THE SHAPE OF NIGHT (1964)
Label: Radiance Films
Region Code:
Rating:
Duration: 106 Minutes 32 Minutes
Audio: Japanese PCM 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Noboru Nakamura
Cast: Miyuki Kuwano, Mikijiro Hira, Bunta Sugawara, Keisuke Sonoi, Masuyo Iwamoto, Misako Tominaga, sao Kimura, Yoshiko Hiromura, Emiko Kure, Akitake Kôno, Kôji Matsubara, Hideaki Nagai, Miyoko Nakamura, Yoshihide Satô, Noriko Sengoku, Hifumi Takaoka, Shinji Tanaka, Bonta Tokyo
Directed by Noburo Nakamura The Shape of Night (1964) tells the story of a nineteen year-old woman from the countryside named Yoshie Nomoto (Miyuki Kuwano, Cruel Story of Youth) who at the start of the film is a prostitute. She's meeting with a seemingly kind john named Hiroshi Fujii (Keisuke Sonoi) who she has been meeting with regularly, after he inquires about her past she tells her sad story and we experience it in flashback.
Her tale starts with working at a factory before leaving that job to work at a nightclub in the city, which is where she met Eiji Kitami (Mikijirô Hira, Sword of the Beast), a low level Yakuza hood, the pair fall madly in love and are quite happy together. However, when he experience money problems he sweet talks into prostituting herself to generate some cash, which she does dutifully for love. What was supposed to be a one-off event proves to be a new way of life for her after her boyfriend's Yakuza boss demands a cut of the action, she finds herself drawn into a nightmare world of seemingly inescapable sex work on the neon lit streets of Tokyo.
Beautifully shot with some terrific use of neon lighting this is quite a disturbing examination of prostitution and what one young woman will do for love, Miyuki Kuwano's performance is absolutely engaging, she pulls you into it her plight. Early on she is gang-raped by the Yakuza gang, most of the sexual violence happens just off screen, but it's impactful stuff. When she tries to leave Eiji, whom she still clearly loves despite all that he has put her through, she feels she needs to stay to take care of him, he having become more pathetic as the story continues, but she is torn between staying and leaving him for her new knight in tarnished armor who says he wants to take her away from it all. This is a terrifically engaging story with gorgeous cinematography and and gripping performances, and I highly recommend this slice of life drama that tells the tale of how a sweet young girl from the county looking for more falls in love and finds herself drawn into the seedy world of sex work.
Audio/Video: The Shape of Night (1964) arrives on Blu-ray from Radiance Films with a gorgeous presentation of the film in 1080p HD widescreen (2.35:1), we get a filmic layer of grain, colors are reproduced nicely with good saturation, black levels are pleasing and fine detail and textures in close-ups are solid. Audio comes by way of original Japanese PCM 2.0 dual mono with optional English subtitles. The track is clean and free of hiss or distortion, dialogue sounds terrific and the score has a nice showing in the mix.
Extras for this release include a 16-min Interview with Yoshio Nakamura, the son of director Noboru Nakamura (2024), the son of the director; the 13-min Major Changes: Visual essay on the artistic upheavals at Shochiku studios during the 1960s by Tom Mes (2024), plus a Easter Egg featuring five more minutes with Nakamura.
The single-disc release arrives in a clear full-height Scanavo packaging with a Reversible Sleeve of Artwork featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow, plus Radiance's signature Removable OBI Strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings if you so wish. Tucked away inside is a 28-page Limited Edition Illustrated Booklet featuring new writing by Chuck Stephens, an archival piece from The Shape of Night cinematographer
Toichiro Narushima, plus cast and crew info, transfer notes, acknowledgements and release credits.
Special Features:
- Interview with Yoshio Nakamura, son of director Noboru Nakamura (2024) (15:45)
- Major Changes: Visual essay on the artistic upheavals at Shochiku studios during the 1960s by Tom Mes (2024) (13:45)
- Trailer
- Major Changes: Visual essay on the artistic upheavals at Shochiku studios during the 1960s by Tom Mes (2024) (13:45)
- 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
- 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
Screenshots from the Radiance Films Blu-ray:
#ad
