![Cruel Story of Youth (1960) [Masters of Cinema] Dual Format (DVD & Blu-ray)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91P2izwuosL.jpg)
SYNOPSIS:This second feature by the Japanese cinema-insurgent Nagisa Ôshima (In the Realm of the Senses, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence) galvanised its home-turf with its topsy-turvy directorial dexterity and stinging castigation of an indolent, self-indulgent youth culture reposing on the eve of the turbulent 1960s.When high-schooler Makoto is saved from the advances of a lecherous middle-aged man by uni student Kiyoshi, the pair embark on a fits-and-starts affair that finally settles into a sexually extortionary, mutually exploitative dependency that promises to spell their relationship's doom.Ôshima's breakthrough portrait of alienated youth comes courtesy of the 2014 Shochiku 4K scan that resurrected the film's glorious color palette, recently described by critic and programmer James Quandt as "running riot with retro: pulsing neon, turquoise telephones, hair teased into shellacked grandeur." The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Cruel Story of Youth in a Dual Format edition, for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK.SPECIAL FEATURES:Gorgeous 1080p presentation of the film on Blu-ray from the 2014 4K Shochiku restorationOptional English SubtitlesNew video interview with film critic Tony RaynsOriginal theatrical trailer36-page booklet containing an essay, interview material, and rare archival imagery
L**S
Japan’s Beat(en) Generation.
Released in 1960, this stunning, vibrant production unfolds a contemporary tragedy of almost Shakespearian scope, set against the backdrop of a post-occupation (presumed) Tokyo evidently saturated by Coca-Cola culture and ‘lifestyle’ consumerism. This identity-sapping, morally vacuous climate perhaps informs the impulsive nature of the movie’s morally-illiterate – and mutually-dependent - protagonists, Makoto & Kiyoshi. From here, Oshima galvanises our complete detachment from – but not disinterest to the unfolding fates of – Makoto and & KiyoshiFor those, like me, previously unfamiliar with Oshima’s oeuvre, you will be interested to note liner notes accompanying this release confirm what the movie viewer will sub-consciously suspect when watching this movie for the first time – that is, Oshima straddled the vanguard of the Japanese cinema New-Wave movement. To fully appreciate this, however, CSoY is perhaps best viewed immediately following Ozu’s ‘Late Afternoon’, contemporaneously released.Finally, as a helpful and most welcome ‘extra’, Tony Rayns contextualises CSoY for those eager to learn more.Highly recommended.
A**8
good disk,bad package,from UK to China,15 days
good disk,bad package,from UK to China,15 days
M**D
Four Stars
arrived in good condition
R**A
Stunning colour scheme that is beautifully presented on this Bluray
The freshest and most vibrant New Wave film I have seen from any country! Really extraordinary film-making that ultimately is sincerely tragic. Stunning colour scheme that is beautifully presented on this Bluray. Highly recommended. A challenging story but a spectacular work of art!
J**G
One of Oshima's best movies
A tough movie, with some memorable cinematography. The compulsive uncaring sex between the main couple is paralleled by the Americanised capitalist society they inhabit. This political edge gives it greater depth than the later Realm of the Senses.
M**T
japan's youth post war
lived up to it's reputation
M**N
OSHIMA EN SUS COMIENZOS
La muerte de Nagisha Oshima es una buena oportunidad para revisar su filmografía. Famoso a partir de sus triunfos en Cannes y Venecia, especialmente por "El imperio de los sentidos" y "El imperio de las pasiones" sin embargo ya era muy conocido en Japon con anterioridad. Esta es una de sus primeras películas, dentro de la denominada "nueva ola" japonesa, influido por el cine europeo y apartado del cine clásico japonés esta es una dura crónica sociopolitica de la juventud de los sesenta. Esplendida y sin concesiones, es un análisis depurado de los convencionalismos de esa época . Amor, sexo, violencia y política forman un todo realmente apasionante. Sin duda una de sus mejores películas y contiene todas las marcas del autor, un autor en este caso muy influido por la nouvelle vage francesa y también por ese cine duro y realista de Fassbinder. Excelente película de un autor que desgraciadamente acaba de fallecer.
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