Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		5.0

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 25, 2025

Ryuichi Sakamoto may be best remembered by many for his Academy Award winning score for The Last Emperor*, but diehard lovers of film scoring will know that Sakamoto had a number of other (no pun intended) notable credits, including Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, The Sheltering Sky *, Little Buddha* and The Revenant. Sakamoto managed to survive one bout of cancer circa 2014-15, only to have a different form recur, one which ultimately took his life in 2023. This unavoidably elegiac concert piece was filmed in the last few months of Sakamoto's life, when he already knew his mortality was imminent, and making the experience perhaps more meaningful is that fact that his son, Neo Sora, directed this effort.

*Note: Links point to Region B releases.

There's a perhaps unintentional feeling of film noir about this presentation, with striking black and white cinematography by Bill Kirstein which virtually wallows in chiaroscuro, but even some of Sakamoto's own "darker" compositions exploiting the lower ranges of the piano with ominous minor ninth chords adds to the general ambience of mystery. Sora and Kirstein are on hand in a really interesting interview offered as this disc's main supplement, and they actually disclose something that might not be overtly obvious to many viewers, namely that they tried to adjust lighting throughout the playlist to mimic a transition from dawn to nighttime. The camera glides and dances around Sakamoto, who frequently seems in a near trance as he plays his music. The playlist includes several film themes, along with a number of other standalone pieces.

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection's Janus Contemporaries imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.90:1. Captured with Sony CineAlta cameras at source resolutions of up to 8K, and finished with a 4K DI (all data points courtesy of the IMDb), this is simply a stunning looking presentation from start to finish. Contrast is exceptional, and Kirstein's lighting is immaculate, offering a really sumptuous play of shadows across both Sakamoto and the piano. Even in less than fulsomely lit moments (of which there are several), fine detail is surprisingly intact, with little tufts of Sakamoto's head or even facial hair clearly visible against backlighting. Best of all, considering the variable lighting regimens, there are absolutely no signs of banding.

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ryiuchi Sakamoto: Opus features a lovely Dolby Atmos track which beautifully renders this solo piano performance. There's always a lot of reaction, probably understandably so, when Atmos tracks offer "wow" verticality, and those wanting showy moments like that may not be (no directional pun intended) overwhelmed by this audio presentation, but there's a gorgeous spaciousness to the recording which offers a really sumptuously enveloping listening experience. I'm not quite sure why, since the performance is music, but there are optional English subtitles available (which are not available on the supplements).

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

• Meet the Filmmakers (HD; 15:50) offers a really appealing interview with Neo Sora and Bill Kirstein, and also has some fascinating behind the scenes footage (or stills) showing the almost insane setup that was done to surround Sakamoto with cameras.


• Trailer (HD; 1:52)

Additionally a simple bifold insert is included which offers writing by Michael Joshua Rowin.

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

If this film is simply an exceptional viewing and listening experience, I have to say my "family dynamics" radar was sent into overdrive by the interview with Neo Sora included on this disc, since Sora seems kind of emotionally distant about his late father. This may simply inherent reserve, but I'd love to have a documentarian maybe do a more "traditional" biopic piece on Sakamoto getting into his three marriages and various children. One way or the other, any lover of Sakamoto's music will have a wonderful time watching and listening to Opus. Technical merits are first rate, and the interview, while maybe a bit "revelatory" in an unintended way, is really interesting. Highly recommended.