Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
When a student by the name of Danda adopts a porcelain mask as a direct result of school bullying, he spurs on a large majority of fellow students to do the same thing.
Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Maya Kurosu, Ikkei Watanabe, Chiaki Kuriyama, Maaya OnoForeign | 100% |
Horror | 74% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: LPCM 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the
J-Horror Rising set from Arrow Video.
When a set like J-Horror Rising offers someone like the venerable Tom Mes freely detailing how at least some elements that combined to
create what is commonly
called J-Horror (at least vis a vis J-Horror as it's about to be defined, below) might be likened to American B movies or even direct to
video or made for television efforts, there may be a bit of a subliminal
warning
to be gleaned,
all of which is to say, perhaps expectations need to be reasonably set when approaching some and potentially all of the films in this set. Mes
unabashedly lists Ringu (the original Japanese Ring film, for the uninitiated)
as
a defining J-Horror
landmark, at least within the context of the films offered here, in that none of these films probably could be imagined and almost certainly wouldn't
have been made without the influence of the celebrated Hideo Nakata outing. It's also salient to note that several of the films in this collection
were
first exhibited as the "down ticket" item on "double features", sometimes not so coincidentally under main attractions like Ringu 2 and/or
Ringu 0. As Mes overtly mentions in his overview of J-Horror included in this set, the wake left by Ringu was wide, but it
wasn't particularly deep, at least as evidenced by how quickly this particular "rage" ebbed, and so as such even the Rising part of the title
of
this collection might be slightly misleading, since as Mes describes, by the time these offerings came along, things may have already been fading.
Note: Those interested in this release may want to also check out Daiei Gothic: Japanese Ghost Stories, from Radiance, which is streeting the same day as this
collection.
Persona 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 minimal information on the transfer:
The films in this collection were remastered in high definition and supplied by Kadokawa.This is a nice looking transfer that preserves the often very colorful production design with some nice, at times eye popping, hues that are perhaps (given the above mention of a certain film) somewhat Bava-esque in some of the "fashion" sequences. Otherwise, the school material actually tends to be kind of bland, if accurate looking, with an emphasis on neutrals more in the beige, tan or ochre range. Detail levels are typically commendable throughout, and fine detail on some of the feathering on various masks tends to be very good. This is another transfer in the J-Horror Rising set where grain can look just slightly gritty and clumpy, especially against brighter backgrounds, but on the whole grain resolves rather tightly.
Persona is presented in 1.85:1 with stereo sound. Additional remastering work was completed by R3Store Studios, London.
Persona features a nice sounding LPCM 2.0 track. The film has some kind of probably quaint sounding quasi-techno cues that sound nicely full bodied. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
This most definitely is not Ingmar Bergman, but some of the fashion show material at least evidences a bit of style. Otherwise, this is a weirdly bifurcated story that seems to start out one way and then takes a decided left and/or right turn about halfway through. Technical merits are generally solid, and the interview included as a supplement is interesting, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
口裂け女 / Kuchisake-onna
2007
El vampiro de la autopista / Standard Edition
1972
I vampiri
1957
1973
江戸川乱歩全集 恐怖奇形人間 / Edogawa Rampo zenshû: Kyôfu kikei ningen
1969
Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror | Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens | 2006 Restoration, Hans Erdmann/Heller compilation score
1922
弟切草 / Otogiriso
2001
犬神の悪霊 / Inugami no tatari | Standard Edition
1977
Hóng guǐ zǎi | 紅鬼仔 | Limited Collector’s Edition Slipcase #1
1983
Docteur Jekyll et les femmes
1981
Gau wan ok mung / Gou hun e meng / 勾魂惡夢
1999
San gow 1999 / Shan gou 1999 / 山狗1999
1999
Grave
2016
1963
Slipcover in Original Pressing
2012
1988
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht
1979
Quando os Deuses Adormecem
1972
Yǎng guǐ / 養鬼 / Slipcover in Original Pressing
1982
Revenge in the House of Usher / El hundimiento de la casa Usher
1983