This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this episode, David and Trevor are joined by Aaron West to discuss Pleasures of the Flesh and Violence at Noon, the first two films in Eclipse Series 21: Oshima’s Outlaw Sixties.
About the films:
Often called the Godard of the East, Japanese director Nagisa Oshima was one of the most provocative film artists of the twentieth century, and his works challenged and shocked the cinematic world for decades. Following his rise to prominence at Shochiku, Oshima struck out to form his own production company, Sozo-sha, in the early sixties. That move ushered in the prolific period of his career that gave birth to the five films collected here. Unsurprisingly, this studio renegade was fascinated by stories of outsiders—serial killers,...
About the films:
Often called the Godard of the East, Japanese director Nagisa Oshima was one of the most provocative film artists of the twentieth century, and his works challenged and shocked the cinematic world for decades. Following his rise to prominence at Shochiku, Oshima struck out to form his own production company, Sozo-sha, in the early sixties. That move ushered in the prolific period of his career that gave birth to the five films collected here. Unsurprisingly, this studio renegade was fascinated by stories of outsiders—serial killers,...
- 2/22/2016
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
Before he would come to be known as one of cinema’s most controversial provocateurs with his most infamous title, 1976’s In the Realm of the Senses, Nagisa Oshima was heralded as one of the most influential voices in the Japanese New Wave of the 1960s. The decade prior showed the director contemplating urban youth issues, showcasing the moral quandaries of a new, disenchanted generation struggling to define notions of identity in Post WWII Japan. In the early 60s, Oshima spent most of his time working in television before returning to features predicated on lurid social issues usually involving a fascinating mixture of sexuality and crime. But 1968 saw the auteur tackling the treatment of Korean immigrants in Japan in two striking portraits, Three Resurrected Drunkards and the dark comedy Death by Hanging.
Based on an actual criminal case from a decade prior concerning a Korean immigrant who murdered two Japanese girls,...
Based on an actual criminal case from a decade prior concerning a Korean immigrant who murdered two Japanese girls,...
- 2/16/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Japanese film-maker best known for the sexually explicit In the Realm of the Senses and Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, starring David Bowie
In a sense, it is unfortunate that the Japanese director Nagisa Oshima, who has died aged 80, was more infamous than famous, due to one film, In the Realm of the Senses (also known as Ai No Corrida, 1976). Although it was, for many, in the realms of pornography, the film was a serious treatment of the link between the political and the sexual, eroticism and death (previously dealt with in Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris), and a breakthrough in the representation of explicit sex in mainstream art cinema. Like Bertolucci, Oshima was held and acquitted on an obscenity charge.
Based on a true cause célèbre, In the Realm of the Senses tells of a married man and a geisha, who retreat from the militarist Japan of 1936 into a world of their own,...
In a sense, it is unfortunate that the Japanese director Nagisa Oshima, who has died aged 80, was more infamous than famous, due to one film, In the Realm of the Senses (also known as Ai No Corrida, 1976). Although it was, for many, in the realms of pornography, the film was a serious treatment of the link between the political and the sexual, eroticism and death (previously dealt with in Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris), and a breakthrough in the representation of explicit sex in mainstream art cinema. Like Bertolucci, Oshima was held and acquitted on an obscenity charge.
Based on a true cause célèbre, In the Realm of the Senses tells of a married man and a geisha, who retreat from the militarist Japan of 1936 into a world of their own,...
- 1/16/2013
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
Directed by Nagisa Ôshima
United Kingdom/Japan, 1983
David Bowie’s golden hair stands out on the burnt island of Rarotonga. He doesn’t fit into the landscape. He doesn’t fit with his Japanese captors. He certainly doesn’t fit with his fellow imprisoned British soldiers. Like Terence Stamp in Pasolini’s Teorema, Bowie’s Jack Celliers lands square in the midst of foreign territory and sends everything and everyone into a rebellious and subtly sexual upheaval.
Jack Celliers (aka ‘Strafer’ Jack) is tossed into a WWII prison camp run by the charismatic, unbalanced, and frequently violent Gengo Hara (a young, pre-scar Takeshi Kitano). Hara already has an uneasy relationship with another British prisoner John Lawrence (Tom Conti), which oscillates from friendly to cruel. Captain Yonoi (Japanese rock star Ryûichi Sakamoto, who also composed the film’s iconic score) first meets Celliers when the latter is...
Directed by Nagisa Ôshima
United Kingdom/Japan, 1983
David Bowie’s golden hair stands out on the burnt island of Rarotonga. He doesn’t fit into the landscape. He doesn’t fit with his Japanese captors. He certainly doesn’t fit with his fellow imprisoned British soldiers. Like Terence Stamp in Pasolini’s Teorema, Bowie’s Jack Celliers lands square in the midst of foreign territory and sends everything and everyone into a rebellious and subtly sexual upheaval.
Jack Celliers (aka ‘Strafer’ Jack) is tossed into a WWII prison camp run by the charismatic, unbalanced, and frequently violent Gengo Hara (a young, pre-scar Takeshi Kitano). Hara already has an uneasy relationship with another British prisoner John Lawrence (Tom Conti), which oscillates from friendly to cruel. Captain Yonoi (Japanese rock star Ryûichi Sakamoto, who also composed the film’s iconic score) first meets Celliers when the latter is...
- 7/11/2011
- by Neal Dhand
- SoundOnSight
Criterion's December release announcement is brief, but sweet. David Cronenberg's Videodrome is coming to Blu-Ray while Guillermo Del Toro's Cronos will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray.
The Videodrome Blu-Ray seems to be sourced from same master as the 2004 Criterion DVD. Extras are largely same. Cronos is newly restored and packed with extras, including a previously unreleased short film called Geometria. Check the links in the calendar for full specifications.
Finally, as mentioned in the last Criterion Column, the DVD release of the America Lost and Found: The Bbs Story comes out on December 14th. The Blu-Ray will be released on November 23rd.
The Criterion Collection 2010 Release Calendar (January through December 2010, up-to-date as of September 16, 2010)
December 2010
David Cronenberg, Videodrome, Bd, 12/7/2010, Us & Canada
Guillermo del Toro, Cronos, 2-disc DVD & Bd, 12/7/2010, Us & Canada
November 2010
Charlie Chaplin, Modern Times, 2-dsc DVD & Bd, 11/16/10, Us & Canada
Charles Laughton, Night Of The Hunter, 2-disc DVD & 2-disc Bd,...
The Videodrome Blu-Ray seems to be sourced from same master as the 2004 Criterion DVD. Extras are largely same. Cronos is newly restored and packed with extras, including a previously unreleased short film called Geometria. Check the links in the calendar for full specifications.
Finally, as mentioned in the last Criterion Column, the DVD release of the America Lost and Found: The Bbs Story comes out on December 14th. The Blu-Ray will be released on November 23rd.
The Criterion Collection 2010 Release Calendar (January through December 2010, up-to-date as of September 16, 2010)
December 2010
David Cronenberg, Videodrome, Bd, 12/7/2010, Us & Canada
Guillermo del Toro, Cronos, 2-disc DVD & Bd, 12/7/2010, Us & Canada
November 2010
Charlie Chaplin, Modern Times, 2-dsc DVD & Bd, 11/16/10, Us & Canada
Charles Laughton, Night Of The Hunter, 2-disc DVD & 2-disc Bd,...
- 9/16/2010
- Screen Anarchy
In November, The Criterion Collection is set to release an eclectic mix of American classics with a bit of European transgression thrown in. A newly restored version of Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times is planned for DVD and Blu-Ray. Charles Laughton's stunning black-and-white noir/horror tale Night of the Hunter (1955) is also on the schedule for DVD and Blu-Ray. Lars Von Trier's Antichrist will invade home video players everywhere.
Those are great releases, but highlight of the November list is the America Lost and Found: The Bbs Story box set, which features 6 films from Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider's production company Bbs during the 60s-70s. Titles include: Head, Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, Drive He Said, The Last Picture Show, and The King Of Marvin Gardens. Think about the scope of this release for a second. This is six films by Dennis Hopper, Henry Jaglom, Jack Nicholson Bob Rafelson,...
Those are great releases, but highlight of the November list is the America Lost and Found: The Bbs Story box set, which features 6 films from Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider's production company Bbs during the 60s-70s. Titles include: Head, Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, Drive He Said, The Last Picture Show, and The King Of Marvin Gardens. Think about the scope of this release for a second. This is six films by Dennis Hopper, Henry Jaglom, Jack Nicholson Bob Rafelson,...
- 8/21/2010
- Screen Anarchy
The October 2010 batch of Criterion titles brings a few surprises. Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory is hitting DVD and Blu-Ray as is Ingmar Bergman's film The Magician. Criterion continues its relationship with Wes Anderson by releasing The Darjeeling Limited on Blu-Ray and DVD. Ok.
Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai is headed for Blu-Ray with a new restored high-def transfer. If the quality of Criterion's other Kurosawa Blu-Ray discs (e.g. Kagemusha, Sanjuro and Yojimbo) are any indication, it is time to ditch the DVDs. This one should look spectacular.
Finally, Nobuhiko Obayashi's House is making its way to Blu-Ray and DVD just in time for Halloween. There are a few things to note here. First, the fact that Criterion is releasing this on Blu-Ray with a restored transfer and uncompressed mono sound is kind of a surprise. This is a very good thing. The other curious thing is the extras.
Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai is headed for Blu-Ray with a new restored high-def transfer. If the quality of Criterion's other Kurosawa Blu-Ray discs (e.g. Kagemusha, Sanjuro and Yojimbo) are any indication, it is time to ditch the DVDs. This one should look spectacular.
Finally, Nobuhiko Obayashi's House is making its way to Blu-Ray and DVD just in time for Halloween. There are a few things to note here. First, the fact that Criterion is releasing this on Blu-Ray with a restored transfer and uncompressed mono sound is kind of a surprise. This is a very good thing. The other curious thing is the extras.
- 7/17/2010
- Screen Anarchy
The September releases of Breathless on Blu-Ray and The Thin Red Line on Blu-Ray and DVD aren't so much of a surprise. A high-def Breathless release was inevitable and the Malick title leaked out a while ago. Also, Charade is the sort of classic Hollywood auterist fare that Criterion often deals in. No, the big surprise here is Oshima's Happy Birthday Mr. Lawrence. Both this release and the recent Oshima DVD box indicate that Criterion is seriously intent to digging deeper into the director's filmography. Finally, it would be a mistake not to mention the Eclipse box set of Allan King films. The Canadian director's documentaries have never been readily available in the U.S. so this box should expose his work to an entirely new audience (including this writer).
The Criterion Collection 2010 Release Calendar (Covers January through September 2010, up-to-date as of July 7, 2010)
September 2010
Jean-Luc Godard, Breathless, DVD & Bd, 9/14/10, Us...
The Criterion Collection 2010 Release Calendar (Covers January through September 2010, up-to-date as of July 7, 2010)
September 2010
Jean-Luc Godard, Breathless, DVD & Bd, 9/14/10, Us...
- 7/8/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Grades: Pleasures Of The Flesh: B+; Violence At Noon: A; Sing A Song Of Sex: B-; Japanese Summer: Double Suicide: C; Three Resurrected Drunkards: B Though it would be reductive to draw too many comparisons between the French New Wave and the much looser association of filmmakers that comprised the Japanese New Wave, the two have a few fundamental things in common: an engagement with the social and political upheaval of the times, a wholesale rejection of tradition and the status quo, and a restless inclination to shake up the medium itself. Called the Japanese Jean-Luc Godard, Nagisa Oshima (In ...
- 6/16/2010
- avclub.com
Going into Nagisa Oshima’s latest Criterion outing, a collection of his 1960’s releases in the form of an Eclipse box set known as Oshima’s Outlaw Sixties, I couldn’t help but think that my high expectations, would most likely be shot down.
As much as I enjoy Oshima’s latter works, like In The Realm Of The Senses, Oshima has been known as the Godard of Japan, leaving me to think that this would be a life altering box set experience, like none other.
That said, now having actually seen the rather expansive collection of films, I can honestly say that this is not only a must own for any cinephile, it’s also an eye opening set of politically motivated, violent, and sexually charged pieces of cinema that many people have not had the joy of laying eyes on.
The collection opens with Oshima’s 1965 film, Pleasures Of The Flesh,...
As much as I enjoy Oshima’s latter works, like In The Realm Of The Senses, Oshima has been known as the Godard of Japan, leaving me to think that this would be a life altering box set experience, like none other.
That said, now having actually seen the rather expansive collection of films, I can honestly say that this is not only a must own for any cinephile, it’s also an eye opening set of politically motivated, violent, and sexually charged pieces of cinema that many people have not had the joy of laying eyes on.
The collection opens with Oshima’s 1965 film, Pleasures Of The Flesh,...
- 5/30/2010
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
We live in a strange day and age, when the very idea of a filmmaker apostate rebelling against the status quo of mainstream cinema strikes us as unattractive or even silly. Not since the '50s has cinema as we see it in the United States been so conformist. Sure, Tarantino and Kaufman and a handful of little-seen imported directors "break the rules," but if the films aren't brimming with amenable showbiz zest, they hardly stand a chance.
Not that there's anything wrong with showbiz zest, per se. But there was a time when tumult and experiment were de rigueur, when New Waves were breaking on the shores of urban theaters everywhere, and it's hard to blame the filmgoer who looks at the prickly, risky, fuck-you movies of the '60s and '70s and finds them more modern and resonant and relevant than what's happening in theaters now.
One...
Not that there's anything wrong with showbiz zest, per se. But there was a time when tumult and experiment were de rigueur, when New Waves were breaking on the shores of urban theaters everywhere, and it's hard to blame the filmgoer who looks at the prickly, risky, fuck-you movies of the '60s and '70s and finds them more modern and resonant and relevant than what's happening in theaters now.
One...
- 5/25/2010
- by Michael Atkinson
- ifc.com
Eclipse's Oshima's Outlaw Sixties DVD box set is the first serious attempt to represent Nagisa Oshima's 1960s filmography on North American home video. The marketing of this box tends to make Oshima seem like a Eastern Jean Luc-Godard, but like other members of the so-called Japanese New Wave, Oshima worked in a completely different aesthetic, cultural and political space.
Nagisa Oshima's feature film career can be roughly divided into three periods: Shochiko (1959-1960), Sozosha (1965-1972), and Euro-Japanese co-productions (1976-1986). The Eclipse box set presents five films from the beginning of the Sozosha period, including Pleasures of the Flesh (1965/B&W), Violence at Noon (1966/B&W), Sing a Song of Sex (1967/Color), Japanese Summer: Double Suicide (1967/B&W), and Three Resurrected Drunkards (1968/Color). These films make use key themes that Oshima would return to throughout his career like criminality, sexual deviance, the Japanese left, militarism, and Japanese-Korean relations. However,...
Nagisa Oshima's feature film career can be roughly divided into three periods: Shochiko (1959-1960), Sozosha (1965-1972), and Euro-Japanese co-productions (1976-1986). The Eclipse box set presents five films from the beginning of the Sozosha period, including Pleasures of the Flesh (1965/B&W), Violence at Noon (1966/B&W), Sing a Song of Sex (1967/Color), Japanese Summer: Double Suicide (1967/B&W), and Three Resurrected Drunkards (1968/Color). These films make use key themes that Oshima would return to throughout his career like criminality, sexual deviance, the Japanese left, militarism, and Japanese-Korean relations. However,...
- 5/24/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Fall 2010 brings very interesting news and rumors about releases from The Criterion Collection. First, the label has issued the official list of films for August release. These include two essential documentaries by Terry Zwigoff, Black Orpheus, a box of Josef von Sternberg silent films, and 4 early Akira Kurosawa films that originally appeared in the Ak 100 25 disc box set.
Lots of unofficial information has also begun to surface about future releases. In late April, The New York Times confirmed rumors that Criterion will release Nobuhiko Obayashi's Hausu will in September. Additionally, pre-order pages for Criterion Blu-Rays of Antichrist, The Darjeeling Limited, The Seven Samurai, The Thin Red Line, and Videodrome have popped up on Amazon. Look for official updates in the next Criterion Column.
The Criterion Collection 2010 Release Calendar (Covers January through August 2010, up-to-date as of May 23, 2010)
August 2010
Akira Kurosawa, Eclipse Series 23: The First Films Of Akira Kurosawa
(Sanshiro Sugata...
Lots of unofficial information has also begun to surface about future releases. In late April, The New York Times confirmed rumors that Criterion will release Nobuhiko Obayashi's Hausu will in September. Additionally, pre-order pages for Criterion Blu-Rays of Antichrist, The Darjeeling Limited, The Seven Samurai, The Thin Red Line, and Videodrome have popped up on Amazon. Look for official updates in the next Criterion Column.
The Criterion Collection 2010 Release Calendar (Covers January through August 2010, up-to-date as of May 23, 2010)
August 2010
Akira Kurosawa, Eclipse Series 23: The First Films Of Akira Kurosawa
(Sanshiro Sugata...
- 5/22/2010
- Screen Anarchy
With the new Eclipse box set, Eclipse Series 21: Oshima’s Outlaw Sixties, hitting store shelves today, it appears as though Criterion is set to release yet another film from the legendary director, Nagisa Oshima.
Best known as the man behind the controversial film, In The Realm of The Senses, the new box set includes films like Pleasures of the Flesh, Violence At Noon, Sing a Song Of Sex, Japanese Summer: Double Suicide and Three Resurrected Drunkards, Criterion has now announced, kind of, that they will be bringing Oshima’s Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence to the collection.
In a tweet this morning, the collection announced that the film would see a release “this year…” which albeit a cryptic piece of news, is quite interesting. This would be Nagisa’s third film in the collection, with Senses and Empire of Passion, and follows a British soldier Jack Celliers who comes to a Japanese prison camp,...
Best known as the man behind the controversial film, In The Realm of The Senses, the new box set includes films like Pleasures of the Flesh, Violence At Noon, Sing a Song Of Sex, Japanese Summer: Double Suicide and Three Resurrected Drunkards, Criterion has now announced, kind of, that they will be bringing Oshima’s Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence to the collection.
In a tweet this morning, the collection announced that the film would see a release “this year…” which albeit a cryptic piece of news, is quite interesting. This would be Nagisa’s third film in the collection, with Senses and Empire of Passion, and follows a British soldier Jack Celliers who comes to a Japanese prison camp,...
- 5/19/2010
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
The Criterion Collection is bringing out the big guns in May 2010. No, Hausu has not been announced yet, but another big Japanese release is forthcoming. Specifically, Criterion is releasing a 5 DVD box set of Nagisa Oshima films from the 1960s. Oshima's earlier works are very difficult to find in legitimate form so this announcement is very exciting.
The good news doesn't stop with Oshima. The second volume in the Stan Brakhage anthology will finally see the light of day, and both volumes will be collected on a 3 disc Blu-Ray set. Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout makes an appearance for the first time on DVD and Blu-Ray. Fritz Lang's M will receive the Blu-Ray treatment. Finally, John Ford fans (there are a few) can look forward to Stagecoach on DVD and Blu-Ray. As usual, full details on the new titles have been added to the 2010 release calendar at the bottom of this post.
The good news doesn't stop with Oshima. The second volume in the Stan Brakhage anthology will finally see the light of day, and both volumes will be collected on a 3 disc Blu-Ray set. Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout makes an appearance for the first time on DVD and Blu-Ray. Fritz Lang's M will receive the Blu-Ray treatment. Finally, John Ford fans (there are a few) can look forward to Stagecoach on DVD and Blu-Ray. As usual, full details on the new titles have been added to the 2010 release calendar at the bottom of this post.
- 2/13/2010
- Screen Anarchy
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