Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 31, 2020

“Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda” isn’t a traditional documentary providing a linear overview of career achievements for the celebrated Japanese composer. Director Stephen Schible takes viewers into a few different areas of life with the subject, exploring personal philosophy and interests, but it’s focused primarily on the balance of life and nature, with Sakamoto sharing his experiences over the years as he battles with cancer and immerses himself in work to keep his mind moving. “Coda” jumps all over the place to tell Sakamoto’s story, but it remains concentrated on his artistic voice, exploring its development and ability to reach the beyond as the composer reflects on a lifetime of success, influence, and experimentation.

There’s a limited amount of biographical information in “Coda,” which begins in 2012, following Sakamoto into a contaminated area near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, where he surveys the wreckage and manages to rescue a piano that survived the violence of a tsunami. He mourns the devastation and takes to the streets to condemn the continued use of nuclear power, but Sakamoto is also fascinated with the piano, working to bring it back to life and hear its special sound. These sides to the subject are the primary focus of “Coda,” with the documentary observing Sakamoto as he reflects on the world around him while hard at work creating a new composition inspired by the natural world and its use in the film “Solaris.”

“Coda” deals with heaviness at times, especially when Sakamoto receives a throat cancer diagnosis, putting him on edge as his loses some physical abilities and deals with mortality after a life of pure adventure. Schible revisits many of the subject’s personal triumphs, including his early success with the Yellow Magic Orchestra, and his transition to film acting/composing, in pictures like “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,” “The Sheltering Sky,” and “The Last Emperor.” Sakamoto kept a camera on himself during these years, allowing “Coda” to do some time traveling, but the majority of the documentary remains around 2015, with the musician pulled out of a brief hiatus to work on “The Revenant,” unable to turn down an offer from director Alejandro Inarritu.

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation works with a variety of film and video sources to complete the cinematic study of the subject. "Coda" mostly remains with HD-shot intimacy, keeping close to Sakamoto as he prepares music and tours local areas. Detail reaches as far as it can go, with a crisp sense of Sakamoto's facial surfaces and hair growth. Interior decoration and instrument arrangement is just as clear. Plastic computer devices and smooth paper are textured as well. Colors are natural, capturing skintones and greenery. Clothing choices offer a bit more primary power, along with décor. Delineation is satisfactory.

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA is meant to come through with most power during performances and studio tinkering, offering crisp instrumentation and fullness that carries into the surrounds. Low-end emerges with percussion and deep synth stings. Narration and interview segments are as clear as possible with the subject, who has a little trouble with English, necessitating some assistance from SDH subtitles to fully understand him. Atmospherics are enveloping, with the sounds of nature most pronounced.

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Ryuichi Sakamoto: Async at the Park Avenue Armory" (65:10, HD) is a 2017 concert with the celebrated composer, who dazzles the crowd with a rich, unpredictable soundscape and use of a psychedelic LED screen to help create mood. The program is presented with a 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:09, HD) is included.

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Coda" details Sakamoto's travels, reaching the arctic circle, Africa, and even New York during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The documentary highlights these life experiences and how the composer uses them in his work, tinkering with the natural world and computer technology to perfect his sounds, which have grown into therapy for the ailing man. There's tremendous insight into Sakamoto's gifts and professionalism, along with access to his home, helping to give "Coda" a richly defined closeness to the subject as he reinvests in his talents.