Essential Japanese DVDs

[Sanjuro]

I usually get my DVDs imported as it tends to be cheaper than buying them here in Japan (even including postage) however I've recently become aware of the major differences in quality between discs in certain countries.

So, (mirroring the German thread just below me) are there any 'must-have' Japanese DVDs or box sets that I should pick up? Japanese movies or non-Japanese movies, subtitles not necessary.

Thanks!

[marty]

Any of the many Japanese films that Criterion have released would be a great start from Ozu to Kurosawa to Suzuki to Shinoda to Kobayashi tp Shindo to Mizoguchi. Enjoy.

[Sanjuro]

Yes, I have quite a few of the Criterion Japanese DVDs imported from the US. And I know I can usually trust Criterion to put out the best possible release.

What I was wondering was, are there any Region 2 NTSC Japanese releases of Japanese or non-Japanese movies that aren't available in better versions elsewhere that I can buy here in Japan? Sorry, for not being clearer first time round.

From DVD Beaver, I note that Eureka's UK release looks awful compared to the Japanese release (which also has subtitles, which is nice). And I recall Shinya Tsukamoto delaying the Japanese release of some of his movies on DVD because the colours weren't right on some other versions released abroad.

[Pinakotheca]

I'm not really sure that I'd say that Japanese editions are better in picture quality all the time. A good example is that a lot of the Japanaese New Wave DVDs were just pressed on single layer DVD for financial reasons. I haven't seen any MoC DVDs that have been worse than Japanese editions, would be specific to a title?

As for titles of recommendations, it depends on what you like...

[Sanjuro]

I like all sorts of movies, European, British, American, Japanese. I tend to obsess over a couple of directors at a time, and collect all their works.

For Japanese movies I like Ozu, Kurosawa , Mizoguchi, Suzuki Seijun, Kinji Fukasaku and Aoyama Shinji. Yamada Yoji's last couple of movies were good too (and have English subs). Miike Takashi is nice too, but the vast majority of his work makes for a good popcorn n' booze rental but not what I'd want to collect (with some exceptions). I have most of Takeshi's movies too.

It's difficult to know what to do sometimes. All Kurosawa's movies come in really nice boxes in Japan but are really overpriced, so I'm gradually importing Criterion's but am I missing out on picture/sound quality by doing this, I wonder? Probably not, knowing Criterion's obsession for perfection, but it'd be nice to have some reassurance.

On the other hand, Ozu's movies probably work out slightly cheaper to get here (and come in a nice box), but again, I'm not sure of the quality.

Kinji Fukasaku's yakuza movies are much cheaper from America, but not Criterion (are they?), anybody know of the comparitive quality of these?

Then there's all the non-Japanese stuff. The advantage of these is that they come with Japanese subtitles, so I don't have to watch them all by myself (although I probably will anyhow). But it's hard to know if they are gonna be any good quality wise, and pretty expensive to buy randomly.

It'd be nice if there were a dedicated Japanese site for comparisons like DVD Beaver, but since foreign DVDs don't come with Japanese subtitles, most people wouldn't bother importing, I guess?

We seem to get a whole load of European movies released in Japan, which is nice, but there are so many prints circulating it's hard to know which versions the Japanese releases are. I'd like to get one of the Angelopoulos box sets, but if the quality is too poor (which, until recently seems to have been the case with Angelopoulos) they're not worth the price.

[manicsounds]

I tend to stick with imports too, but there are many you can only get in Japan, like the Kurosawa, Ozu, Naruse, Mizoguchi (coming soon), Itami Juzo, the recent Iwai Shinji DVD Boxsets are of great quality, but they are too damn overpriced in Japan. I seriously don't get it, and I end up never buying any.

I just go to Tsutaya or Geo instead of wasting money buying the Japanese releases.....

[Sanjuro]

Right, I agree. Way too overpriced.

I'm almost tempted to fork out 5000 yen for Fitzcarraldo 'cos I really want to show it to some of my friends and I can't find it any any of the Tsutayas or Geos in a 30 mile radius, I can't even find it second hand anyplace. But they do have it at my local store to buy.

But then I look at the criterion list at Deepdiscount DVD and realize what I could get instead...

Don't suppose anyone knows any places to download Japanese subtitles from? Or is that a bad question on this forum?

[Tommaso]

What I was wondering was, are there any Region 2 NTSC Japanese releases of Japanese or non-Japanese movies that aren't available in better versions elsewhere that I can buy here in Japan?

Available for a long time only in Japan were the film of Derek Jarman. The situation has/will become better now, with the BFI having announced "Angelic conversation", "Wittgenstein" and "Caravaggio". But "War Requiem" still isn't available anywhere else. There's also a Japanese edition of Cocteau's "L'aigle a deux tetes", also available nowhere else (apart from a Korean bootleg), but the print used looks rather horrible.

[yoshimori]

Here're some recommendations:

There's a spectacular box set of early Yoshida Kiju films and also some individual releases like Story Written in Water (no English subs on any of them, though).

The Teshigahara Hiroshi box (Pitfall, Woman, Face, Ruined Map, Summer Soldier) is wonderful (but no subs on Ruined Map)

The Oguri Kohei box is great, as is the separate disc of Umoregi (no subs again)

The Matsumoto Toshio box (Funeral Parade, Shura, War of the 17-Year-Olds, Dogura magura) is essential (subs on all except War)

As mentioned above, the discs in the Itami Juzo box shame the earlier American releases. (with subs)

The r2j Kore'eda Hirozaki discs (all with subs) are superior to the r1s.

Individual Japanese movies on r2j only I'd recommend include, off the top of my head, Aoyama's Eli Eli (with subs), Sono's Yume no naka e and Strange Circus (no subs), Ishikawa's Su-ki-da (subs), Shiota's Gaichu (no subs), Kawase's Shara (no subs), Morita's Tokimeki and Sorekara and Haru and Keiho and Kuroi ie and Mohou han (no subs), Kobayashi's Koroshi and Flic (no subs), and Kurosawa's License to Live (subs).

Among western films, there's Godard's Germany Year 90, which looks great; a beautiful version, the Soviet one according to another thread, of Color of Pomegranates, and Ballet, as far as I know the only Frederick Wiseman movie available on DVD anywhere.

[Pinakotheca]

In the spirit of the last post...

The Sadao Yamanaka box, only two DVDs but all content not availible elsewhere in the world.

Then I just picked up an excellent Yoshida Yoshishige box with his works like Eros plus massacre, Heroic Purgatory etc. I don't know the years ontop of my head, but I believe it's the first box - late sixties to early seventies.

Then as I mentioned in another thread there is a triology of 3 discs with the (complete?) documentary works of Shohei Imamura.

An older release, but then there is four box sets with Kaneto Shindo, with tons of the movies never released outside of Japan. I'd highly recommend the two first ones.

Unfortunately, no if very little of these come with subs.

[Steven H]

I second all the Yoshida recommendations and add, if you don't need english subtitles, all the old Kuroki Kazuo they have. His "Early Works" box set with Silence Has No Wings and Evil Spirits of Japan, is fantastic. Also worth picking up, his Assassination of Ryoma and Preperation for the Festival.

[Sanjuro]

Thanks for all the suggestions! Must look into getting a box set for Christmas.

There was a whole load of Kaneto Shindo movies on one of my satellite channels earlier this year so I recorded most of them. I think it was actually Kenji Mizoguchi month and I happened to catch the documentary Shindo made about Mizoguchi, so I recorded everything else showing that month.

I'll have to check which ones I got (Dobu springs to mind) when I get home. I record so many interesting looking films and end up not watching them for years!

>edited for somehow getting the same guy's name wrong twice, in two different ways.

[peerpee]

From DVD Beaver, I note that Eureka's UK release looks awful compared to the Japanese release (which also has subtitles, which is nice).

I haven't seen any MoC DVDs that have been worse than Japanese editions, would be specific to a title?

I think Sanjuro is talking about Aoyama's film EUREKA, namely the Artificial Eye version. Not the Eureka Masters of Cinema Series of UK DVDs.

[Sanjuro]

Ah yes. Sorry, didn't understand the MoC - Eureka connection back there.

Yes, Aoyama Shinji's movie, Eureka. Was very much sepia when I saw it at the cinema and appears to have turned almost black and white on the artificial eye release according to DVD Beaver (nice site).

[Michael Kerpan]

The Japanese DVD of Eureka seems to be the best option (by far) for people who love this film.

Other indispensable Japanese DVDs -- for now the only version of the delightful "Linda Linda Linda" is the Japanese one (unsubbed). The only versions of Shinji Somai's acclaimed "Typhoon Club" and extraordinary "Ohikkoshi" are the Japanese ones (though neither is a state of the art release). Still no other releases of Kitano's Bunuelesque "Takeshis'" -- at least the Japanese one IS subbed.

And for Kore'eda fans -- I would concur with the statement that the Japanese releases (subbed features -- but not extras) totally supersede Western ones.

[shirobamba]

For you don't need any subs, I recommend the 3 Oshima Nagisa boxes, which have been released currently. All of them contain new immaculate transfers, and part of them have been restored. In any case these versions are by far the best looking publications of these films in any region. There's not much in the extras department, though.

[artfilmfan]

In my opinion, Tokyo.Sora (Hiroshi Ishikawa, 2001) is great. It's even better than Su-ki-da (Hiroshi Ishikawa's second film).

BTW, Steven H, if you're reading this, I have a question regarding Kiju Yoshida DVDs. I have the following box sets: 65-68 (Onna no mizuumi/Jeon/Hono to onna/Juhyo no yoromeki) and 68-73 (Saraba Natsu no Hikari/Erosu + Gyakusatsu/Rengoku Eroica/Kokuhakuteki Joyuron/Kaigenrei/Erosu + Gyakusatsu (long version)) plus these titles:
Akitsu Onsen/Nihon Dasshutsu/Mizu de Karareta Monogatari (deluxe edition). Are there any others which you would recommend?

[Steven H]

Are there any others which you would recommend?

Definitely! It seems you're missing a few of his early and later films which are also included in box sets, but mostly his Good For Nothing (which is important because it was his first film, and is a youth oriented "heist" style plot, in the style of early Oshima), Blood is Dry (which is a crime mystery with aims towards commercialization and marketing), and 18 Youths Who Stir Up A Storm (which is kind of like Nihon Dasshutsu). He worked more sporadically after Coup de'tat, but his version of Wuthering Heights is a fine film. The only one of his I haven't seen is A Promise, but hopefully soon.

By the way, what did you think of Mizu de Karareta Monogatari (Story Written With Water)? I think it's one of the best drama films to come out of the Japanese new wave (which puts it in the running for most interesting drama ever, in my opinion.)

[artfilmfan]

Thanks, Steven. Those early-year ones that you mentioned are in the 60-64 box set which I didn't buy. I thought I wouldn't like them and therefore I decided to buy only two of the titles contained in that box set (they're also available individually). Now you're recommending those titles! I should have asked for your recommendations long ago. It was your end-of-the-year list of favorite 2005 DVDs that got me interested in the work of this director. I think it was Shiro who also praised the work of this director. I'll look into the other titles which you also mentioned.

I haven't seen Mizu de Karareta Monogatari yet. I've only seen Joen so far (and a little of Onna no Mizuumi). I like what I've seen so far. I hope to go through these DVDs during the upcoming holidays. Reading what you wrote above, Mizu de Karareta Monogatari will be the first one that I'll see when I return to these DVDs.

[Steven H]

It was your end-of-the-year list of favorite 2005 DVDs that got me interested in the work of this director. I think it was Shiro who also praised the work of this director. I'll look into the other titles which you also mentioned.

I gaurantee Mr. Shiro would recommend those titles. I'm glad I inspired you to get those sets, though it's a shame the costs are so high. I haven't been able to buy as much from the R2 Japan region this year, though I did get a chance to pick up Okamoto Kihachi's Eburi manshi no yûga-na seikatsu, which I've seen either rarely mentioned or not at all, when it's a very interesting film. An almost western style comedy, in the form of social satire of early sixties post-war Japan. I sensed the director was playing on Ozu's reputation, as well as mocking the media, film cliches, and television (using commercials that could be right out of It's Always Fair Weather.) I could follow along very easily with this one, actually, since it has a fairly simple plot. I want to get more Okamoto (particularly his Age of Assassins), but will have to wait.

I haven't seen Mizu de Karareta Monogatari yet. I've only seen Joen so far (and a little of Onna no Mizuumi). I like what I've seen so far. I hope to go through these DVDs during the upcoming holidays. Reading what you wrote above, Mizu de Karareta Monogatari will be the first one that I'll see when I return to these DVDs.

I love Joen (or The Affair). It's actually one of the few Yoshida films I've seen with english subtitles, unfortunately.

Okada Mariko really shines in Story Written With Water, and it would make a great pre-viewing for Funeral Parade of Roses because it plays the Oedipal story fairly straght (not "straight" straight, just straight). Beautiful compositions, as always. Why on earth a western company hasn't tackled a single Yoshida film is entirely beyond me. The transfers Geneon and Shochiku released in Japan are top notch to great, and if more people were aquainted with him, I could see a lot of the Italian New Wave fans finding a kindred spirit. Many critics have noticed some Antonioni influences in his work, but some of it, especially his "history trilogy" (Eros Plus Massacre, Heroice Purgatory, and Coup de'tat) have a strange blending of past and present to form unendingly fascinating narratives (the little spoken of 3 1/2 hour Eros Plus Massacre) which seems to share a bed with Bertolucci (I could see Yoshida loving Partner).

[toiletduck!]

I don't believe they're on DVD, but if I'm looking for experts on Japanese cinema, this is probably the place.

Can anyone comment on the work of Kazuo Hara? Four (I believe) of his documentaries are going to be coming to Facets here in Chicago soon, and while I won't be able to make all four, they sound like something I would enjoy. Recommendations/hesitations/elaborations?

Many thanks in advance!

-Toilet Dcuk

[Steven H]

I've only seen Extreme Private Eros: Love Song and Forward Divine Army (or The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On). Enjoyed the former, but the latter is a must see. The main character/documentary subject, Okuzai Kenzo, is unforgettable. Hara won best director at Mainichi for this film, and I think he spent five years making it (going everywhere in Japan, it seems). It doesn't really challenge the documentary format, but works very well as a narrative film in that style. I hope this makes it to DVD sometime soon (there are rumors of this happening).

[Sanjuro]

Let me just check something:

Yoshida Kiju and Yoshida Yoshishige.

Are they the same person? Or two people with the same name (in kanji) just pronounced differently?

If they are the same person, which is the correct reading of his name?

[shirobamba]

Yoshida Kiju and Yoshida Yoshishige.

Are they the same person? Or two people with the same name (in kanji) just pronounced differently?

It's the same person. Yoshida, like many other Japanese artists, changed his name in the mid-70's. You're right "Kiju" is an alternative reading of his prename. For the romanized form you'll often find "Yoshishige" for the early films and "Kiju" for the later ones.

Can anyone comment on the work of Kazuo Hara?

td, I second Steve's recommendation to see The Emperor's Naked Army under all circumstances. It's Hara's most relevant film, though not his most radical one.

The 2 earlier ones Extreme Private Eros and Goodbye Cerebral Palsy are rough in-your-face provocative - I'm hesitant to call them docus - "essays on topics that have been taboo in Japan, while these films were made.

I haven't seen the film about Ibuse, but the reviews were favourable.

BTW: All four will be released on DVD by Facets somewhere down the line.
Light a candle, that they don't fuck'm up as usual.

[zedz]

Can anyone comment on the work of Kazuo Hara?

I second Steve's recommendation to see The Emperor's Naked Army under all circumstances. It's Hara's most relevant film, though not his most radical one.

Third Emperor's Naked Army. It's an extremely potent scab-scratching exercise that tackles big questions about Japan's post-war history. The central character teeters on the edge of Quixotic idealism and sociopathy, and your relationship with him develops into a very unusual attraction / repulsion dynamic. I believe that the subject was 'found' or 'developed' by Imamura, but left to Hara to film, so the documentary also provides valuable insight into Imamura's historical concerns.