7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A man leaves Mexico City for the remote countryside to prepare for his death. There he finds lodging with an old Indian widow in her rickety home overlooking a desolate canyon. In the vastness of a wild, breathtaking nature, he confronts the old woman's infinite humanity and oscillates between cruelty and lyricism. His dulled senses return to him, reawakening his desires and instincts for life and raw sexuality.
Starring: Alejandro Ferretis, Magdalena FloresForeign | 100% |
Drama | 82% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.89:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.75:1
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Carlos Reygadas' "Japon" (2002) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film; new video program with the director; raw footage from the film's production; and more. The release also arrives with a 26-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by novelist Valeria Luiselli, behind-the-scenes photographs, and a selection of the director's original storyboards, as well as technical credits. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
"The Devil loads guns, and idiots shoot 'em off."
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.91:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Carlos Reygadas' Japon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:
"This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on a Lasergrpahics Director film scanner from the 16mm original camera negative and a 35mm blowup. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, noise, and grain management.
Transfer supervisor: Carlos Reygadas.
Additional supervision: Joaquin del Paso, Ernie Schoeffer.
Colorist: Giles Sherwood/Criterion Post, New York."
Prior to receiving this release my one and only viewing of Japon was via the old R2 DVD release that Artificial Eye produced years ago, and I am very impressed by the dramatic improvements that the new 2K remaster offers. To be honest, I actually felt that the film had a completely different vibe in certain areas because of these improvements. Depth is particularly strong now, though because of the native quality of the format there are some noticeable fluctuations that impact focus and delineation. (See the hand-held camera footage where the man walks down the hill). Clarity and fluidity are also far superior. Colors are natural, nicely balanced, and very fresh. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear under the image frame.
The film's soundtrack incorporates a wide variety of organic sounds and noises, so you shouldn't expect great dynamic contrasts of the type that modern big-budget blockbusters have. There are a few balance fluctuations, but they are part of the sound design. The minimal dialog is clear and easy to follow.
I like the concept behind this film and some of the locations that were chosen for it are pretty spectacular, but I feel that it is more than a bit unfocused and ultimately incapable of bringing together its different themes in a convincing fashion. Also, at times it leaves the impression that it does things for no other reason but to be arty, and when it happens its atmosphere immediately begins to crumble. (For what it's worth, I find Post Tenebras Lux to be a much better polished film, so perhaps it is more suitable to discover Carlos Reygadas through it). Criterion's release is sourced from a wonderful new 2K remaster. RENT IT.
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