Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Zegen Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 22, 2020

Note: This film is available as part of Survivor Ballads: Three Films by Shohei Imamura.

Despite being the only Japanese director to win the coveted Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival twice, Shōhei Imamura hasn’t seemed to penetrate into general public consciousness in quite the same way that, say, Akira Kurosawa, the Japanese director who won the Palme d’Or a couple of years before Imamura’s first win, has. As much as France tends to be associated with the phrase “New Wave” (and/or nouvelle vague, as the case may be), Japan itself probably unsurprisingly had its own New Wave, and Imamura is often cited as one of its leading proponents. The fact that one of Imamura’s first independent features made without studio meddling was entitled The Pornographers may give some indication of how provocative Imamura’s content can be, but in some ways Imamura is not the stylistic enfant terrible that some of his counterparts in France like Jean-Luc Godard and/or François Truffaut often were. Arrow Video’s Arrow Academy imprint has released three of Imamura’s fascinating films, and while some might have preferred that his “other” Palme d’Or winner, The Eel, might have been included along with his first film to take home that prize, The Ballad of Narayama, this trifecta is certainly a fantastic introduction to Imamura for those previously unacquainted with him, and it’s also a worthy collection in its own right for those who are already fans of Imamura.

If, as has often been stated, a certain carnal activity (for pay) is the world’s oldest profession, then it may arguable that the second oldest profession belongs to those attempting to manage those engaged in the first profession. In that regard, it’s kind of doubly ironic, then, that a “polite” society like Japan would even have prostitutes to begin with, long lived legends about geisha girls notwithstanding, as well as Zegen’s emphasis on a Japanese guy who wants to indulge in a little Western style capitalism courtesy of running several brothels.

As the supplements on this disc get into, Zegen is ostensibly culled from the autobiography of who is in the film a character called Iheiji Muraoka (Ken Ogata), though the veracity of this ostensible autobiography has long been the source for contention, one reason Tony Rayns in particular feels the book is not overtly cited in the credits as having inspired the film. Part of the reason why the book was met with either disbelief or outright disparagement was its seemingly bizarre proposition (no pun intended) that a "true blue" (red?) Japanese patriot would feel his "calling" was as what amounts to a pimp. The fact that Muraoka was also setting up shop in "colonies" of Japan, with the clear intention that his business would cater to invading Japanese soldiers, giving the entire enterprise a kind of smarmy political angle. This political subtext is also present in what amounts to a ménage à trois involving Muraoka, a woman he loves, and a Chinese man who comes between them.

What's rather odd about Zegen aside from its core subject matter, though, is its kind of odd if unabashedly funny comedic take on the whole situation. As the supplements get into, Imamura often like to "reassess" Japanese history through his own prism, and perhaps taking on something like this, already alleged to be the product of a fabulist, was seen to require a certain humorous approach, though some may feel that approach clashes pretty considerably with depictions of female powerlessness in sometimes violent relationships.

Zegen Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Zegen is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Academy, an imprint of Arrow Video, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. While Arrow's insert booklet offers a full page devoted to the restorations, because all three films in this are lumped in together, there's really not a ton of information offered other than the following:

Zegen appears in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with mono sound.

Zegen was restored by Arrow Films. A 35mm interpositive was scanned in 2K resolution by Toei. The film was graded and restored in 2K at R3Store Studios in London

The original mono soundtracks were remastered from the original sound elements by Toie.

Zegen is probably the least pleasing looking transfer in this set, but it's not unpleasing by any major stretch. While there's a somewhat "dupey" quality to some of the presentation (see screenshot 3 for just one example), and the palette can occasionally skew slightly toward a kind of orangish or peach colored tone, on the whole things look nicely suffused and detail levels are generally quite commendable. There is some noticeable crush in darker scenes, where things like jet black hair on some characters can disappear into surrounding shadows (you can note this as early as the opening scene on the boat and in the water). Grain resolves naturally, but definitely has moments of spiking not necessarily tied to anything like opticals or general lighting conditions.

Zegen Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Zegen features a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track in the original Japanese. This is a film which, like The Ballad of Narayama, mixes outdoor ambient environmental sounds rather subtly into the mix, offering things like the gentle lapping of water in some seaside scenes into the background quite winningly. The film has a rather interesting score by Shin'ichirō Ikebe which also sounds bright without tipping over into brashness, especially in some of the cues that combine winds and percussion. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout this problem free track. Optional English subtitles are available.

Zegen Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Jasper Sharp


• Sex and Country (1080p; 41:10) is another in depth appreciation of both this film in particular and Imamura in general by the typically interesting Tony Rayns.


• Image Gallery (1080p; 6:30)

Zegen Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Zegen evidently shocked audiences at Cannes when it was screened, since people were reportedly kind of expecting The Ballad of Narayama 2. The film is definitely a rather odd "follow up" to what was Imamura's most significant international success story up to that point, and it's a tonal mishmash that probably never quite hits the bullseye even if some of its scenes are effective and well done. While video is a little variable, it's never overly problematic, and both audio and the supplemental package are fine, for those who are considering a purchase.