Tokyo Sonata



The latest film from Kiyoshi Kurosawa the hugely acclaimed Japanese director famous for his groundbreaking, existential horror films such as Cure and Kairo [Pulse] set Cannes alight this year with a surprising change of pace to, that staple of Japanese cinema, the family drama.

When Ryuhei Sasaki (played by Teruyuki Kagawa) is unceremoniously dumped from his safe company job, his family's happy, humdrum life is put at risk. Unwilling to accept the shame of unemployment, the loyal salaryman decides not to tell anyone, instead leaving home each morning in suit and tie with briefcase, spending his days searching for work and lining up for soup with the homeless. Outstanding performances; serene, elegant direction; and Kurosawa's trademark chills are evident as he ratchets up the unsettling atmosphere and the grim hopelessness of Sasaki's unemployment.

In today s economically uncertain times, this highly topical film an eerie, poignant reflection on the mass uncertainty sweeping the world is widely regarded as Kurosawa s finest achievement and was the only Japanese film to receive an award at the Cannes Film Festival 2008 (Jury Prize winner of Un Certain Regard).

Special Features:

- HD transfer of the film in its original aspect ratio
- Newly translated optional English subtitles
- Making-of Documentary (60:39)
- Q&A, Tokyo, September 2008 (12:13)
- DVD Discussion (8:31)
- Original UK theatrical trailer (2:12)
- Premiere, Tokyo, September 2008 (15:09)
- 24-page booklet with director’s statement, and a brand new essay by writer B. Kite

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY

Fantastic news! Bravo, Nick!

I can't wait!

Really fantastic news. Looks like MoC has a strong foundation for building a collection of newer Asian cinema, which generally lacks exposure here in the US.

I held off semi-hoping that Mad Detective was a one-off... Not wishing to be too negative, but isn't this slightly out of sync with the nature of the rest of the collection?

Are these intended as MoC's equivalent to CC's Michael Bay releases? If so - and the idea is to generate revenue to carry on putting out Vampyr, Franjus, etc... - is there really such strong market out there for modern Asian cinema? Don't Tartan usually hoover up the more commercially viable prospects?

Or are they serious contenders to compete with some of the best films ever made - like the rest of the collection?

What the hell - I've bought the rest so I'll buy these too!

Johnny To has made plenty of "fluff" in his career, but many people already think that Mad Detective is legitimately great. For Tokyo Sonata, well KK has not disappointed me so far. I think both of these films fit right in with the rest of the collection, personally.

KK's Tokyo Sonata seems to be in the tradition of Ozu and Naruse. Whether it ultimately measures up to their work may take a long time time to assess. But KK is no flash in the pan.

To's best work is awfully good. And Mad Detective is quite impressive.

I guess I'm the only one here who thinks Johnnie To, at his very best, is pretty much as great as anything else in the MoC collection, barring maybe Naruse and Mizoguchi. I don't hold KK in the same regard, but I like his films a lot and am looking forward to this release.

I don't see why all of the "classics" that have made it into the Masters of Cinema series are automatically assumed by some to be "some of the best films ever made," whereas anything contemporary that's not overtly "classy" is considered unworthy.

I've now seen 30 films by Johnnie to -- and haven't regretted seeing even the flimsiest of these. Happily, lots and lots of them proved to be quite substantial artistically. Truth be told, I might prefer Ann Hui to be the first director from HK to get MOC treatment -- but I fear her work (unjustifiably) has too little commercial potential in the West. So, why not Johnnie To?

I do however wonder how high To's appeal is, since it seems that not all that many people (be it on the internet or people I know in RL) know him, or at least many many less than I expected.

Well, I've been plugging him for 3 years at least (for what it's worth). ;~}

seconded

This is now also confirmed for Blu-ray.

Wow, great news. I have to wonder if the people who do own a blu-ray system are even interested in a film like Tokyo Sonata but it is still fantastic news even if it will be realized for quite some time.

Then you'll be in for a surprise.

I don't expect it to be _like_ Ozu and Naruse -- just "in the tradition". ;~}

The film is really much more metaphorical than Ozu's and Naruse's. Best way to imagine is a much more subtle Kurosawa actually - but with the last act of the film going, as usual, quite far. Not a typical Japanese family drama for sure, despite whatever Derek Elley has to say. If you can find it, read the Q&A with Teruyugi Kagawa in the presskit - it's a very good summation of the film.

I tend to resist the metaphorical level in KK's films (and enjoy them immensely despite -- or because of -- this). This may not be the "right" way to watch his work -- but I don't really worry much about this. ;~}

Hahaha that's ok. The director also likes to resist going into details about the metaphorical stuff as well.

But FWIW, quite a few people in Cannes said to me that they believe this is Kurosawa's best film.

Yes, we are!

Pro-B

What a great image. Love the table!

Website is up. Spine number 81 for DVD and 3 for Blu-ray

Looks great (cover and website). I haven't seen the film, but what about this plot description:


Am I alone in being reminded of ...ahm.. a certain film by a certain F.W. Murnau?

Funnily enough, I didn't think of The Last Laugh (sorry for English title!), which is of course a masterpiece. I initially thought of Laurent Cantet's masterful Time Out. It seems to be a vein of drama that's really worth mining. So hopefully this will be great too.