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Posted: **Tue Oct 18, 2011 11:57 pm**

Check out the other sixties masterpieces starting with Pigs and Battleships, either in their Criterion or MoC guises. After that, I'd say the next best match for Profound Desire is The Ballad of Narayama, coming soon from MoC, already available in R1.

The very early features are tentative and constrained by studio requirements, but after that he didn't really make a bad film (and even those early ones are interesting in the context of his whole career) - you'll probably want to work your way through all of them eventually.

Posted: **Wed Oct 19, 2011 12:03 am**

Tommaso wrote: This was my first Imamura, I have to confess, but it surely made me interested in seeing more from the director. Which film should I try next, then, if I liked this one?

Pigs and Battleships is the usual Imamura starting point and I see no reason to contradict that. Just as thoughtful scope work, and that same sense of cascading vulgarity.

edit: What Zedz said.

Posted: **Wed Oct 19, 2011 12:34 am**

I started with Eel, and then saw Vengeance Is Mine, Dr. Akagi, The Pornographers and Eejanaika. (I simply saw what was available -- as it came available in subbed form). Back around 2002 or so, the only way to see Pigs and Battleship (and other Imamura films) was courtesy of unsubbed Japanese DVDs. So, I broke down and got Pigs and Battleships unsubbed -- and thought it was remarkable. Can't recall how I first saw Profound Desires, maybe unsubbed or maybe subbed in French (off a TV broadcast).

Posted: **Wed Oct 19, 2011 3:48 am**

I would like to elaborate a bit on my previous post. Like Kerpan, i started out seeing The Eel and then Vengeance is Mine. After that i saw basically anything i could get a hold of (Warm Water Under a Red Bridge, the early 60's films like Pigs, Intentions of Murder, The Insect Woman and The Pornographers). I have to conclude that they are all great films well worth watching. Having said that, i think that Ballad is the one closest in tone to Profound Desires of the Gods. It's shot in color by the same cinematographer and has that same rural, anthropological feel and it is my favorite Imamura as well!

Posted: **Wed Oct 19, 2011 9:19 am**

Thanks a lot for the recommendations, it seems I need to see everything from the man

. I may continue with "Narayama", as I quite like the story in itself, but was not fully blown away by the Kinoshita version, so this might make for an interesting comparison.

Posted: **Wed Oct 19, 2011 9:27 am**

Tommaso wrote:Thanks a lot for the recommendations, it seems I need to see everything from the man. I may continue with "Narayama", as I quite like the story in itself, but was not fully blown away by the Kinoshita version, so this might make for an interesting comparison.

Despite obviously being based on the same source, it's very different - Imamura felt that the Kinoshita version was much too stylised, and consequently sidelined and/or omitted all the sociological, sexual and scatological detail that he thought was by far the most interesting aspect of the setting. So with his version you get those elements ramped up to the max.

Posted: **Fri Apr 06, 2012 3:29 am**

I've attempted playing the Blu version of "Profound Desires of the Gods" in my newly-purchased all-region LG BD630, but I still get the "Fiddlesticks" message screen; this after successfully playing both "Repo Man" and "Two-Lane Blacktop."

Anybody have a similar issue? I'm at a loss for what's up with the disc/player. I'm glad to have picked up the dual format edition, but I'd still much prefer to watch it in Blu...

Alas. Looks like it's "The Ballad of Narayama" for me tonight.

Posted: **Wed Apr 11, 2012 4:30 pm**

The Masked Marvel wrote:I've attempted playing the Blu version of "Profound Desires of the Gods" in my newly-purchased all-region LG BD630, but I still get the "Fiddlesticks" message screen; this after successfully playing both "Repo Man" and "Two-Lane Blacktop."

Anybody have a similar issue? I'm at a loss for what's up with the disc/player. I'm glad to have picked up the dual format edition, but I'd still much prefer to watch it in Blu...

I have exactly the same issue with LG BD630 and "Profound Desires of the Gods". I don't know the reason but it is annoying.

The player is able to play all other Region-B coded discs without a problem so far.. For instance, "Make Way for Tomorrow" (also from MoC dual-format edition), BFI Ozu discs, "Certified Copy" from Artificial Eye, etc. No problem for Region-A coded discs either.

Has anyone been able to play "Profound Desires of the Gods" on a multi-region BD player?

Posted: **Wed Apr 11, 2012 4:34 pm**

I have, on a Momitsu.

Posted: **Wed Apr 11, 2012 5:37 pm**

My Sherwood—which has been unusually cooperative, lately—plays it fine.

Posted: **Wed Apr 11, 2012 7:41 pm**

Mine was fine on an Oppo. I've got the original disc, not the dual disc edition, but there should be no difference.

I (and a number of other people) had a similar issue with some of BFI's Ozu discs but was able to fix it with some bizarre machine voodoo and a copy of The Bed-Sitting Room. The details should be recorded for posterity in the Ozu thread.

Posted: **Thu Apr 12, 2012 2:08 pm**

A follow up: after switching my machine back and forth between regions A and B a handful of times, "Profound Desires of the Gods" now works just fine.

Christ. What a great looking film - and Blu-ray to boot!

Posted: **Thu Apr 12, 2012 8:08 pm**

I had been wanting to see this for forever so I blind-bought the Blu last year without owning a player. Tried to see this yesterday but couldn't find a way to turn off TruMotion on my parents' TV.

Heading back home soon so guess will have to wait until I find someone else with a BluRay player!

Posted: **Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:53 am**

puxzkkx wrote:Tried to see this yesterday but couldn't find a way to turn off TruMotion

Really sorry to hear this. TruMotion / PureMotion / MotionFlow is an obscenity that never should have been invented, let alone instituted as the default setting on so many television models. It's the reason why we include the small note in our Notes on Viewing section of the booklets, just to spread awareness; one bristles at the thought of how many people are watching Blu-rays and DVDs in this mode (probably a lot, and it's not the viewers' fault — a film should simply play back as it's intended to be seen when the disc is inserted — at least in a perfect world, or a post-Apple-panel one). Hopefully this trend will pass in due time.

Posted: **Sun Mar 24, 2013 11:24 am**

This is one of my favorite films that I wouldn't have been able to see without MoC. What a wonderful Blu-ray! A heartfelt thank you to Jon, Nick and Craig! Saw this for the first time last autumn, and I find myself continually returning to it.

I haven't yet seen neither The Insect Woman nor Pigs & Battleships, so I think I know what I'm getting next.

Posted: **Sun Nov 03, 2013 5:29 am**

zone_resident wrote:
The Masked Marvel wrote:I've attempted playing the Blu version of "Profound Desires of the Gods" in my newly-purchased all-region LG BD630, but I still get the "Fiddlesticks" message screen; this after successfully playing both "Repo Man" and "Two-Lane Blacktop."

Anybody have a similar issue? I'm at a loss for what's up with the disc/player. I'm glad to have picked up the dual format edition, but I'd still much prefer to watch it in Blu...

I have exactly the same issue with LG BD630 and "Profound Desires of the Gods". I don't know the reason but it is annoying.

The player is able to play all other Region-B coded discs without a problem so far.. For instance, "Make Way for Tomorrow" (also from MoC dual-format edition), BFI Ozu discs, "Certified Copy" from Artificial Eye, etc. No problem for Region-A coded discs either.

Has anyone been able to play "Profound Desires of the Gods" on a multi-region BD player?

Are people still having problems with this disc on their all-region players? I'm thinking of picking this up but I have the LG BD630.

Posted: **Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:38 pm**

FrauBlucher wrote:
zone_resident wrote:
The Masked Marvel wrote:I've attempted playing the Blu version of "Profound Desires of the Gods" in my newly-purchased all-region LG BD630, but I still get the "Fiddlesticks" message screen; this after successfully playing both "Repo Man" and "Two-Lane Blacktop."

Anybody have a similar issue? I'm at a loss for what's up with the disc/player. I'm glad to have picked up the dual format edition, but I'd still much prefer to watch it in Blu...

I have exactly the same issue with LG BD630 and "Profound Desires of the Gods". I don't know the reason but it is annoying.

The player is able to play all other Region-B coded discs without a problem so far.. For instance, "Make Way for Tomorrow" (also from MoC dual-format edition), BFI Ozu discs, "Certified Copy" from Artificial Eye, etc. No problem for Region-A coded discs either.

Has anyone been able to play "Profound Desires of the Gods" on a multi-region BD player?
Are people still having problems with this disc on their all-region players? I'm thinking of picking this up but I have the LG BD630.

No problems!

I guess the above is the most standard example when people with region-mods face problems during the change of regions, it's in the design of bluray disc's.

The player remember the last track played (read: the region mismatch message!) Press STOP, TWICE (as in 2x times)! The player will "delete" the bookmark on the second press at the STOP button...

Posted: **Mon Nov 04, 2013 6:18 pm**

I have played it on my Insignia NS-BRDVD2.

Posted: **Tue May 02, 2017 6:48 am**

Hello.

Has there been any news regarding a 4K resto or a possible Criterion release anytime in the near future? Anything to even hint a new release, be it in the USA or anywhere in the world? The MoC release has been out of print for quite some time now. I have found a local new copy for 30 euros, which I'm willing to pay for it, but only if the chances of a better release, say within this year, are pretty slim. Thanks in advance.

Posted: **Thu Mar 12, 2026 7:24 am**

Screenshot comparison for the MoC (top) and Happinet (bottom) editions. MoC images courtesy of DVDBeaver. Not exactly the same frame.

Spoiler

Posted: **Thu Mar 12, 2026 11:55 am**

andyli wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2026 7:24 am Screenshot comparison for the MoC (top) and Happinet (bottom) editions. MoC images courtesy of DVDBeaver. Not exactly the same frame.

I imagine the Happinet is not English friendly?

Posted: **Thu Mar 12, 2026 11:56 am**

is the Happinet still available? Ans is the fremch disc from the same master?

Posted: **Thu Mar 12, 2026 12:09 pm**

nitin wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2026 11:56 am is the Happinet still available? Ans is the fremch disc from the same master?

Looks like it's not sold on Amazon Japan any more but could still be available on other sites. Local shops must still carry this title. But there's a catch (related to Zot!'s question): there is NO subtitle at all on this disc, not even a Japanese one . So the USB loading method may not work for external subs.

The restoration was finished in 2022 so the 2016 disc from France is definitely not from the same master.

Posted: **Thu Mar 12, 2026 9:02 pm**

I bought the Japanese disc in December 2022 when it was new and recall that Eureka's English subtitles drift out of sync almost immediately and are significantly off by the end. Because of changes in the source (I believe due to frame cuts that are in the old HD master used for Eureka's Blu-ray), the subtitles can't simply be timeshifted en masse and instead require manual, possibly line-by-line re-syncing. I don't have access to my copy right now, but I want to say the 2022 disc is something like 45-90 seconds longer than the Eureka disc, which is at least somewhat borne out by DVD Beaver's stated run time of 173:25 for the Eureka disc and the 175-minute run time noted on the Japanese back cover.

It looks like the Japanese disc is either almost out-of-print or between printings, since it is still listed at Happinet and Nikkatsu. Currently, it seems to be available from CDJapan or Kinokuniya, or possibly HMV and Tower Records, though only CDJapan will currently ship to the USA and in the case of these last two, it is not currently in stock.

Posted: **Thu Mar 12, 2026 9:28 pm**

McCrutchy wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2026 9:02 pm I bought the Japanese disc in December 2022 when it was new and recall that Eureka's English subtitles drift out of sync almost immediately and are significantly off by the end. Because of changes in the source (I believe due to frame cuts that are in the old HD master used for Eureka's Blu-ray), the subtitles can't simply be timeshifted en masse and instead require manual, possibly line-by-line re-syncing. I don't have access to my copy right now, but I want to say the 2022 disc is something like 45-90 seconds longer than the Eureka disc, which is at least somewhat borne out by DVD Beaver's stated run time of 173:25 for the Eureka disc and the 175-minute run time noted on the Japanese back cover.

It looks like the Japanese disc is either almost out-of-print or between printings, since it is still listed at Happinet and Nikkatsu. Currently, it seems to be available from CDJapan or Kinokuniya, or possibly HMV and Tower Records, though only CDJapan will currently ship to the USA and in the case of these last two, it is not currently in stock.

Thanks for the summary...I know it was mentioned that this is a considerable upgrade from MoC, but I have to admit from the caps I've seen it doesn't look wildly improved. That might be my poor eyes, or poor caps. Seeing as it is also hard to come by, I'll think I'll be making do with my MoC, and buy the new Radiance Imamura releases instead. So funny that its taken like 16 years for these films to trickle out.

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