Warped World Of Koreyoshi Kurahara (Criterion Collection Region 1) - Eclipse Series 28Five-DVD Box Set Includes:
Intimidation Koreyoshi Kurahara’s ingeniously plotted, pocket-sized noir concerns the intertwining fates of a desperate bank manager, blackmailed for book-cooking, and his resentful but timid underling, passed over for a promotion. Elegantly stripped-down and carefully paced, Intimidation (Aru kyouhaku) is a moody early film from one of the Japanese New Wave’s preeminent stylists.
1960, 67 minutes, Black & White, Monaural, In Japanese with English subtitles, 2.20:1 aspect ratio
The Warped Ones A juvenile delinquent gets out of the pen and immediately embarks on a rampage of misdirected anger, most of it unleashed on an unsuspecting young woman. Shot through with the same kind of bebop bravado that Godard was experimenting with half a world away, the anarchic descent into amoral madness that is The Warped Ones (Kyonetsu no kisetsu) sounded a lost generation’s cry for help and kicked off Japan’s cinematic sixties with a bang.
1960, 75 minutes, Black & White, Monaural, In Japanese with English subtitles, 2.35:1 aspect ratio
I Hate But Love Inspired by Preston Sturges’s Sullivan’s Travels, I Hate But Love (Nikui anchikusho) is a high-octane romantic comedy and road movie that follows a celebrity dissatisfied with his personal and professional life who impulsively leaves Tokyo to deliver a much-needed Jeep to a remote village. When his controlling girlfriend (also his career manager) follows, the two must reconcile while dodging reporters.
1962, 105 minutes, Color, Monaural, In Japanese with English subtitles, 2.35:1 aspect ratio
Black Sun You’ve probably never seen anything quite like this manic, oddball, anti–buddy picture about a young, jazz-obsessed Japanese drifter and a black American GI on the lam in Tokyo. The two outsiders become outlaws, and Kurahara depicts their growing bond as an increasingly absurd culture clash. Black Sun (Kuroi taiyo) features original music by American jazz drummer Max Roach.
1964, 95 minutes, Black & White, Monaural, In Japanese with English subtitles, 2.25:1 aspect ratio
Thirst for Love Kurahara adapted a novel by Yukio Mishima for Thirst for Love (Ai no kawaki), a tense psychological drama about a young woman who is widowed after marrying into a wealthy family, and becomes sexually involved with her father-in-law while harboring a destructive obsession with the family gardener. Kurahara’s atmospheric style is a perfect match for Mishima’s brooding sensuality.
1967, 104 minutes, Black & White, Monaural, In Japanese with English subtitles, 2.45:1 aspect ratio
