Audition

[Mel]

I love this movie. I'm very curious how the transfer will look compared to the Shout Factory BD. The US disk looks okay but there is definitely room for improvement. So I'm holding on to my US disk and wait for the reviews to see if an upgrade is worth it.

I really don't like the cover of the steelbook (the dark colors mainly) and that's a shame because from this movie a lot of cool covers can be made.

[rapta]

This is also apparently going to be an in-house restoration from the original negatives, and apparently it's looking in tip-top shape.

It's definitely an in-house restoration, but the source is the original 35mm interpositive. But it should be a substantial advance on previous video versions.

The four existing interviews are also being presented in the original HD for what I believe is the first time.

Apologies, Michael! I was paraphrasing your own comments on Blu-ray.com and managed to brisk over a key bit of information. Either way, it's sounding like it'll be a great release and I certainly wish for more ex-Tartan titles to join future Arrow slates!

[Banasa]

DVDBeaver

[Titus]

I didn't realize this was getting a Rayns interview. That should be interesting. He's been a huge Miike supporter for 20+ years now, yet I don't believe he's ever been commissioned to contribute to any DVD/Blu Ray releases of Miike's work prior to this.

[Orlac]

The lack of David M on compression is telling - http://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?d1=7367&d2=7368" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ALLCAPSAREBASTARDS]

The lack of David M on compression is telling - http://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?d1=7367&d2=7368" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That looks pretty bad.

[W0rldofsound]

DVD Beaver mentions two booklets for the Steelbook edition, however I only got one. Can anymore else confirm this?

[MichaelB]

There's only one booklet.

[Banasa]

For those who are still curious if they want that paper inside the sleeve, I'm not sure how much they should seek it out now that it's out of print.

The essay isn't bad, but it also doesn't go over too many things not covered in the commentaries already except about the films release in New York and UK. Also, my copy the pages in the index don't seem to correspond with the page numbers in the actual booklet itself. It's all a bit odd. Makes me wonder if there was originally more content for the booklet?

[PianoMan88]

I was watching the movie last night and came across a small and somewhat sudden skip in frames/or overlap in shots (cannot tell due to my lack of Japanese knowledge) in Chapter 4 right after Asami says "Yes, in the 4th District. It's got a funny name, the Stone Fish.", when the camera moves to Aoyama (apologies for not having the exact timecode, my Region Free player is a Sony S3700, and has no digital display in the front).

Anyone else sees the same? A small blip, but it caught my eye as I was watching it.

On another note: It was my first time viewing the movie in glorious HD. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time...

[MichaelB]

I don't know why they're there, but they've always been in the film, and Arrow's technical team can confirm that they're also in the 35mm IP - which was struck directly from the spliced original camera negative. So they'll be in the OCN as well.

The most convincing explanation I've seen is that Miike was cutting together different takes and didn't have sufficient cutaway material, so hoped that he could get away with an almost imperceptible skip.

[PianoMan88]

Thanks Michael.

Certainly seemed like something that had occurred during the original splicing of the scene. I wish I spoke Japanese, I could understand why the scene was cut that way. It certainly was not a single shot, so you would think Miike would have some options when cutting, but who knows.

Anyone here speak Japanese?

To those looking at the Steelbook Edition from Arrow, I highly recommend the package, very nicely put together, and it still comes with a booklet (I just ordered mine a couple of weeks ago direct from Arrow).

[colinr0380]

I'm open to it being a stylistic, almost Godardian, jump cut technique (something that can have both a practical and artistic explanation!). For instance see the major example of dissonance that occurs at the beginning of the final section where as the main character is drugged and falls down on the floor paralysed, there is a very jarring jump in the film on the moment of impact into the brief memory flashback scene before he regains consciousness again and the torture scene starts in earnest.

(I seem to remember there being a few examples of jump cuts in the middle of scenes in Gozu too)

[dwk]

Via the the blu-ray.com forums, screenshot comparisons between Arrow's UK and US releases show that Arrow re-encoded (and improved) this for the US release.

[Finch]

4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restoration from the original Super 16mm camera negative by Arrow Films approved by director of photography Hideo Yamamoto
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray™ presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Newly restored original lossless stereo and 4.0 audio, plus optional DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
• Optional English subtitles
• Introduction by director Takashi Miike
• Audio commentary by director Takashi Miike and screenwriter Daisuke Tengan
• Audio commentary by Miike biographer Tom Mes
• Callback, a brand new interview with actor Ryo Ishibashi
• Ties that Bind, an interview with director Takashi Miike
• Damaged Romance, an appreciation by Japanese cinema historian Tony Rayns
• Archive interviews with stars Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Renji Ishibashi and Ren Osugi
• Deeper Deeper Into Audition, an audio essay by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• Trailers
• Image gallery
• Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anton Bitel, Jennie Kermode and Jamie Graham
• Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Dark Inker – Sampson and original UK artwork by Graham Humphreys

[Finch]

4K trailer

YouTube compression aside, it looks quite impressive!

[P-Rock]

I've no clue how Audition became Miike's most popular and well-known movie. He has made many others I personally consider better and more entertaining.

[MichaelB]

I've no clue how Audition became Miike's most popular and well-known movie. He has made many others I personally consider better and more entertaining.

Because it cut through to an audience beyond that which typically sought out new Japanese films.

[colinr0380]

Also one of his first films to get Western distribution and at least in the UK it followed closely behind Ring in being the earliest of Tartan's "Asia Extreme" brand line of DVDs.

[The Curious Sofa]

Also, because it's more restrained than many of his films, Audition is more accessible to a wider genre audience. It's a fairly straightforward psychological thriller, with a great plot twist, a feminist subtext and a last act that really delivers. It's certainly my favourite of the films of his I've seen.

[Peacock]

I think Audition was possibly the first foreign language film I saw?! It played late one night on tv during a short Channel 4 season of horror films in the very early 00s which I recorded on VHS each night before bed!

Among the others shown that I recall were Ringu, the silent Phantom of the Opera (my first silent!) and bizarrely the Joan Collins flick I Don’t Want To Be Born.

Maybe Colin or someone will remember these screenings? Maybe for Halloween?

[The Curious Sofa]

I may have revisited Audition with that broadcast (I also have a vague memory of encountering the abysmal I Don't Want to Be Born around that time) but I first saw it at the Curzon Soho. I remember people walking out for two different reasons. Firstly, during the slow-moving first hour, which was more of a romantic drama than the horror film the audience had been expecting. The second wave of walkouts occurred during the final act, when the film finally delivered on its promise.

[Sloper]

I remember being gutted that I forgot to record I Don't Want to Be Born when it was on (still haven't seen it, no longer really want to), and I definitely saw Ring for the first time on that broadcast. I saw Audition in the cinema, probably in late 2001 or early 2002 - more on that below, in response to a post from 2005...

I think it's an appropriate title because the horror reveals itself so gradually. The viewer doesn't really know what's going down until well into the second hour of the film, if memory serves. I knew there was something sinister in the film the first time I watched it, but I didn't know what or how sinister it would be. So, in my view, the innocuous title is pefect.

I'm sure very few of us were in that basket (or sack), but a first-time viewer of this film with no prior knowledge could well think they're viewing a quirky romantic comedy for the first 20 or so minutes. Can you imagine how freaky a viewing experience that would be?

This was exactly my viewing experience. I went to the cinema with a couple of friends, and our options were Miss Congeniality or Audition. We knew nothing about the latter - hadn't seen the poster, didn't know it was Japanese or a horror film - but it was rated 18, my friend had just turned 18, and he thought this would be a good way to celebrate.

I remember thinking there was something odd about the way the title 'slid' onto the screen. And when we saw Asami, sitting alone in her apartment, I thought, 'It would be so great if this turned out to be a horror film. But she's probably just lonely and shy or something.' Then, a few minutes later, we saw her apartment again, and the sack rolled over in the background, and a ripple of nervous laughter went through the audience. What followed was one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had in a cinema. My friends and I were so shocked by the escalating violence that we couldn't help responding audibly, but the rest of the audience were making the same noises (even though I'm sure most of them knew in advance that this was a horror film) so we didn't feel like we were disrupting anything.

Anyway, we all loved it and felt very lucky to have discovered the film in this way. In reference to the 21-year-old conversation above, for us the title was indeed perfect because it didn't hint at anything horrific, but sounded very sinister (on a few levels) in retrospect.

[Finch]

The film is great but watching it on a huge screen with that suggestive sound design cranked up to eleven is... something I'm not sure I could handle. I knew of its reputation and seen the poster before watching it with a student friend while at university in Liverpool. We finally found the courage to rent the Tartan DVD from the library and watched it on the small TV one night in 2001.

We were engaged for the entire slow paced romantic comedy first act and I think we audibly reacted at the sack moving. Her wicked smile gave me goosebumps. That scene looked quite a bit darker on the DVD I recall. We made it through the final act without pausing or looking away but it was a challenge. At the time I hadn't moved in with my friend yet so still had to walk home in the dark. I didn't want to watch any violent films for an entire week.

[MichaelB]

My then girlfriend's reaction to its original London cinema release: "Well, that film's put me off everything! For life!"