Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Elegant Beast Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 22, 2023

Of all the epochal changes wrought on the Japanese people at the end of World War II, architecture might not instantly spring to top of mind, other than perhaps the obvious aspect that two major Japanese cities had to be rebuilt after the droppings of the atomic bombs. But Tom Mes, who often finds interesting nooks and crannies (speaking of buildings) for his commentaries and other featurettes, offers a rather fascinating supplement on this disc where he talks about post-World War II Japan's home design evolution (if it can properly be called that), one which de- emphasized "communal", often multi-generational, living in favor of what might be termed a more "isolated" Western style.

Mes gets into the so-called Danchi style that became prevalent in Japan after World War II, and Elegant Beast (which kind of comically is also known as The Graceful Brute) exploits that style in what is essentially a one set film. And it's an incredibly small set to boot, as Mes also gets into, with director Yūzō Kawashima placing his camera in every, yes, nook and cranny available, something that emphasizes the extremely close quarters. Tokizo Maeda (Yūnosuke Itō) and his wife Yoshino (Hisano Yamaoka) are in fact denizens of just such a domicile, and if the film hints at a "new way" of living (or at least a new way of living quarters), there's an "older" quality to much of the comically surreptitious activity that takes place in the Maedas' tiny apartment.

While Kaneto Shindô's screenplay (adapting his own play, which may further underline a certain "theatrical" aspect to the film) is rather artfully scabrous and more nuanced than the next comment might suggest, there's an undeniable subtext here that the "Westernization" of Japan extends not merely to architecture, but to more mendacious qualities, qualities which are more than evident in virtually all of the Maeda family, leading to several crosscurrents of "grifts" and schemes. This may seem absolutely alarming to those who think of Japanese people as almost inherently "polite" and prone to "follow the rules", but that is part of what gives Elegant Beast its rather provocative undertone.

Elegant Beast Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Elegant Beast is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Radiance tends not to provide a wealth of technical information on the provenance of their transfers, and that's once again the case here, with only the following minimal information offered in their insert booklet:

Elegant Beast was restored in 4K by Kadokawa Corporation. Additional colour grading was performed by Radiance Films in 2023.

The foregoing doesn't mention the actual source for the transfer (negative? IP?), but as can probably be easily seen in the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, this is often a relatively grainy looking enterprise, though that said, there are no real issues with resolution despite a certain amount of grittiness, especially in some of the more dimly lit material. The color timing struck me as just a tad on the brown side, which may indicate some fading in whatever element was used, but things look decently natural despite this situation. Detail levels are generally commendable throughout, aided and abetted by the claustrophobic confines of the Maeda apartment, which almost necessitates a surplus of close-ups and midrange shots.

Elegant Beast Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Elegant Beast features LPCM 2.0 Mono audio in the original Japanese. There's not a ton of layering to this sound design, with the bulk of the story playing out within the confines of the Maeda apartment, and consisting pretty much entirely of spoken material and some background ambient environmental effects (notably when characters step outside for a moment). Sei Ikeno contributes a score which sounds fine. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Elegant Beast Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Toshiaki Sato (HD; 16:34) is a new interview with film critic Sato, discussing the life and career of Yuzo Kawashima in a supplement that bears the official title The Cool Elegance of Yuzo Kawashima. Subtitled in English.


• Toshiaki Toyoda (HD; 14:21) is a new interview (called Elegant Beast: An Appreciation) with the director of Blue Spring and Hanging Garden. Subtitled in English.


• The Age of Danchi (HD; 11:38) is the aforementioned piece by Tom Mes, and is one of the highlights of this disc's supplements.


• Trailer (HD; 2:16)

I'll mention this only in passing, knowing it's absolutely inconsequential in the long run, but because I personally find it distracting and have heard from some readers that they do, too, that both interviews feature direction where the talking head is shot from a three quarters profile angle in addition to speaking directly to the camera, so that at times the subject seems to be talking to someone in the corner of the frame, for what I consider to be no useful reason. I keep wanting to yell, "Hey! I'm over here!".

Additionally, the keepcase features a reversible sleeve and Radiance's quasi-Obi strip. The insert booklet contains some excellent writing by Midori Suiren and Yasunari Takahashi in addition to stills, cast and crew information and a page devoted to the minimal transfer notes and other credits.

Elegant Beast Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's a rather dark undercurrent to Elegant Beast which is rather funny, but also kind of disturbing at the same time. This is an unusually thought provoking piece of Japanese cinema which doesn't seem to be that well known to Western audiences, and which certainly deserves wider renown. Radiance provides a release with generally solid technical merits and some very appealing supplements. Recommended.