Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.0

Persona Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 23, 2024

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.

For anyone who stumbled onto this review in search of Persona, there are masks in this film, but they're the literal kind, which may in fact be one reason why the film is probably not in the same echelon as the celebrated Ingmar Bergman masterpiece. As is hinted at in some of the supplements on this disc, the actual referent film some may think of when seeing the cast of this film will actually be Battle Royale, courtesy of co-stars Tatsuya Fujiwara and Chiaki Kuriyama. If high school is once again the setting, this film has a somewhat more ambiguous narrative that seems to be hinting at "meaningful" explorations of mask wearing as both a form of protection but also as a sort of quasi fashion statement.

That aspect then kind of strangely gives way to almost more of a riff on films like Blood and Black Lace, with a whodunit aspect within a high fashion environment. It's an uneasy fit in any case, with an initial hint at spooky supernatural goings on simply jettisoned, along with any perceived "meta" layers vis a vis what mask wearing might mean to, say, a bullied high school teen. The film offers some passingly interesting production design elements courtesy of both the masks themselves but also the fashion context.

Persona Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

Persona is presented in 1.85:1 with stereo sound. Additional remastering work was completed by R3Store Studios, London.

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Persona Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Confessions of a Mask (HD; 17:12) features director Takashi Komatsu discussing the film. Subtitled in English.


• Image Gallery (HD)

Persona Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.