THE ISLAND CLOSEST TO HEAVEN (1984)
Label: Cult Epics
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 102 Minutes 28 Seconds
Audio: Japanese DTS-HA MA 2.0 Dual-Mono, LPCM 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
Cast: Tomoyo Harada, Yukihiro Takahashi, Ryoichi Takayanagi, Toru Minegishi, Miyoko Akaza
The Island Closest To Heaven (1984), directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi (School in the Crosshairs) is a beautiful coming-of-age story starring Tomoyo Harada (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) as an introverted teen, based on Katsura Morimura's 1966 best-selling travelogue, Obayashi's paradise-laden coming-of-age tale is an island. The film opens with a scene of her and her father (Yukihiro Takahashi) at the ocean's edge talking whimsically of the someday visiting the "island closest to heaven". Years later her father passes away at a young age and the bookish teen decides to honor her late father by taking a trip to the lovely white sands of New Caledonia, a solo journey with her mother's blessing, travelling to the tropical archipelago's indigo-tinted waters in search of this mythic island.
Mari journey takes her off the beaten path to gorgeous exotic locations, she leaves her tour group in favor of heading out on her own to find the exact spot her father described, along the way befriending islander boy Taro (Ryoichi Takayanagi) and a quirky older tour guide named Yuichi (Tôru Minegishi, Godzilla vs. Biollante) who enables her to visit multiple island in her quest. The story of a naive highschool girl travelling to a foreign place sounds like it might be fraught with peril and potential menace, but Nobuhiko Obayashi fantastic coming-of-age tale is anything but, it's an affecting and romanticized portrait of a young girl's journey to self-discovery, it's quite a warm and fuzzy odyssey full of teen melancholy and tender melodrama, all set on a series gorgeous tropical islands.
Audio/Video: The Island Closest to Heaven gets a region-free Blu-ray from Cult Epics, presented in 1080p HD framed in 1.85:1 widescreen. The film has an attractive, perhaps intentionally softy look to it with blacks that often appear greyish, this might have been a stylistic choice. Skin tones look accurate, the turquois tropical waters look terrific, and a couple of the striking sunsets look absolutely breathtaking. Audio options include both Japanese LPCM 2.0 dual-mono and DTS-HD 2.0 dual-mono with newly improved optional English subtitles, both tracks are clean and have solid fidelity, the dialogue, including some English and French passages, sound excellent, as does the lush and evocative score by Asakawa Tomoyuki.
Extras include an Audio Commentary by film critic Derek Smith that does excellent work commenting on the career of Obayashi, including his early work in television commercials, noting the cast and crew, locations and stylistic choices. We also get a 26-min Kadokawa and Obayashi - Visual essay by Alex Pratt, which explores the career of producer Haruki Kadokawa who worked with Obayashi, who went onto to become a director in his own right. The hour-long Tomoya Harada 28 Days in Caledonia: The Making of The Island Closest to Heaven is a making-of featuring plenty of footage and images of young star Tomoya Harada on the island, behind-the-scenes of the making of the film, footage of her t locations on the island, at the airport, and the premiers of the film The last of the disc extras is an 8-min collection of Nobuhiko Obayashi Trailers including The Island Closest to Heaven, His Motorbike, Her Island, School In the Crosshairs, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, all of which have been released by Cult Epics.
The single-disc release arrives in a clear keepcase with a Reversible Wrap featuring the original Japanese poster art, inside, at lest with the first-pressing is a cool reproduction of the 24-page Japanese press booklet , plus we get a
Slipcover with unique artwork by Sam Smith, which is also limited to the first-pressing.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary by film critic Derek Smith
- Kadokawa and Obayashi - Visual essay by Alex Pratt (26:04)
- Tomoya Harada 28 Days in Caledonia: The Making of The Island Closest to Heaven (59:56)
- Nobuhiko Obayashi Trailers: The Island Closest to Heaven (1:41), His Motorbike, Her Island (1:32), School In the Crosshairs (1:53) and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2:43)
- New Slipcase art design by Sam Smith
- Reversible sleeve with original - Japanese poster art
- First Pressing includes repro 24-page Japanese booklet (pamphlet)
Cult Epics continuing journey through the filmography of director Nobuhiko Obayashi has been quite exciting for me, I'd previously only known him as the director of the surreal haunter House (1977). This dive into his other lesser-known (at least here in the U.S.) works, which have not had quality North American releases till now, has been quite an eye-opener, offering a blend of quirky romantics and coming-of-age tales that sometimes have fantastical elements, all with the director's unique visual style, None quite cater to my personal tastes the way that House does, it's still my go-to from the director, but it's certainly given me a deeper appreciation for his work.
Screenshots from the Cult Epics Blu-ray:
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