Description
“Two peerless masters of Japanese cinema – Kinji Fukasaku (Battles without Honor and Humanity, Battle Royale) and Takashi Miike (Dead or Alive, Audition) – present their own distinctive adaptations of yakuza expert Goro Fujita’s gangster novel Graveyard of Honor, each tapping into the zeitgeist of a distinct period of Japanese history.
Set during the turbulent post-war years, Fukasaku’s original 1975 film charts the rise and fall of real-life gangster Rikio Ishikawa (Tetsuya Watari, Outlaw Gangster VIP). Shot through with the same stark realism and quasi-documentarian approach as Fukasaku’s earlier Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Fukasaku nonetheless breaks new ground through his portrayal of a gangster utterly without honor or ethics, surviving by any means necessary in a world of brutal criminality.
Meanwhile, Miike’s 2002 retelling transplants the story to Tokyo at the turn of the millennium. Less a direct remake of Fukasku’s film than a radical reimagining of the same overarching premise, Miike’s film captures both the hedonism and nihilism of the modern Japanese crime scene in deliriously stylish fashion, resulting in a fascinating companion piece to the original that nonetheless stands as its own entity.
With both films making their High Definition debut in a sumptuous limited edition packed with new and archival bonus content, Arrow Video is proud to present these two intertwined but unique crime thrillers from two celebrated filmmakers at the peak of their creative powers.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
– Exclusive two-disc set featuring two different versions of Graveyard of Honor: the 1975 film by Kinji Fukasaku and the 2002 film by Takashi Miike
– Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan
– Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on both films by Jasper Sharp
DISC ONE – GRAVEYARD OF HONOR (1975)
– High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation
– Original lossless Japanese PCM 1.0 mono soundtrack
– Optional English subtitles
– New audio commentary by author and critic Mark Schilling
– Like a Balloon: The Life of a Yakuza, a new visual essay by critic and Projection Booth podcast host Mike White
– A Portrait of Rage, an archival appreciation of Fukasaku and his films, featuring interviews with filmmakers, scholars, and friends of the director
– On the Set with Fukasaku, an archival interview with assistant director Kenichi Oguri
– Theatrical trailer
– Imagery gallery
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan
DISC TWO – GRAVEYARD OF HONOR (2002)
– High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation
– Original lossless Japanese PCM 2.0 stereo soundtrack
– Optional English subtitles
– New audio commentary by Miike biographer Tom Mes
– New visual essay by author and critic Kat Ellinger
– Archival “interview special” featuring Miike and cast members Goro Kishitani and Narimi Arimori
– Archival “making-of” featurette
– Archival “making-of” teaser
– Archival press release interviews featuring Miike, Kishitani and Arimori
– Archival “premiere special” featuring Miike, Kishitani and Arimori
– Theatrical trailer
– Imagery gallery
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan”
