Product Description
A young woman from the countryside (Miyuki Kuwano of Oshima's Cruel Story of Youth) falls in love with a handsome hoodlum (Mikijiro Hira, Sword of the Beast), who pushes her into a life of prostitution. When his sleazy superiors catch sight of her, she finds herself trapped inside the gaudy maze of city nightlife. Directed by Noburo Nakamura, a veteran of the Shochiku studio's signature Golden Age family dramas, The Shape of Night was made as a reaction to the radical film styles of the Japanese New Wave. With its lush cinematography full of saturated colours, a lyrical tone and its story of love leading to inescapable tragedy, it has been compared to the films of Douglas Sirk, while also acting as a precursor to the work of Wong Kar-wai.
LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:
- High-Definition digital transfer
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio
- Visual essay on the artistic upheavals at Shochiku studios during the 1960s by Tom Mes
- Trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Chuck Stephens
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
Review
A lyrical, nearly Wong Kar-wai-like counterpart to ardent work by Oshima or Imamura. --Film Comment
The camera angles and movements, the color scheme and editing all work brilliantly to illustrate her constant sacrifice and lead us to emotionally internalize the gaudy city as a dazzling parade that always leads her back to her situation. --Nick James, Sight & Sound
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Product Dimensions : 6.73 x 5.31 x 0.51 inches; 10 ounces
- Director : Noboru Nakamura
- Media Format : NTSC, Anamorphic, Blu-ray, Widescreen
- Run time : 1 hour and 49 minutes
- Release date : April 30, 2024
- Actors : Miyuki Kuwano, Mikijiro Hira, Bunta Sugawara, Emiko Kure
- Subtitles: : English
- Studio : Radiance
- Number of discs : 1
