Seijun Suzuki's The Taisho Trilogy

[Ribs]

HAUNTING, HYPNOTIC, FLAMBOYANT, EROTIC, BIZARRE… SUZUKI!

After over a decade in the wilderness following his firing from Nikkatsu for Branded to Kill (1967), maverick director Seijun Suzuki returned with a vengeance with his critically-praised tryptic of cryptic supernatural dramas set during the liberal enlightenment of Japan’s Taisho Era (1912-26).

In the multiple Japanese Academy Award-winning Zigeunerweisen (1980), two intellectuals and former colleagues from military academy involve their wives in a series of dangerous sexual games. In Kageroza (1981), a playwright is drawn like a moth to a flame to a mysterious beauty who might be a ghost, while Yumeji (1991) imagines the real-life painter-poet Takehisa Yumeji’s encounter with a beautiful widow with a dark past.

Presented together on Blu-ray for the first time outside of Japan, the films in the Taisho Trilogy are considered Suzuki’s masterpieces in his homeland. Presenting a dramatic turn from more his familiar tales of cops, gangsters and unruly youth, these surrealistic psychological puzzles drip with a lush exoticism, distinctively capturing the pandemonium of a bygone age of decadence and excess, when Western ideas, fashions, technologies and art fused into everyday aspect of Japanese life.


SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS


High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
Original stereo audio (uncompressed on the Blu-ray)
Optional English subtitles
New introductions to each film by critic Tony Rayns
Making-of featurette
Vintage interview with Seijun Suzuki
More to be announced…

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Booklet featuring writing on the films by critic Jasper Sharp and more.

UK & US June 5

[swo17]

Woah

[Morbii]

Looks like the kevyip will be getting some friends! Well, briefly.

[beamish13]

WOW. I'm sure Tony Rayns' introductions will be exemplary, but these three films really cry out for some documentary supplements and commentaries to flesh out the complex allusions and storylines in these films.

[colinr0380]

Absolutely fantastic! The US DVD editions of these films were not that great quality (and almost unwatchable for such vibrant films) even at the time of their release over a decade ago. And I don't think they've ever been released in the UK at all.

[ozufils]

Are these new restorations ?

[senseabove]

WOW. I'm sure Tony Rayns' introductions will be exemplary, but these three films really cry out for some documentary supplements and commentaries to flesh out the complex allusions and storylines in these films.

My thoughts exactly. I am/was REALLY hoping we will/would get a commentary, at least on Tsiegeunerweisen. There are a lot of cultural allusions that are very opaque, but hopefully Rayns' intros and the essays will go into that. Whatever they do, I can't wait to see these cleaned up. The prints I saw were pretty rough. Curious if anyone's bothered with the Japanese set so we can get an idea of what to expect visually, but since it lacks English subs...

I also hope we get complete subtitles for these. The songs weren't translated on the 35mm print I saw last year, and they're such a prominent feature in the first film that I can't imagine they're inconsequential.

[Cronenfly]

This should be a great rescue. Surely the transfers and subs will be completely redone, and I am hopeful that there will be sufficient context provided by whatever the final roster of extras prove to be. Another unexpected but very welcome release in a year that is already proving to be full of them.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Honestly, I don't even need special features. Having these with good transfers is more than enough. Early contender for release of the year.

[manicsounds]

Finally in 1080p. Time to throw out the Japanese Blu-rays if you have them!

[LPM0317]

I have checked with arrow about the bonus feature,how many sets will be released and second pressing,this is the reply:

Hi,

Just to let you know, I've just spoken to Arrow and they advised that you keep an eye on their Facebook page for updates on the special features as more will be revealed. If you don't follow it already, it can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ArrowAcademy" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

The set will be limited to 3,000 in the UK and 3,000 in the US, and it's unlikely that all of the films in the set will be released as a second pressing.

Hope this answers all of your questions!

Kind regards,

[htdm]

Want!

Very glad I held off buying the Japanese set.

[Michael Kerpan]

I bought the Japanese set a while back -- but haven't yet done more than take a peek at how the films looked (comparted to their 35mm selves).

[kidc85]

the films in the Taisho Trilogy are considered Suzuki’s masterpieces in his homeland.

I've never heard of these films before - is this just hyperbolic copy or are these films regularly considered better than Branded etc?

[Gregory]

Not hyperbolic, as they say "considered...in his homeland": Branded to Kill and Tokyo Drifter are far more prized internationally and have cool and easily recognizable crime genre tropes, while Zigeunerweisen, for example, was a huge domestic success but wasn't really distributed internationally. The Kino/Kimstim DVD release of the trilogy didn't make anything close to the impression in the West that Criterion's earlier Suzuki DVDs had.

[Apperson]

Delayed until the 3rd of July.

[Ribs]

Delayed another two weeks to 17 July

[What A Disgrace]

Delayed three more weeks to August 8.

[Apperson]

One delay per film it seems.

[What A Disgrace]

Until they add a fourth unrelated film to the box, delaying the release until September.

[knives]

Making it a complete collection eventually.

[Apperson]

Until they add a fourth unrelated film to the box, delaying the release until September.

Don't you remember Raising Cain? It would be a delay of at least 5 months, pushing into 2018.

[rapta]

Delayed three more weeks to August 8.

Arrow site and Amazon UK both saying July 24th. Or do you mean the US set?

[Ribs]

Now in stock at Arrow's store

[jorencain]

I just got a shipping notice from Amazon UK. Are there any reviews of the set online? I haven't seen any.