by director Kaneto Shindo and composer Hikaru Hayashi
- Video introduction by Alex Cox
- 32-PAGE BOOKLET with an essay by Acquarello; a 1972 interview with Shindo conducted by Joan Mellen; and rare imagery
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