8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior's reflection in his teacup.
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Takashi Shimura, Michiyo Aratama, Rentarô Mikuni, Kenjirô IshiyamaForeign | 100% |
Drama | 60% |
Horror | 18% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Japanese: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Masaki Kobayashi's "Kwaidan" (1964) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailers for the film; new program with critic Kim Newman; and new video essay by critic David Cairns. The release also arrives with a 100-page illustrated collector's book. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Kwaidan arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The release uses the 2K restoration and reconstruction of the film that Criterion introduced on Blu-ray in 2015. (You can see our review of the North American release here). It is a very fine presentation with strong organic qualities. To be honest, aside from density, which could be slightly better, all other areas of the presentation appear optimal. Clarity, delineation, and fluidity are all very good and on a larger screen the visuals hold up very nicely. Some minor fluctuations remain but there are stylistic choices that are responsible for them. The color grading is convincing, though this is the only other area where I personally feel that saturation could be improved a bit. So, this is an all-around solid presentation of the film that will likely remain its definitive presentation on the home video market. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Japanese LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The lossless track is healthy and handles the original sound mix very well. Earlier today, while viewing the film again, I was actually quit impressed with the clarity and stability of the minimalistic score, which is where any potential age-related issued would have been most obvious. (A good spot to test is around the 38.00.00 - 40.00.00 right before The Woman in the Snow begins). The dialog is stable, clean, and easy to follow.
It is extremely difficult to profile Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan. It looks like a period surrealist films, but it feels strikingly modern. Eureka Entertainment's upcoming release uses Criterion's 2K restoration and reconstruction of the longer version of the film with the original four ghost stories. If you don't yet have the film in your collection, now is a good time to pick it up. If you only have it on DVD, this is also the right time to consider an upgrade. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
鬼婆 / The Demoness / Masters of Cinema
1964
藪の中の黒猫 / Yabu no naka no kuroneko / Masters of Cinema
1968
夢 / Yume / Akira Kurosawa's Dreams
1990
切腹 / Seppuku / Masters of Cinema
1962
Faust - Eine deutsche Volkssage / Masters of Cinema
1926
Special Edition
1993
Dokhtari dar šab tanhâ be xâne miravad / دختری در شب تنها به خانه میرود | Includes Limited Edition Graphic Novel
2014
ハウス / Hausu | Masters of Cinema
1977
Ansiktet
1958
山椒大夫 / Sanshô dayû
1954
西鶴一代女 / Saikaku ichidai onna
1952
97 minutes International Version / Wu Ji
2005
1950
蜘蛛巣城 / Kumonosu-jô
1957
The Night / Masters of Cinema
1961
東京物語 / Tôkyô monogatari / The Ozu Collection
1953
浮草 / Ukigusa / Masters of Cinema
1959
生きる | Limited Edition
1952
哀しみのベラドンナ / Kanashimi no Belladonna
1973
Córki dancingu
2015