Shinoda Masahiro on DVD

[bergelson]

I just got a copy of Masahiro Shinoda's "Silence" which I bought from "Yes Asia". To my surprise I saw that the aspect ratio of the DVD is 4:3.

Does anyone know if this is the original aspect ratio of the film?

[kazantzakis]

I think that's right. And it looks right too, if I remember correctly.

[yoshimori]

Shinoda's Moonlight Serenade (1997) is forthcoming from Panorama.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Shinoda's Moonlight Serenade (1997) is forthcoming from Panorama.

Released 2nd Feb.

[sevenarts]

I finally got around to watching Ballad of Orin, which I ordered from cdjapan because of this thread a long time ago. What an amazing film, and what a shame I left it so long on the to-be-watched pile. There couldn't be a clearer but less didactic portrait of the societal oppression of women. It's a beautiful film, both visually and thematically. I have quite a bit to say about it in my latest blog post.

[bergelson]

Hi, I wonder if anyone knows how does the cheaper DVD's releases of titles such as Ballad of Orin, Buraikan, Captive Island, Petrified Forest and son on stand in comparison to the expensive Japanese releases.

I have the Panaroma With Beauty and Sorrow and it is simply unwatchable as for instance Yoshimitsu Morita's And Then (As anyone by anychance translated the Japanese DVD or am I hallucinate again?). Thanks in advance.

[sevenarts]

I watched Pale Flower today, and found a reference to Shinoda being nihilistic. The short essay included with the DVD says: "The film was originally shelved for eight months, partly because co-screenwriter, Masaru Baba, protested that Shintaro Ishihara's short story had been obscured by the visuals and turned into a nihilistic film... Shinoda concurs with Baba's description of the film as nihilistic."

I'd agree with that to a point. The main characters in the film, Saeko and Muraki, are nihilistic, in the sense that they are constantly seeking greater and greater thrills, on a path that will clearly destroy them both eventually. It would be quite a big leap from there, though, to assert that Shinoda himself is a nihilist.

[Fan-of-Kurosawa]

I just received Shinoda's Spy Sorge. It is an R2 Japan release from Asmik Ace with eng subs. I haven't seen the film yet, but the whole package looks pretty good. It is a 3-disc set, with the film covering the first two discs (it is a long film, more than 180 minutes) and the third disc containing the extras.

Unfortunately, like all Japanese releases, the third disc with the extras does not have eng subtitles. (also I noticed that the parts in the film where the characters speak in english also do not have eng subs which I find unfortunate). However, the transfer is gorgeous and the sound options include a DTS track.

What I find most strange is that I can't find any comments about this film anywhere in this forum. I tried a search with no results (the film is not even mentioned in the various lists with Japanese films).

Nobody has seen it? Not even Michael Kerpan or Tryavna or Steven H? I'll post a few comments when I will have seen it.

[Michael Kerpan]

Shinoda presented this himself when he visited Harvard a few years ago. Alas, this was the one Shinoda event I was not able to attend. (a wonderfully interesting and engaging person -- in addition to his directorial gifts).

[Steven H]

Spy Sorge wasn't his best and some of the english language acting is just painful to watch. There are some nice directoral flourishes here and there, but it's really just overlong and brutal to sit through, generally. I really enjoyed Owl's Castle as pure entertainment, so I wasn't even really expecting much from this. Tell me what you think though, as I might have overlooked some of it's better points.