6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
After a businessman is murdered, an investigation identifies a suspect who is then put on trial for that crime.
Starring: Ken Utsui, Junko Kanô, Hideo Takamatsu, Shigeru Kôyama, Eitarô OzawaForeign | 100% |
Crime | 13% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Japanese: LPCM Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This film is available as part of Black Test Car + The Black Report.
The venerable Jonathan Rosenbaum is on hand on this double feature disc offering Black Test Car and The Black Report, with a
video essay of sorts where he compares director (“maverick” director, as the back cover of this release kindly reminds us) Yasuzo
Masumura to Billy Wilder,
which might initially seem a bit odd, considering that these two films at least don’t really offer much of the sardonic humor that even Wilder’s
ostensible dramas often could. That said, with a writer-director of Wilder’s range and stature, it’s not hard to find connections between at least
some of
his works and Masumura’s. In that regard, certain noir-ish aspects to the films on this disc may remind some of Wilder’s own forays into
that realm like Double Indemnity (even if the
Masumura efforts are admittedly more noir like in terms of tone rather than content), but Rosenbaum kind of interestingly makes a case
for a comparison to One, Two, Three with regard to at least Black Test Car, with Rosenbaum seeing both films as critiquing some of
the more ruthless aspects of
capitalism. The Black Report may be somewhat harder to fit into Wilder’s oeuvre, though I might make a connection by offering
a joke that it, too, like
Sunset Boulevard, begins with a close-up of a male
corpse. While Rosenbaum doesn’t really make this particular comparison (which in a way surprised me), the Wilder film that I thought of
as Rosenbaum started to develop his thesis,
and probably with regard to Black Test Car more than The Black Report, though it’s evident there, too, is The Apartment (note that this links to an out of print and now pretty pricey
limited edition, since I
reviewed it, but use the “other versions” on the Overview tab to see alternative purchase options). That may seem like an odd comparative choice
since one film on this disc is
about competition in the Japanese auto industry and the other one is a murder mystery with elements of a courtroom procedural, but in both
Masumura films there’s the same kind of
corrosive work environment that was central to Wilder’s Oscar winning masterpiece. Aside and apart from any connection to Wilder, both films on
this disc also offer some interesting camerawork that is
certainly influenced by noir but which can almost hint at Abstract Expressionist tendencies at times, with weirdly skewed framings that
feature visual elements that can actually subdivide the frame.
The Black Report is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains only the following fairly generic verbiage on the transfers (both films are on one disc, so the information relates to both):
Black Test Car and The Black Report are both presented in their original 2.35:1 aspect ratios with mono audio. The High Definition masters were provided by Kadokawa. Additional picture restoration was completed by Arrow Films at R3Store Studios, London.While I'm rating both films' video presentations at the same 3.5 level, The Black Report is arguably just a bit less consistent than Black Test Car, with more generally abundant and noticeable age related wear and tear on display than the other film. There are quite a few knicks, scratches and other blemishes on display, and the overall look of this presentation is a bit grittier and less well detailed than Black Test Car. This offering also has the same frequent anamorphic squeezing at the sides of the frame which is perhaps even more noticeable in this film due to the many shots where focal characters are at the sides of the frame. All of this said, this still offers some good detail levels on elements like fabrics of clothes or even the mottled hair of the victim in the early shots. Black levels and contrast are generally consistent as well, and while the grain field is perhaps a bit heavier in this presentation than in Black Test Car, everything resolves naturally. My score is 3.25.
The Black Report features a serviceable LPCM Mono track in the original Japanese, with optional English subtitles available. This is pretty much a "talk fest" from beginning to end, and as such the inherently narrow proclivities of this track suffice perfectly well, delivering all dialogue clearly and without any problems. Occasional sound effects or background clamor in the courtroom in particular sound fine if occasionally a bit on the boxy side.
Arrow is releasing both of these films on one disc, and so the supplemental package has individual bonus features that may include either or both films.
- Black Test Car (1080p; 2:42)
- The Black Report (1080p; 3:01)
Note: Both of these look really washed out in relation to the look of the actual features.
- Black Test Car (1080p; 2:40)
- The Black Report (1080p; 2:10)
The Black Report suggest that the pursuit of justice in Japan is perhaps less the purview of a "flat footed" police and/or prosecutorial force than it is the domain of the bureaucratic paper pusher, but maybe that is more "realistic" in the long run. This is another really interesting film from both a content and style perspective, and while it really doesn't have much if any connection to Black Test Car other than that dark color in its title, it does have some of the same subtext of a Japan trying to come to terms with its "new, improved" identity in the wake of the epochal changes in the country after World War II. Video isn't quite as consistent as in the case of Black Test Car, but audio is fine, and the admittedly small supplemental package is enjoyable. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
1962
ギターを持った渡り鳥 / Guitar wo Motta Wataridori
1959
1990
1970
La Femme Bourreau | Limited Edition
1968
1970
沖縄10年戦争 / Okinawa jû-nen sensô
1978
探偵事務所23 くたばれ悪党ども / Kutabare akutô-domo - Tantei jimusho 23
1963
博奕打ち 総長賭博 / Bakuchi-uchi sōchō tobaku | Standard Edition
1968
Battles Without Honor and Humanity - Deadly Fight in Hiroshima
1973
Kafti ekdikisis | Standard Edition
1969
Limited Edition
1970
1969
1968
1968
1968
1965
1968
1960
東京騎士隊 / Tokyo naito
1961