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To US fans... US version of Zatoichi rocks.

21 Jun 2004
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As many of you may or may not know, I am very difficult to please when it comes to US releases of Japanese or Asian films in general. Somehow, somewhere, some suit will make a decision that will ultimately piss me off and have me hear whining for all to read.

Well, I have to say that I was a little surprised upon going to Best Buy and getting the Zatoichi/Sonatine 2-Pack released by Miramax. While I could have done without the bastardisation of the cool Zatoichi cover we COULD have had because Miramax decided to plaster a pic of the old VHS box of Sonatine on the side saying 'FIRST TIME ON DVD!!!", I would have to say that what was contained within was heartwarming and shows that they went through great pains to make this a damned fine release. (Can anyone say run-on sentence?)

Anyway, with Zatoichi, there aren't 2 DVD's like the Japanese/Korean/HK/Chinese/Thai versions. There are, however, a lot of cool features. Interviews with some of the cast, a featurette that is pretty long about the making of the film as well as I think.. the trailer? Anyway, the same sound mix is used as the Korean and Japanese releases of a nice 5.1 and the colour... All I can say is that I heard that the Japanese and Korean releases used the theatrical film prints in their mastering and therefore the picture seems a bit faded, which may have been intentional. But Miramax went ahead and seemingly just restored the colour of the film, making it so vibrant. Wow.

With Sonatine, all I can say is that I am so happy to have this film land on my shores in DVD form. It's Kitano at his best.

So, US Kitano fans, but this set. Well worth it.

I just wish I could get some covers done for these.

Ah well.

Ant
 
All I can say is that I heard that the Japanese and Korean releases used the theatrical film prints in their mastering and therefore the picture seems a bit faded, which may have been intentional. But Miramax went ahead and seemingly just restored the colour of the film, making it so vibrant. Wow.

Actually, Kitano used the more muted colors on purpose. So the Miramax version is totally off and totally disrespectful in terms of what the director intended.

But you are right, it's a great movie!
 
DVDaholic said:
Actually, Kitano used the more muted colors on purpose. So the Miramax version is totally off and totally disrespectful in terms of what the director intended.

But you are right, it's a great movie!

Well, I can't even say that the colours are more vibrant than I originally thought. They are crisper, but not a travesty to the director. I have both versions, so it depends on what mood I am in, I guess.

But the real reason I got this disc was for Sonatine :)

Ant
 
I'm hoping they release Sonatine separately at some point cos i've only just splashed out on a pre-order for the UK 2-disc Tin box release due in January and im not about to spend more money on the film (already own the HK/JP and original UK version)

It's a shame Bandai didnt add english subs to their releases of Boiling Point/Violent Cop and Sonatine as the picture quality is stunning on all three.
 
Interesting that you have a tin special edition coming out soon for you over there. Sometimes, it pays to be a collector anywhere BUT the US on some things. Then again, I am happy that I was able to buy Sonatine on DVD at all. So, I guess it's a wash.

I hope you enjoy the spec ed.

Ant
 
Here's the general run down of the extras for the film:

Zatoichi (2004) - Collector's Edition (2 Discs) (5.1/DTS)

Deluxe embossed tin case
Limited edition numbered film cell
3 art cards
Full-colour illustrated 12 page booklet with production notes from director Takeshi Kitano

Disc 1:
Anamorphic widescreen feature with DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks

Disc 2:
2 interviews with director/star Takeshi Kitano
Interviews with producer Masayuki Mori, sword fight choreographers Tatsumi Nikamoto and Hiroaki Tokoro, costume designer Kazuko Kurosawa, production designer Norihiro Isoda, director of photography Katsumi Yanagijima, tap dancing choreographer Hideboh (The Stripes), composer Keiichi Suzuki and sound designer Senji Horiuchi
Takeshi Kitano masterclass
'Making Of' documentary
Stills and poster galleries
Filmographies
Theatrical trailer

The extras do seem a bit of a rehash from other releases but the inclusion of the Takeshi Kitano Masterclass (which im not sure what it is exactly or how long it will last) either way - once i get this version then i'll know i can get rid of my single disc UK and the HK release as the DTS track will be on it too.

How are the subs on the US version of SONATINE i had read on some sites that the subs are a little mis-timed coming in either a second too early or too late?
 
ghevans said:
The extras do seem a bit of a rehash from other releases but the inclusion of the Takeshi Kitano Masterclass (which im not sure what it is exactly or how long it will last) either way - once i get this version then i'll know i can get rid of my single disc UK and the HK release as the DTS track will be on it too.

While it does suck somewhat that the US version doesn't include the DTS track that other countries seem to be getting, I am not bothered by that as much as I thought I would have been. The 5.1 mix is excellent, and the US hasn't fully adopted to DTS yet. There are other movies such as Blackhawk Down that I would have rather had the DTS in from the get-go and not have to buy 2 other versions... but the master plot thickens, I suppose.

As for the US version not having the multitude of specials, what can you do? At least the main ones of importance (in my opinion of course, your mileage may vary slightly.) are included - the making of, costume designer and so on. At least the disc isn't as horrifying as putting the US version of Moon Child and finding no extras and no DTS or 5.1!!! Thankfully, a new and cheaper Japanese disc is available from cdjapan.com . (A word of advice, however with ordering from them.. They don't actually charge the card until a while after the product has shipped which I sadly found out! So if using Debit, be wary.)

ghevans said:
How are the subs on the US version of SONATINE i had read on some sites that the subs are a little mis-timed coming in either a second too early or too late?

As far as I could tell, the subs were perfectly fine. I saw the tape years ago and saw the film on cable here in the states and I could tell no difference. The only problem with Beat Takeshi's films sometimes is that the way his sentences are written and intended to be spoken are very harsh and subbing them may be a nightmare. (Again, my opinion ^^)

Well, lemme know how you like the Tin Box. Take some pics, and possibly you can do a nice colour scan of the film and send to me to replace the weak US cover art :)

Ant
 
antantrevolution said:
Well, I can't even say that the colours are more vibrant than I originally thought. They are crisper, but not a travesty to the director.
Ant

If you look at a side by side presentation, you'll see there is a very big difference.

I never said it was a travesty to the director, although I'd be curious how you are able to speak for him and say it's not? :)

There is no need to change the feel of the picture when it wasn't intended that way, but I'm sure most people won't care. I just don't see a point to the change.

On a side note, I'm glad to see Korea releasing more Kitano films, as the quality is pretty good. It's nice to have an anamorphic, English subtitled DVD of "A Scene At The Sea"!
 
DVDaholic said:
If you look at a side by side presentation, you'll see there is a very big difference.

I never said it was a travesty to the director, although I'd be curious how you are able to speak for him and say it's not? :)

I have both versions and have watched them side by side. I'm not speaking for Kitano, but obviously he must not be pissed about if the movie came out as it did.

DVDaholic said:
There is no need to change the feel of the picture when it wasn't intended that way, but I'm sure most people won't care. I just don't see a point to the change.

In a way, I can. Foreign films are just now beginning to break out big here in the US with a larger audience than just the art house crowd. As an example, I live in Vegas, two months before Zatoichi came out on DVD we had a few theaters playing the film. Not too bad for a Japanese Samurai movie, don't you think? Even more amazing, through word of mouth from those whom have seen it, I have seen so many poeple not only renting the film, but buying it as well and asking about other Kitano films. So, long story short, Miramax may have felt the need to enhance the colours to make it a bit more easy for people to get into. Just my opinion, nothing more.

DVDaholic said:
On a side note, I'm glad to see Korea releasing more Kitano films, as the quality is pretty good. It's nice to have an anamorphic, English subtitled DVD of "A Scene At The Sea"!

You know, I am happy that Korea is releasing more Japanese films, period. Sometimes they are not the best releases missing audio tracks (Bayside Shakedown 2 not having the 6.1 DTS when the j-Version I bought did!) but 90% of the time, they are on the money. I want to get the movie you mentioned, plus 'Getting Any?' and Dolls.

Ah well,

Ant
 
So, long story short, Miramax may have felt the need to enhance the colours to make it a bit more easy for people to get into. Just my opinion, nothing more.
I understand what you are saying, but it's not as though anyone who might buy it is going to know that the coloring was changed, so it's not going to affect sales in the least. They are going to see the DVD case, and maybe have heard something about it from a friend. So there is no need to change the Director's vision. If they had left it as intended, no one would have know the difference. At least that's my opinion.

Oh well, it the grand scheme of things, it won't make a difference. I just like the idea that movies are presented as intended, but I know many people dont care, as there are still people who would prefer to watch a dubbed fullscreen version of a foreign film! :D

As you mentioned, at least more people are paying attention to them.

By the way, have you seen Hana-bi? It's one of Kitano's best, and should definately be on your list if you haven't seen it yet. :)
 
Yeah, I can't say I was a fan of the movie "Zatoichi," although it had some action scenes in it, I thought it was less than mediocre of a film. Maybe it was just me but I got rather bored with it less than halfway through. I am usually interested in these types of movies, but yeah to say the least I was a little disappointed with this flick....
 
I also have Zatoichi on dvd and I really liked the film.
I found some of the scenes very funny and the tap dancing scene entertaining.
 
I have the Korean 2 disc Special Edition, picked it up awhile ago and must say I look forward to Takeshi Kitano's second installment into this famed series!
 
I watched Zatouichi on tv when it was broadcast here a few weeks ago. Not a bad film but there are better movies.
 
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