Anatahan Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Anatahan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 15, 2017

After a lengthy, celebrated career in silent and sound features, director Josef von Sternberg elected to close out his filmmaking interests with 1953’s “Anatahan,” a picture he continued to tinker with long after its initial release. Dramatizing the true story of Japanese soldiers stranded for six years on an island after their home country’s surrender (eventually confronted with the allure of the lone woman living there), “Anatahan” takes a strange story of isolation and delivers it with a docudrama approach that finds von Sternberg assuming narration duties, becoming a personal guide to a war story trapped in time.

“Anatahan” is a Japanese-language film, but von Sternberg controls the story, refusing to subtitle dialogue. Instead, he describes emotion and action, which can be intrusive, and remains a puzzling creative choice. The cast of “Anatahan” seems perfectly capable of expressing themselves, and the picture has moments where purely visual sequences take over, showcasing the uneasy, possessive relationship between the men and their lone female resident. There’s also stillness in the war effort, with one soldier manning a hilltop gun for years simply out of duty.

The Blu-ray contains two cuts of “Anatahan”: The 1958 version (91:11) and the 1953 version (91:44).

Anatahan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.34:1 aspect ratio) presentation is a "New 2K restoration of the uncensored 1958 version, mastered from film elements preserved by the Library of Congress and Cinematheque Francaise." Age is unavoidable, and it shows throughout the viewing experience, which has its share of wear and tear, including scratches, speckling, and jumpy frames. However, clarity is preserved, with a good amount of detail opened up for inspection, permitting a pauseable look at elaborate sets and expressive faces. Cinematographic balance is sustained, offering communicative delineation. Grain is fine and filmic.

Anatahan Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 LPCM mix is also weakened a bit by age, with a slight degree of hiss clouding Sternberg's narration. Dramatic intent is always understood, but precision lacks throughout. Music is equally underwhelming, yet moods are supported, and subtlety with traditional Japanese instruments is appreciable.

Anatahan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Saga: The Making of Anatahan" (15:35, HD) finds informational perspective from Nicholas von Sternberg, Josef's son, who was only a toddler during the production. While he doesn't have many memories from the shoot, he shares his father's headspace during the creation and release of the feature.

• "Whose Saga: Josef von Sternberg and the Saga of 'Anatahan'" (16:16, HD) is a visual essay by Tag Gallagher.

• Outtake Footage (2:54, HD) consists primarily of actress Akemi Negishi bathing and swimming.

• U.S. Navy Footage (8:04, HD) is a National Archives reel that showcases the actual surrender of troops from the island of Anatahan.

• Comparison of 1953 and 1958 Versions (8:16, HD) highlights changes in tone and more revealing footage.

• And a 1953 Theatrical Trailer (2:31, HD) and a 2017 Re-Release Trailer (1:56, HD) are included.

Anatahan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The director's fan base will likely get the most out of "Anatahan," but there are production accomplishments worth studying, including the dense jungle sets that periodically look authentic, and there's a palpable weariness communicated throughout, with the men creating a microcosm of power plays while the world around them has moved on. The helmer has big ideas for "Anatahan," and most of them find their way to the screen. However, the ones that flounder or befuddle tend to linger the longest after a viewing.