Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Underworld Beauty: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Japan, 1958 (Underworld Beauty), Japan, 1959 (Love Letter)
Director: Seijun Suzuki (Both Films)
Cast: Michitarô Mizushima, Mari Shiraki, Shinsuke Ashida, Tôru Abe, Hideaki Nitani, Setsuko Amamiya, Tomio Aoki, Shôki Fukae (Underworld Beauty), Kyôsuke Machida, Frank Nagai, Hisako Tsukuba, Keisuke Yukioka (Love Letter)

Release Date: January 27th, 2025 (UK), January 28th, 2025 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 87 Minutes 9 Seconds (Underworld Beauty), 39 Minutes 28 Seconds (Underworld Beauty)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese (Both Films)
Subtitles: English (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Retrieving the diamonds he stashed before his arrest, thief Miyamoto hopes to help his old partner Mihara, crippled during the heist. Their former boss, crime lord Oyane, offers to mediate with a foreign buyer, but secretly wants the stones for himself. The deal goes awry when gunmen appear on the scene. Mihara swallows the diamonds but dies in the chase, leaving a valuable corpse in the police morgue. Miyamoto forms an uneasy alliance with Mihara's wildcat sister Akiko to keep the gems away from gangsters, cops and even Akiko's greedy boyfriend." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (Underworld Beauty), 3.5/5 (Love Letter)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Underworld Beauty was transferred in 4K by the Nikkatsu Corporation and supplied to Radiance Films as a High-Definition digital file."

Underworld Beauty comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 38.4 GB

Feature: 23.6 GB (Underworld Beauty), 10.8 GB (Love Letter)

The source looks great; there is still some minor debris. Image clarity and compression are solid, black levels and contrast are strong, and the image retains an organic look. Love Letter's source is not in as good of shape; it has more noticeable debris.

Audio: 4/5 (Underworld Beauty), 3.5/5 (Love Letter)

Underworld Beauty comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The source is in great shape; it's a noticeable improvement over this film’s previous home video releases. Dialog comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, ambient sounds are well represented.

Love Letter comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. Though there is background hiss throughout, dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer for Underworld Beauty (3 minutes 15 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with critic Mizuki Kodama (14 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Love Letter (2 minutes 54 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a short film directed by Seijun Suzuki titled Love Letter (39 minutes 28 seconds, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Seijun Suzuki biographer William Carroll for Love Letter, reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 20-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) cast & crew information for Underworld Beauty, an essay titled The Moth That Flies Too Close to the Flame written by Claudia Siefen-Leitich, an archival review of Underworld Beauty written by Seizo Okada, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Underworld Beauty: Seijun Suzuki worked at a furious pace, making forty-two films in a mere span of eleven years while working for the Nikkatsu Corporation. During these years, he primarily worked in the yakuza genre. Seijun Suzuki would, for the first time with his seventh film, Underworld Beauty, shoot a film in widescreen. 

Underworld Beauty opens with a title card that proceeds the main title that boldly announces "Seijun Suzuki’s Seventh Film", Quentin Tarantino would open Kill Bill in a similar way. In Underworld Beauty, Seijun Suzuki would showcase his western cinema influences with his use of film noir shadows and doo-wop-sounding music.

The narrative revolves around Miyamoto, a man who has just spent three years in prison. He is still in possession of the diamonds that he stole from a heist that led to his going to prison. Miyamoto tries to sell the diamonds and use the money to help a woman who was injured during the heist. From there, a series of double crosses and other betrayals unfold.

Underworld Beauty may not be as flamboyant or chaotic as Seijun Suzuki’s later films, but he still manages to come up with innovative and imaginative shots throughout. Wataro Nakao’s lush black-and-white photography is filled with all the film noir hallmarks, like playing with shadow and light. Every inch of every frame is filled with an amazing amount of style.

The acting is subdued for the most part, including Michitaro Mizushima's performance as Miyamoto, which at times is too one-dimensional as he spends most of the time brooding. Mari Shiraki's performance as Akiko is a more developed one as she transforms from the grieving sister into a femme fatale. 

That said, Underworld Beauty's screenplay is its weakest asset, as it follows the conventions of the film noir genre, playing things by the numbers. The score is one of the most bizarre that I have heard so far from a Suzuki film, and at times it feels oddly out of place when used in the film's noir settings. Also, the happy ending feels tacked on and out of place. Although Underworld Beauty may not contain all the flashy camera work his later work is renowned for, Suzuki, through his inventiveness, manages to show hints of things to come.

Love Letter: A nightclub performer who had a two-day romantic encounter with a forest ranger has kept their relationship alive by writing to each other for the last two years. She becomes concerned when his letters are less frequent; not wanting to lose him, she makes an unannounced trip to see him. Once reunited, will they rekindle their love, or has something happened that will keep them apart?

Love Letter is not the type of film that one thinks of when discussing Seijun Suzuki; he’s a filmmaker known mostly for his crime films. Love Letter is a romantic melodrama in which two lovers who have been apart try to come together after a secret about one of them is revealed. Without giving anything away about Love Letters twist, I will say that the way in which the narrative unfolds leading towards this reveal is perfectly executed.

Though there are some secondary characters, there are only two performances that matter: Hisako Tsukuba (The Golden Bat) in the role of the nightclub performer and Kyôsuke Machida (Outlaw: Gangster VIP) in the role of the forest ranger. Their performances play well off of each other and they have strong onscreen chemistry. That said, the rest of the performances are best described as serviceable.

Despite its short running time of just under 40 minutes, Love Letter has a considerable amount of depth. Nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to the use of flashbacks. Love Letter is beautifully photographed, the bulk of its narrative takes place in snow covered landscapes. Another one of its strengths is its snow-covered landscapes, which reinforce the theme of isolation. Ultimately, Love Letter is a bittersweet melodrama where tragedy leads to new beginnings.

Underworld Beauty gets an excellent release from Radiance Films that comes with a strong audio/presentation, a bonus short film, and a trio of insightful extras, highly recommended.


















Written by Michael Den Boer

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

The Addiction: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (4K UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1995
Director: Abel Ferrara
Writer: Nicholas St. John
Cast: Lili Taylor, Christopher Walken, Annabella Sciorra, Edie Falco, Paul Calderon, Fredro Starr, Kathryn Erbe, Michael Imperioli

Release Date: December 9th, 2024 (UK), December 10th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 82 Minutes 24 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK), NR, R (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, LPCM Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"Philosophy student Kathleen (Lili Taylor, The Conjuring) is dragged into an alleyway on her way home from class by Casanova (Annabella Sciorra, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) and bitten on the neck. She quickly falls ill but realizes this isn’t any ordinary disease when she develops an aversion to daylight and a thirst for human blood…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K 16-bit resolution at MPI / Warner Brother, Los Angeles. The film was restored in 4K and graded in HDR10 at R3Store Studios, London. Dolby Vision grading was completed by Fidelity in Motion, Florida."

The Addiction comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 78.1 GB

Feature: 59.3 GB

As outstanding as Arrow Video’s 2018 Blu-ray release looked, this new release is even better. The source used for this transfer is in immaculate shape. Details look sharp, contrast and black levels look solid throughout, grain remains intact and there are no issues with compression.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a LPCM stereo mix in English. Both audio mixes are in excellent shape; dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced and, range-wise, the more ambient aspects of the soundtrack are well represented. Included with this release are removable English SDH subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (17 stills), a theatrical trailer (38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival piece from the time of production titled Abel Ferrara Edits The Addiction (8 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), An Appreciation by Brad Stevens (8 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Abel Ferrara (16 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a documentary about the film titled Talking with the Vampires made by Abel Ferrara especially for this release, featuring actors Christopher Walken and Lili Taylor, composer Joe Delia, Ken Kelsch, and Abel Ferrara titled (30 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Abel Ferrara and moderated by Brad Stevens, reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to the first pressing) and a thirty-two-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled This is my Blood: Ferrara’s Addiction written by Michael Ewins, an essay titled Vampire Chronicles written by Paul Duane and information about the restoration.

Summary:

The Addiction was directed by Abel Ferrara whose other notable films include, The Driller Killer, Ms .45, King of New York, Bad Lieutenant and The Funeral.

Many films have explored vampirism and the lore that surrounds vampires. Early examples of vampirism in cinema include, F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu and Todd Browning’s Dracula. And though there is no denying these two films influence on how other films have depicted vampires. There have been a few films that have avoided the vampires well-treaded clichés by breathing new blood into one of horror cinema’s most celebrated characters.

Case in point Abel Ferrara’s The Addiction, a film that features what is arguably the most inventive spin on vampirism. And nowhere this clearer, than when it comes to how this film depicts the vampires. With their lust for blood being rooted in addiction, not survival. Symbolism and philosophy play a significant role in how this film depicts the vampires.

Though the characters are lacking when it comes to back-stories. This ultimately works in The Addiction's favor by allowing the words and images to become the focal point. With that being said, the cast are very good in their respective roles. With the standout performance being Lili Taylor (I Shot Andy Warhol) in the role of the protagonist Kathleen Conklin. Other performances of note include, Christopher Walken (The Dead Zone) in the role of Peina, a vampire who tries to educate Kathleen about her addiction and Annabella Sciorra (Jungle Fever) in the role of Casanova, a mysterious stranger who’s bite transforms Kathleen into a vampire.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where The Addiction does not excel. The premise is superbly realized and the black and white cinematography is overflowing with atmosphere. Standout moments visually include, the scene where Casanova drags Kathleen into an alley and drinks her blood, the scene where Kathleen meets Peina and the films finale provides the perfectly coda for the events that have just unfolded.

The Addiction makes its way to 4K UHD via another exceptional upgrade from Arrow Video, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.












Written by Michael Den Boer

Score: Uncensored Version – Cult Epics (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA/Yugoslavia, 1973
Director: Radley Metzger
Writer: Jerry Douglas
Cast: Claire Wilbur, Casey Donovan, Lynn Lowry, Gerald Grant, Carl Parker

Release Date: October 12th, 2010
Approximate Running Time: 91 Minutes 38 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"a tale of a happily married swinging couple (Claire Wilbur and Gerald Grant), who make a bet that they can seduce a couple of newly weds (Lynn Lowry "I Drink Your Blood" and Cal Culver) during a weekend get-together a their luxury Riviera villa." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "New, Restored High-Definition Transfer".

Score comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.3 GB

Feature: 15 GB

The source looks great; there is still some minor debris. Flesh tones look healthy, with nicely saturated colors, strong image clarity and black levels, excellent compression, and an organic look.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital mono mix in English, with no subtitles. The audio is in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, things are satisfactory.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer for Score (3 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer for The Lickerish Quartet (2 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Camille 2000 (2 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a featurette titled On the Set of Score, narrated by film historian Michael Bowen (18 minutes 27 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Lynn Lowry titled Keeping Score with Lynn Lowry (19 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), and an audio commentary with director Radley Metzger and Michael Bowen.

Summary:

A sexually adventurous couple seduces a newlywed couple.

By the time Radley Metzger directed Score, he had already firmly established himself as one of the world’s most renowned auteurs of erotic cinema. A year before, Score made its theatrical debut; the cinematic landscape of erotic cinema had already begun to change with the release of Gerard Damiano’s Deep Throat. Not yet ready to fully make the transition into hardcore, Score is a transitional film that showcases Radley Metzger's prowess at creating visually arresting moments of erotica that not only stimulate one's mind but also one's libido.

Though there are explicit moments of sex that do appear in Score, it's a film that straddles softcore and hardcore. That said, Score’s sex scenes are not just haphazardly thrown together, they are carefully crafted with the utmost care. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find a more perfect merging of the worlds of softcore and hardcore cinema than in the finale for Score.

When it comes to the performances, it is Lynn Lowry’s (The Crazies) portrayal of Betsy that carries Score. Betsy is an Alice in Wonderland-like character whose journey leads her to a sexual wonderland. That said, it is hard to imagine Score with Lynn Lowry, who delivers one of her best performances. Radley Metzger reinforces the importance of Lynn Lowry in the audio commentary.

Despite many softcore erotica films having lesbian characters, scenes between two men were not common. When it comes to sex scenes between two men, a film like Score takes things to another level. Ultimately, Score is Radley Metzger’s most underappreciated film, and now that a fully uncut version of the film is finally available, maybe now it can be viewed with fresh eyes and finally find the audience that has always eluded it.

Score gets a first-rate release from Cult Epics that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and insightful extras, recommended.








Written by Michael Den Boer

Monday, December 30, 2024

The Image – Synapse Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1975
Director: Radley Metzger
Writer: Radley Metzger
Cast: Mary Mendum, Carl Parker, Marilyn Roberts, Valerie Marron, Michelle Vence, Estelle McNalley, Nicole Rochambeau

Release Date: June 14th, 2011
Approximate Running Time: 91 Minutes 5 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD 5.1 Surround English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"Jean (Carl Parker, Score), meets his old friend Claire (Marilyn Roberts) at a party and is introduced to the young, seductive Anne (Mary Mendum). Jean discovers the two women have a master/slave relationship and gets seduced into their perverse sexual games." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "All-new high-definition 1080p restoration from the original negative."

The Image comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.6 GB

Feature: 22.2 GB

The source is in excellent shape; colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono English), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Surround English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. Both audio tracks are in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. The score and ambient sounds are well represented range-wise. Included are removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a filmography for Radley Metzger, an isolated music track, and a 4-page booklet with an essay about The Image written by Nathaniel Thompson and information about the transfer. 

Summary:

A chance encounter with a former friend ignites a sadomasochistic relationship.

The image was adapted by Radley Metzger, one of the prominent filmmakers working in softcore erotica cinema in the 1960s and early 1970s. The Image, like his film Score, often blurs the line between softcore erotica and hardcore. By the time that Radley Metzger set his sights on making the definitive cinematic statement on sadomasochism, he had begun the transition from softcore erotica to hardcore, with films like The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann and Naked Came the Stranger. A few years after The Image, he directed what is arguably the best hardcore film ever made, The Opening of Misty Beethoven. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Let’s dig a little deeper into the film at hand, The Image.

The Image is adapted from Catherine Robbe-Grillet's (wife of French filmmaker Alain Robbe-Grillet) novel of the same name. The narrative revolves around three characters: Jean, the man drawn into this sadomasochistic ménage à trois; Claire, an older wealthy woman; and their plaything, Anne. Structure-wise, the narrative does a superb job establishing the relationship between the three main players, especially Jean and Anne. There is a well-defined evolution to the proceedings at hand that makes everything all the more plausible and easier to digest.

When it comes to the performances, none shine brighter than Mary Mendum (Abigail Lesley is Back in Town), who portrays Anne. At the time of filming The Image, she was dating Radley Metzger. She delivers a phenomenal performance that is arguably her best. Though most of the characters are secondary, there are two other key characters, Jean and Claire. Carl Parker and Marilyn Roberts portray the characters, delivering pitch-perfect performances that counterbalance Mary Mendum's.

An area where The Image excels is its picturesque visuals, which use the Paris locations for maximum effect; notably, a scene in a rose garden is one of the more visually resonating moments. Another area where the visuals excel are the S&M moments; they are exquisitely realized. Ultimately, The Image is more than a series of sexual rendezvous around the city of Paris; if you are willing to look past the stylized moments of sexualized fetishism, there is a well of subtext that can be gleaned from this film, notably how pleasure and pain are intertwined.

The Image gets a solid audio/video presentation; highly recommended despite its lack of contextual extras.

 







Written by Michael Den Boer

Underworld Beauty: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray) Theatrical Release Dates: Japan, 1958 (Underworld Beauty), Japan, 1959 (Love ...