7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The personal tales of various prostitutes who occupy a Japanese brothel.
Starring: Machiko Kyô, Ayako Wakao, Michiyo KogureForeign | 100% |
Drama | 77% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Japanese: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Japanese: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Kenji Mizoguchi's final film "Akasen chitai" a.k.a. "Red Line District" (1956) and first color film "Yokihi" a.k.a. "Imperial Concubine Yang" (1955) arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original Japanese teaser for "Yokihi", and video introductions and audio commentary for "Akasen chitai" by critic and filmmaker Tony Rayns. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the each film. Region-B "locked".
Mickey
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Kenji Mizoguchi's Akasen chitai a.k.a. Red Line District arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment.
Please note that the screencaptures included with this review appear in the following order:
1. Screencaptures #1-16: Akasen chitai.
2. Screencaptures #17-31: Yokihi.
Definition and image depth are pleasing. Contrast levels are also stable, though a few minor fluctuations are present. The majority of the well-lit footage looks very good, but some of the darker indoor footage is occasionally affected by the presence of a mix of artifacts and extremely light noise (see screencapture #9). However, it appears that there are also source related limitations, such as light fading and unstable frame transitions where definition suffers, which further affect image depth. Fortunately, in motion these areas of the film never look or feel problematic. There are no traces of compromising degraining corrections. Sharpening adjustments also have not been been applied. Finally, there are no large cuts, debris, damage marks, or warps to report in this review. All in all, there is undoubtedly room for improvement, but the current presentation of Akasen chitai will please fans of the film who have previously experienced it only on DVD.
Mizoguchi's first color film, Yokihi a.k.a. Imperial Concubine Yang, is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer. The film has a stable organic look, but there are various traces of light color fading around the edges of the frame. I did not find them distracting, but they are there and easy to see. Generally speaking, image depth and clarity are pleasing, while contrast levels remain stable. During select close-ups light blotches and flecks occasionally pop up, but the integrity of the image is not compromised (see screencapture #21) Obviously, these are limitations that have been inherited from the master that was used to produce the high-definition transfer. On the other hand, compression clearly could have been better. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Sharpening adjustments also have not been applied. All in all, the technical presentation is far from perfect, but the film has a stable organic look. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
The two films arrive with Japanese LPCM 1.0 tracks. For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for both.
Predictably, dynamic intensity is limited on the two tracks, but these are limitations that can be traced back to the films' original sound designs. On Akasen chitai the dialog is crisp, stable, and free of problematic background hiss. On Yokihi depth and stability are good, but occasionally extremely light background hiss can be felt. During sequences where traditional music is used, balance is good. On Akasen chitai the ultra-modern score sounds great. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review. The English translation on both films is very good.
Eureka Entertainment deserve a lot of credit for bringing Kenji Mizoguchi's Akasen Chitai and Yokihi to Blu-ray. Mizoguchi's final film alone would have been a good enough reason to recommend the release. If you have even the slightest interest in classic Japanese cinema, I encourage you to consider adding Eureka Entertainment's beautiful red box set to your collections. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
山椒大夫 / Sanshô dayû
1954
Gion no shimai
1936
Naniwa erejî
1936
にっぽん昆虫記 / 西銀座駅前 | Nippon konchûki / Nishi Ginza ekimae | Masters of Cinema
1963
Utamaro o meguru gonin no onna
1946
神々の深き欲望 / Kamigami no Fukaki Yokubo / Masters of Cinema
1968
一人息子 / Hitori musuko
1936
豚と軍艦 / 盗まれた欲情 | Buta to gunkan / Nusumareta yokujô | Masters of Cinema
1961
Zangiku monogatari
1939
浮草 / Ukigusa / Masters of Cinema
1959
彼岸花 / Higanbana / The Ozu Collection
1958
晩春 / Banshun
1949
トウキョウソナタ / Tôkyô sonata / Masters of Cinema
2008
秋日和 / Akibiyori | The Ozu Collection
1960
Remastered | 東京物語 / Tôkyô monogatari
1953
ライク・サムワン・イン・ラブ / Raiku Samuwan In Rabu
2012
麦秋 / Bakushū / The Ozu Collection
1951
秋刀魚の味 / Sanma no aji | The Ozu Collection
1962
楢山節考 / Narayama bushikô / Masters of Cinema
1983
Masters of Cinema
1961