Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Audition Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 13, 2019

As Tony Rayns gets into in his appealing “appreciation” of Audition included on this new Arrow Blu-ray release as a supplement, Takashi Miike has been so productive for so long, churning out scores of made for television outings and then later “big screen” efforts, that any attempt to pigeonhole him is probably doomed to failure from the get go. How can you properly “categorize” a director that has offered audiences everything from Ichi the Killer to The Happiness of the Katakuris to, well, Audition (not to mention literally a hundred other directing credits)? That said, Audition probably rises to the top of any assessment of Miike’s almost awe inducing career, since it manages to touch on so many disturbing elements in such unusual ways. Audition, like many of Miike’s films, is not an especially “easy” watch, especially as it gets into some of its more unsettling horror aspects, but it’s one of the most consistently riveting films you’re likely to see, which is one reason, as Rayns mentions in his appreciation, that Audition has been around for so long in so many different home media versions.

Audition had a domestic Blu-ray release about a decade ago from Shout! Factory, and those wanting a plot summary are encouraged to read my colleague Ken Brown’s Audition Blu-ray review of that release. Ken’s review is also a good source to compare the looks of the two releases courtesy of screenshots uploaded to that review and this one.

Audition Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Audition is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the restoration:

Audition has been exclusively restored in 2K resolution for this release by Arrow Films. The film is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 aspect ratio [sic] with 5.1 sound. The original 35mm interpositive was scanned in 2K resolution on a pin-registered 4K ArriScan and was graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and light scratches were removed through a combination of digital restoration tools. Overall image stability and instances of density fluctuation were also improved. At a few points during the film there are noticeable jump cuts within shots. This is as per the film's original release and has been maintained for this presentation.

The original soundtracks were transferred and mixed from the original magnetic reels by Co-Production Office, France, and were conformed and restored at Deluxe Restoration, London.

Ken found Shout!'s release of Audition to be pretty lackluster, but he also indicated that some of the issues were likely source related, and that thesis seems to be borne out by a couple of similarities this undeniably improved looking transfer still has with the appearance of the Shout! disc. Chief among these is a pretty ubiquitously soft looking image, as well as a gritty grain structure that frequently is splotchy and yellow looking, especially in outdoor scenes where skies are visible (see screenshots 18 and 19 for two examples). A comparison of screenshots between the two versions suggests that the Arrow version is just slightly cooler looking than the Shout!, with less of what I'd call an almost pink tinged undertone that is noticeable on the earlier release. Many of the indoor scenes look materially better on this version, perhaps because the inherent darkness tends to mask some of the splotchy grain. Overall saturation, while not mind blowing by any stretch of the imagination, is at least marginally more pleasing than on the Shout! version. The restoration efforts have managed to remove any major signs of damage or age related wear and tear, but the most eagle eyed videophile may still notice a stray speck or two that dots the premises. While this is a definite upgrade over the Shout! release (especially in terms of compression anomalies, which are much less prevalent here), interested fans are advised to carefully parse the screenshots accompanying this review. I'm scoring this a 4.0, since it's no doubt an accurate representation of the interpositive, but this may strike some "uninitiated" viewers as being problematic due to its softness and the thickness of the grain field. Finally, while arguably minor, the Arrow release offers the film in its intended aspect ratio instead of 1.78:1, a slight change that may nonetheless be important for "purists".

Audition Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ken was much more pleased with the two 5.0 tracks on the Shout disc than he was with the video element, and many of the "pluses" Ken mentions in his review are carried over to this disc's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. That said, Ken specifically mentions the lack of LFE support on the Shout version, and I have to say that despite this being a "true" 5.1 track, I didn't find the low end here to be substantially overpowering. That perhaps minor niggling qualm aside, the surround track here regularly engages the side and rear channels and provides a nicely spooky ambience throughout the film. There is consistently good placement of ambient environmental effects and a nice splaying of the score throughout the surround channels. Dialogue is always rendered cleanly and clearly on this enjoyable and problem free track.

Audition Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As tends to be the case with Arrow releases, there are a glut of supplements included on this Blu-ray. If I'm reading Ken's review of the Shout version correctly, some of these were part of that release, though they're offered here in high definition, while it looks like they were in standard definition on the Shout release, judging by Ken's review. (I no longer have the Shout version, and therefore I can't officially "check".) I've attempted to mark the supplements exclusive to this release with an asterisk (*).

• Audio Commentaries

  Commentary by Takashi Miike and Daisuke Tengan

  
  

  Commentary by Tom Mes* is a bit more "traditional" than the kind of chatty and at times tangentially linked Miike commentary. Mes is typically informative and broad ranging in his assessment of both the film and Miike in general.

• Interviews

  Takashi Miike: Ties that Bind (1080p; 30:07)

  
  

  Ryo Ishibashi: Tokyo - Hollywood (1080p; 16:15)

  
  

  Eihi Shiina: From Audition to Vampire Girl (1080p; 20:10)

  
  

  Renji Ishibashi: Miike's Toy (1080p; 20:57)

  
  

  Ren Osugi: The Man in the Bag Speaks (1080p; 16:27)

• Damaged Romance: An Appreciation by Tony Rayns* (1080p; 35:22) features Rayns discussing a wide range of issues, including Miike's overall career.


• Trailers comes replete with a warning that the Japanese version has spoilers and that those wanting to avoid revelations should stick to the International version:

  Japanese Trailer (1080p; 1:40)

  
  

  International Trailer (1080p; 1:18)

• Gallery (1080p)


• Introduction (1080i; 1:16) can be found under the Play Menu, and offers Miike himself shyly giving an "audition interview" of sorts.

As tends to be the case with this label, Arrow has also provided a nicely appointed insert booklet.

Audition Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ken gave the film a flat out 5.0, while I'm hedging just a bit at a 4.5, since I know from personal experience in seeing some friends react to their first viewing of this film that Audition is most definitely not going to be everyone's cup of tea. Arrow has once again provided a cult item to interested fans that improves on the technical merits of previous releases, even if the actual appearance of the film here may strike some as problematic. As is usually the case with Arrow releases, the supplemental material is fantastic. If you're a Miike fan, this is a no brainer, but others should be forewarned that this film has some truly unsettling aspects that may haunt for a good while after the film has ended. Highly recommended.