Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Black Test Car Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 19, 2020

Note: This film is available as part of Black Test Car + The Black Report.

The venerable Jonathan Rosenbaum is on hand on this double feature disc offering Black Test Car and The Black Report, with a video essay of sorts where he compares director (“maverick” director, as the back cover of this release kindly reminds us) Yasuzo Masumura to Billy Wilder, which might initially seem a bit odd, considering that these two films at least don’t really offer much of the sardonic humor that even Wilder’s ostensible dramas often could. That said, with a writer-director of Wilder’s range and stature, it’s not hard to find connections between at least some of his works and Masumura’s. In that regard, certain noir-ish aspects to the films on this disc may remind some of Wilder’s own forays into that realm like Double Indemnity (even if the Masumura efforts are admittedly more noir like in terms of tone rather than content), but Rosenbaum kind of interestingly makes a case for a comparison to One, Two, Three with regard to at least Black Test Car, with Rosenbaum seeing both films as critiquing some of the more ruthless aspects of capitalism. The Black Report may be somewhat harder to fit into Wilder’s oeuvre, though I might make a connection by offering a joke that it, too, like Sunset Boulevard, begins with a close-up of a male corpse. While Rosenbaum doesn’t really make this particular comparison (which in a way surprised me), the Wilder film that I thought of as Rosenbaum started to develop his thesis, and probably with regard to Black Test Car more than The Black Report, though it’s evident there, too, is The Apartment (note that this links to an out of print and now pretty pricey limited edition, since I reviewed it, but use the “other versions” on the Overview tab to see alternative purchase options). That may seem like an odd comparative choice since one film on this disc is about competition in the Japanese auto industry and the other one is a murder mystery with elements of a courtroom procedural, but in both Masumura films there’s the same kind of corrosive work environment that was central to Wilder’s Oscar winning masterpiece. Aside and apart from any connection to Wilder, both films on this disc also offer some interesting camerawork that is certainly influenced by noir but which can almost hint at Abstract Expressionist tendencies at times, with weirdly skewed framings that feature visual elements that can actually subdivide the frame.

Ford v Ferrari made it more than abundantly clear that absolutely cutthroat competition can exist in the automotive industry, but that film also detailed what was at least a grudging admiration held by the engineers and drivers, if not management, between the two iconic companies. Black Test Car suggests no such camaraderie, and in fact takes the whole cutthroat aspect to almost operatic heights at times as it unfolds a tale of intrigue, subterfuge, spying and maybe even just the hint of prostitution into its story of two rival car companies in Japan.

Asahina (Jiro Tamiya) might reasonably be seen as the "Chuck Baxter" (from The Apartment) of this film, though as Rosenbaum states in his essay, there are no even relative "good guys" in The Black Test Car, let alone a genial if troubled sort like the character played by Jack Lemmon so memorably. But Asahina is nonetheless a very Wilder-esque cog in the gigantic corporate wheel of Tiger Motors, which is trying to get a new prototype model built and tested without knowledge of the product leaking to rival Yamamoto Motors. Unfortunately, there's a spy in Tiger Motors' midst, and a number of strategies to unveil him (or her) give the film a lot of its dramatic edge.

The film has a large cast courtesy of workers and/or spies at both companies, and there's a somewhat smarmy undertone that develops once Asahina is urged to pimp out his girlfriend Masako (Junko Kano) in order to seduce one of the focal characters at Yamamoto, Matawari (Ichirô Sugai). Even the women in this piece can be on the cold, calculating side, and the entire film has a kind of bleak, almost nihilistic, view of a Japan evidently being riven by its unfettered Capitalism.

Black Test Car Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Black Test Car is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains only the following fairly generic verbiage on the transfers (both films are on one disc, so the information relates to both):

Black Test Car and The Black Report are both presented in their original 2.35:1 aspect ratios with mono audio. The High Definition masters were provided by Kadokawa. Additional picture restoration was completed by Arrow Films at R3Store Studios, London.

Black Test Car is the better looking presentation of the two on this set, at least in terms of damage. Both transfers have their fair share of age related wear and tear, to be sure, but Black Test Car's tends to be a little less frequent and is often relegated to relatively minor knicks, scratches or other blemishes (see screenshot 13 and notice the fine vertical line running down almost the entire length of the frame just a bit right of center for an indication of the sorts of things on display). Clarity is generally fine, though close-ups understandably provide the best fine detail. Both films encounter some pretty noticeable anamorphic squeezing at the sides of the frame at times. Black levels and contrast are generally solid, and grain resolves naturally throughout the presentation.

Black Test Car Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Black Test Car features a serviceable LPCM Mono track in the original Japanese, with optional English subtitles being available. This film has somewhat more of an expansive sound design than The Black Report, with elements like roaring engines offering a bit of energy in the lower registers. Dialogue is rendered cleanly throughout the presentation, but there's a somewhat boxy sound to this entire track.

Black Test Car Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Arrow is releasing both of these films on one disc, and so the supplemental package has individual bonus features that may include either or both films.

• What Masumura Does With Our Madness (1080p; 17:07) is the analysis by Jonathan Rosenbaum referenced above in the main body of the review.


• Theatrical Trailers

  Black Test Car (1080p; 2:42)

  
  

  The Black Report (1080p; 3:01)

  
  Note: Both of these look really washed out in relation to the look of the actual features.

• Image Galleries

  Black Test Car (1080p; 2:40)

  
  

  The Black Report (1080p; 2:10)

Additionally, Arrow provides their typically well appointed insert booklet with cast and crew information, technical data and an essay by Mark Downing Roberts.

Black Test Car Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

We Westerners often think of the Japanese as an inherently kind, maybe even overly polite, people, but Black Test Car tends to peel back the layers of that perception to show at least some Japanese can be as venal and scheming as, well, your everyday American. This is a rather interesting film in an unusual setting that achieves a fair degree of drama while also providing some "insider" criticism of a culture on the precipice of huge changes. Technical merits are generally solid and the admittedly small supplemental package enjoyable. Recommended.