16 The Idiot
- tristan
- Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 11:15 pm
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16 The Idiot
The Idiot
Akira Kurosawa's The Idiot, his only adaptation of a Fyodor Dostoevsky novel, was a cherished project on which it is claimed he expended more effort than on any other film. A darkly ambitious exploration of the depths of human emotion, it combines the talents of two of the greatest Japanese actors of their generation — Toshiro Mifune (Seven Samurai, Yojimbo) and Setsuko Hara (Tokyo Story, Late Spring). The Idiot is perhaps the most contemplative of all Kurosawa's works, a tone which is heightened by the unusual, trance-like performances.
Kurosawa's electrifying dramatisation uproots the novel's Russian Summer setting to a memorable, snowbound Hokkaido, the northern-most island of Japan, closest to Russia in climate and custom. War criminal Kameda (Masayuki Mori), reprieved from a death sentence, is fresh out of the asylum, mentally fragile, and prone to epileptic fits. In turn, his emotional involvement with two women (Setsuko Hara and Yoshiko Kuga) and his new, increasingly volatile friend Akama (Toshiro Mifune) leads further into madness and gross tragedy.
Filmed between Rashomon and Ikiru, Kurosawa poured himself into faithfully capturing the essence of his favourite author's work, only to see it butchered by the studio. Never at all released in its original 266-minute form, the original Kurosawa edit was only ever shown once at the Japanese premiere and then re-edited by the studio prior to the official Japanese release the following week. In spite of Kurosawa's own efforts to locate the original version in the studio's vaults forty years later, his cut is now sadly considered lost. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the longest extant version of this rarely seen film: the original 166-minute domestic release, as presented to the Japanese public in 1951.
Special Features
- Newly restored transfer
- Optional English subtitles
- Production stills gallery
- 36-page booklet with a new essay by Daryl Chin, and a reprint of the section on The Idiot from Kurosawa: Film Studies and Japanese Cinema by Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto
Akira Kurosawa's The Idiot, his only adaptation of a Fyodor Dostoevsky novel, was a cherished project on which it is claimed he expended more effort than on any other film. A darkly ambitious exploration of the depths of human emotion, it combines the talents of two of the greatest Japanese actors of their generation — Toshiro Mifune (Seven Samurai, Yojimbo) and Setsuko Hara (Tokyo Story, Late Spring). The Idiot is perhaps the most contemplative of all Kurosawa's works, a tone which is heightened by the unusual, trance-like performances.
Kurosawa's electrifying dramatisation uproots the novel's Russian Summer setting to a memorable, snowbound Hokkaido, the northern-most island of Japan, closest to Russia in climate and custom. War criminal Kameda (Masayuki Mori), reprieved from a death sentence, is fresh out of the asylum, mentally fragile, and prone to epileptic fits. In turn, his emotional involvement with two women (Setsuko Hara and Yoshiko Kuga) and his new, increasingly volatile friend Akama (Toshiro Mifune) leads further into madness and gross tragedy.
Filmed between Rashomon and Ikiru, Kurosawa poured himself into faithfully capturing the essence of his favourite author's work, only to see it butchered by the studio. Never at all released in its original 266-minute form, the original Kurosawa edit was only ever shown once at the Japanese premiere and then re-edited by the studio prior to the official Japanese release the following week. In spite of Kurosawa's own efforts to locate the original version in the studio's vaults forty years later, his cut is now sadly considered lost. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the longest extant version of this rarely seen film: the original 166-minute domestic release, as presented to the Japanese public in 1951.
Special Features
- Newly restored transfer
- Optional English subtitles
- Production stills gallery
- 36-page booklet with a new essay by Daryl Chin, and a reprint of the section on The Idiot from Kurosawa: Film Studies and Japanese Cinema by Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto
- Lino
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 6:18 am
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From imdb.com:
http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=DA-191
So, which one are we getting? The japanese disc runs 166 minutes. Is this the one you're working from?Runtime: 166 min / Japan:180 min (premiere) / Japan:265 min (extended version)
Trivia: Filmed as a two-part film, but cut severely by the studio against director Akira Kurosawa's wishes. Original unreleased version ran 265 minutes.
http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=DA-191
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- not perpee
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm
In 1990, Kurosawa himself spent a week in Shochiku's archives looking for the original version. He found nothing.
There are rumours of a collector with a 16mm print of the original version, but no-one has actually seen it, so it's probably apocryphal.
Shochiku only have the release version. This is the version that was released to the whole of Japan immediately after the premiere.
The original version was only seen at the premiere.
There are rumours of a collector with a 16mm print of the original version, but no-one has actually seen it, so it's probably apocryphal.
Shochiku only have the release version. This is the version that was released to the whole of Japan immediately after the premiere.
The original version was only seen at the premiere.
- Lino
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- Michael Kerpan
- Spelling Bee Champeen
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No, it doesn't deserve the universal bad press -- and Richie is, with all due respect, very far from infallible. ;~}
Despite some studio butchery -- Kurosawa's transposition of Doestoevsky's masterpiece from summertime Russia to wintertime Northern Japan does a superb job of capturing the spirit of the original. The performances are generally excellent (except Masayuki Mori, who nevertheless does his best to portray the elusive central role). I actually think Mifune turns in one of his best performances ever here -- and Hara is also excellent in her atypically frightening role. Moreover, the wintry cinematography is often extraordinary.
Despite some studio butchery -- Kurosawa's transposition of Doestoevsky's masterpiece from summertime Russia to wintertime Northern Japan does a superb job of capturing the spirit of the original. The performances are generally excellent (except Masayuki Mori, who nevertheless does his best to portray the elusive central role). I actually think Mifune turns in one of his best performances ever here -- and Hara is also excellent in her atypically frightening role. Moreover, the wintry cinematography is often extraordinary.
- Jun-Dai
- 監督
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- Michael Kerpan
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- Pinback
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Full description is now up up at the MoC site:
Masters of Cinema wrote:MoC #16
THE IDIOT
(Akira Kurosawa, 1951)
Japan | 1.33:1 OAR | Date of release: July 2005
Akira Kurosawa's The Idiot, his only adaptation of a Fyodor Dostoevsky novel, was a cherished project for which it is claimed he expended more effort than on any of his other films. A darkly ambitious exploration of the depths of human emotion, it combines the talents of two of the greatest Japanese actors of their generation — Toshiro Mifune (Seven Samurai, Yojimbo) and Setsuko Hara (Tokyo Story, Late Spring). The Idiot is perhaps the most contemplative of all Kurosawa's works, a tone which is heightened by the unusual, trance-like performances.
Kurosawa's electrifying dramatisation uproots the novel's Russian Summer setting to a memorable, snowbound Hokkaido — the northern-most island of Japan, closest to Russia in climate and custom. War criminal Kameda (Masayuki Mori), reprieved from a death sentence, is fresh out of the asylum, mentally fragile, and prone to epileptic fits. In turn, his emotional involvement with two women (Setsuko Hara and Yoshiko Kuga) and his new, increasingly volatile friend Akama (Toshiro Mifune) leads further into madness and gross tragedy.
Filmed between Rashomon and Ikiru, Kurosawa poured himself into faithfully capturing the essence of his favourite author's work — only to see it butchered by the studio. Never at all released in its original 266-minute form, the original Kurosawa edit was only ever shown once at the Japanese premiere and then re-edited by the studio prior to the official Japanese release the following week. In spite of Kurosawa's own efforts to locate the original version in the studio's vaults forty years later, his cut is now sadly considered lost. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the longest extant version of this rarely seen film: the original 166-minute domestic release, as presented to the Japanese public in 1951.
"Of all my films, people wrote to me most about this one... ...I had wanted to make The Idiot long before Rashomon. Since I was little I've liked Russian literature, but I find that I like Dostoevsky the best and had long thought that this book would make a wonderful film. He is still my favourite author, and he is the one — I still think — who writes most honestly about human existence." - AKIRA KUROSAWA
SPECIAL FEATURES
Newly restored transfer
Optional English subtitles
Production stills gallery
16-page booklet with a new essay by Daryl Chin, and a reprint of the section on The Idiot from KUROSAWA: Film Studies and Japanese Cinema by Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto.
Plus more!
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- not perpee
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm
An unusual and serious replication problem has unfortunately rendered the first pressing of THE IDIOT unwatchable (out of sync soundtrack).
This is the first time this has happened to us, and we're currently trying to pick up the pieces, but I'm afraid copies have already entered distribution channels.
We're working on a fix. If you have a copy already, or on the way to you, please hold on to it and we'll be putting a replacement scheme into place in the coming weeks.
We're very sorry about this, we still don't know what exactly caused it.
This is the first time this has happened to us, and we're currently trying to pick up the pieces, but I'm afraid copies have already entered distribution channels.
We're working on a fix. If you have a copy already, or on the way to you, please hold on to it and we'll be putting a replacement scheme into place in the coming weeks.
We're very sorry about this, we still don't know what exactly caused it.
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- not perpee
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm
SCANDAL has a few frames of dropout (all together in one place), which we've ascertained were on the Shochiku master. This is unfortunate, but of the "blink and you've missed it" type. Short of redoing the master in Japan at tremendous cost, the only realistic thing we could do would be to excise the few offending frames.
The sound sync issues on SCANDAL are actually issues with the way the film currently exists, completely unrelated to the error on THE IDIOT. The film was rather sloppily post-dubbed at the time, and Shochiku's master was a little disappointing. We've tried to correct it where we can, but there's nothing more we can do to sync what's there.
The sound sync issues on SCANDAL are actually issues with the way the film currently exists, completely unrelated to the error on THE IDIOT. The film was rather sloppily post-dubbed at the time, and Shochiku's master was a little disappointing. We've tried to correct it where we can, but there's nothing more we can do to sync what's there.
- Michael Kerpan
- Spelling Bee Champeen
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I haven't watched the whole film yet, but the parts I've sampled seemed pretty good.peerpee wrote:The film was rather sloppily post-dubbed at the time, and Shochiku's master was a little disappointing. We've tried to correct it where we can, but there's nothing more we can do to sync what's there.
It's funny to see Kurosawa basically doing a Perry Mason-esque type climax.
- denti alligator
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:36 pm
- Location: "born in heaven, raised in hell"
Mine shipped from amazon.co.uk today. Along with the shipment notice I got a notice that it might be an out-of-synch copy. Is this still possible at this point? I figured the delay in shipment meant they were waiting for the corrected printing.
Anyway, I'll report back when I've had a chance to view it.
Anyway, I'll report back when I've had a chance to view it.
- denti alligator
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:36 pm
- Location: "born in heaven, raised in hell"
Gary's review is up at dvdbeaver and it's very laudatory!
I got mine today in the mail and the design and packaging is simply gorgeous, as we've come to expect from MoC. Beautiful booklet, too.
I'll wait for the replacement to watch this, but I'm quite anxious to see it. Although I'm not a big Kurosawa fan this is the first Dostoyevsky novel I read (now over 10 years ago) and I have a special fondness for it. Plus I love to watch Setsuko Hara
Additional note: the cover is much darker than the one pictured at MoC's website, though it still looks magnificent, I think.
I got mine today in the mail and the design and packaging is simply gorgeous, as we've come to expect from MoC. Beautiful booklet, too.
I'll wait for the replacement to watch this, but I'm quite anxious to see it. Although I'm not a big Kurosawa fan this is the first Dostoyevsky novel I read (now over 10 years ago) and I have a special fondness for it. Plus I love to watch Setsuko Hara
Additional note: the cover is much darker than the one pictured at MoC's website, though it still looks magnificent, I think.
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- not perpee
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm
The new version of THE IDIOT is complete and ready.
Generally speaking, if you see a copy of THE IDIOT with a very dark looking cover (with no mirror/painting to the left of the lady) then this will be the old version.
The new version has a reprinted cover which now looks how it should (much lighter than the old version) and a mirror/painting is visible to the left of the lady on the cover..
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On the flipside of the DVD, there are two numbers around the inner rim.
The old (bad) version has: DVD30029 and DVD30030
The new (good) version has: DVD30271 and DVD30272
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Very few bad copies hit the distribution channels, many were returned. This shouldn't be a problem for long.
Generally speaking, if you see a copy of THE IDIOT with a very dark looking cover (with no mirror/painting to the left of the lady) then this will be the old version.
The new version has a reprinted cover which now looks how it should (much lighter than the old version) and a mirror/painting is visible to the left of the lady on the cover..
---
On the flipside of the DVD, there are two numbers around the inner rim.
The old (bad) version has: DVD30029 and DVD30030
The new (good) version has: DVD30271 and DVD30272
---
Very few bad copies hit the distribution channels, many were returned. This shouldn't be a problem for long.
- denti alligator
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:36 pm
- Location: "born in heaven, raised in hell"
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- not perpee
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm
Much better to bother Eureka instead of the retailer.
Please send *just the faulty disc* (no protection required as these will simply be recycled) to:
THE IDIOT replacements,
Eureka Entertainment
Unit 9 Ironbridge Close, Great Central Way
London, NW10 0UF, UK
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Hold on to your booklets and you will get a new sleeve (not as dark as the old one), new case, and a corrected disc.
Please send *just the faulty disc* (no protection required as these will simply be recycled) to:
THE IDIOT replacements,
Eureka Entertainment
Unit 9 Ironbridge Close, Great Central Way
London, NW10 0UF, UK
--
Hold on to your booklets and you will get a new sleeve (not as dark as the old one), new case, and a corrected disc.