“High and Low” is a thriller par excellence
Gondo isn´t spoiled, however, probably because he worked his way to the top. He´s a cold, calculating businessman but a devoted craftsman and a basically good soul whose morality is anchored by his loving and quietly assertive wife Reiko (Kyoko Kagawa.) One of the most fascinating developments in the story is the manner in which the policemen´s perception of Gondo changes. The rough-and-tumble bald-headed "Bos´n" (Kenjiro Ishiyama) admits that he was prepared to despise the rich executive, a sentiment shared by the other working class Joes on the force. But he grows to respect him, and the police are inspired to work all the more vigorously on Gondo´s behalf. Still, you have to wonder how the entire police force can devote themselves to one case for so long. Are there no other crimes going on? Perhaps this is just another manifestation of the power of wealth and privilege: Kingo Gondo needs justice, he´s gonna get justice. Tough luck for any poor people who dial ´911´ while the hunt for the kidnapper is on.
"High and Low" is a thriller par excellence, built on a great premise and crafted into an authentic and gripping story that doesn´t seem the slightest bit overlong at 143 minutes. Mifune is superb as always, but the entire cast delivers strong performances, even supporting characters who only get a few moments on screen. Ishiyama is great, and Tatsuya Nakadai outshines just about everyone as the implacable Inspector Tokura.
Even a film snob has to admit, you don´t have to be a bourgeois loser to think that "High and Low" is a great movie.
Video
This is a re-issue of an early Criterion release (it still has the Spine Number 24). Back in the early days, Criterion produced their share of turkeys mostly because they had no competition in the high-end DVD market. The transfer on the original release was a mediocre one with plenty of debris from the source print visible. The registration was poor, though the image quality was generally clear.
This new version more than compensates for the shortcomings of the original. The film is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and the restored transfer is very sharp though in scenes with a lot of white, the image sometimes looks a little blown out (the whites in the foreground and background blend together). I suspect this is what the film looked like in theaters too, so it´s not exactly a weakness of the transfer.
We finally have a worthy version of "High and Low" on Region 1 DVD.
Audio
The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0. Optional English subtitles support the Japanese audio.
Extras
The first release of "High and Low" only offered the ubiquitous Criterion color bars as an extra. This 2-disc set offers a bit more.
Disc One features a full-length commentary track by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince.
Disc Two sees Criterion dipping once again into the seemingly bottomless well of the Toho Masterworks series "Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create." This 37-minute excerpt from the series covers the making of "High and Low." (you probably knew that already.)
Mifune didn´t give many interviews, but Criterion has unearthed one from 1981 (30 min.) for the talk show "Tetsuko´s Room." This was recorded shortly after his appearance in Spielberg´s "1941" and he seems to have recovered from the trauma quite nicely.
The final extra is a new 2008 interview (19 min.) with actor Tsutomu Yamazaki who plays the kidnapper in the film.
There are three trailers provided as well, one of which shows a scene cut from the final film.
The insert booklet includes essays by Geoffrey O´Brien and, of course, an on-set report by Donald Richie who I believe has witnessed the shooting of every Japanese film since 1906, or maybe it´s 1806.
Film Value
"High and Low" is my second favorite Kurosawa after his gritty Macbeth adaptation "Throne of Blood." Only a late scene set in an alley lined with drug addicts feels like it strikes a false note in this otherwise near-pitch perfect effort. Few movies have ever depicted an entire police force with such vitality: they are brought to life both as an efficient unit and as individuals. It´s really a remarkable achievement for so many characters to shine brightly in the shadow of Mifune´s stardom.
If you own the original Criterion release, you should burn it and rush out to buy this re-issue. The extras are good, not great, but the improvement in the transfer is substantial. It´s more than worth the upgrade.
"High and Low" is a thriller par excellence, built on a great premise and crafted into an authentic and gripping story that doesn´t seem the slightest bit overlong at 143 minutes. Mifune is superb as always, but the entire cast delivers strong performances, even supporting characters who only get a few moments on screen. Ishiyama is great, and Tatsuya Nakadai outshines just about everyone as the implacable Inspector Tokura.
Even a film snob has to admit, you don´t have to be a bourgeois loser to think that "High and Low" is a great movie.
Video
This is a re-issue of an early Criterion release (it still has the Spine Number 24). Back in the early days, Criterion produced their share of turkeys mostly because they had no competition in the high-end DVD market. The transfer on the original release was a mediocre one with plenty of debris from the source print visible. The registration was poor, though the image quality was generally clear.
This new version more than compensates for the shortcomings of the original. The film is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and the restored transfer is very sharp though in scenes with a lot of white, the image sometimes looks a little blown out (the whites in the foreground and background blend together). I suspect this is what the film looked like in theaters too, so it´s not exactly a weakness of the transfer.
We finally have a worthy version of "High and Low" on Region 1 DVD.
Audio
The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0. Optional English subtitles support the Japanese audio.
Extras
The first release of "High and Low" only offered the ubiquitous Criterion color bars as an extra. This 2-disc set offers a bit more.
Disc One features a full-length commentary track by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince.
Disc Two sees Criterion dipping once again into the seemingly bottomless well of the Toho Masterworks series "Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create." This 37-minute excerpt from the series covers the making of "High and Low." (you probably knew that already.)
Mifune didn´t give many interviews, but Criterion has unearthed one from 1981 (30 min.) for the talk show "Tetsuko´s Room." This was recorded shortly after his appearance in Spielberg´s "1941" and he seems to have recovered from the trauma quite nicely.
The final extra is a new 2008 interview (19 min.) with actor Tsutomu Yamazaki who plays the kidnapper in the film.
There are three trailers provided as well, one of which shows a scene cut from the final film.
The insert booklet includes essays by Geoffrey O´Brien and, of course, an on-set report by Donald Richie who I believe has witnessed the shooting of every Japanese film since 1906, or maybe it´s 1806.
Film Value
"High and Low" is my second favorite Kurosawa after his gritty Macbeth adaptation "Throne of Blood." Only a late scene set in an alley lined with drug addicts feels like it strikes a false note in this otherwise near-pitch perfect effort. Few movies have ever depicted an entire police force with such vitality: they are brought to life both as an efficient unit and as individuals. It´s really a remarkable achievement for so many characters to shine brightly in the shadow of Mifune´s stardom.
If you own the original Criterion release, you should burn it and rush out to buy this re-issue. The extras are good, not great, but the improvement in the transfer is substantial. It´s more than worth the upgrade.
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[release]24236[/release]