Cure Kyua Blu-ray - Kôji Yakusho

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Kyua")

directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Japan 1997

Probably the most appealing aspect of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Cure" is what it did NOT do - spoon feed the audience an excess of detail. There is so much inferred and left to your interpretation that the occult elements become that much more enhanced. Great horror/thriller stories often use your own imagination to create the most intense suspense and fear. Set in and around a barren, decaying Tokyo, a series of murders have been committed by seemingly average, ordinary people who claim to have had no control or explicit memory over their horrifying actions. Detective Kenichi Takabe (Koji Yakusho of Shall We Dance and Warm Water Under A Red Bridge) places his own sanity on the line as he tries to end the wave of unexplainable homicides which are linked with a large slash across the neck/chest of the victims in the shape of an "X". Is it a form of hypnosis from a strange amnesiac drifter?... or is it something deeper.

Posters

Theatrical Release: November 6th, 1997 - Tokyo International Film Festival

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Comparison:

Home Vision - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Box Cover
Distribution	Home Vision - Region 1 - NTSC	Masters of Cinema - Spine #181 Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:51:08	1:51:19.964
Video	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.68 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	Disc Size: 47,565,415,918 bytes Feature Size: 35,558,655,360 bytes Average Bitrate: 34.91 Mbps Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Bitrate: Blu-ray
Audio	Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)	DTS-HD Master Audio Japanese 3221 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3221 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) LPCM Audio Japanese 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles	English, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Home Vision Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • 16x9 digital transfer • 2.0 stereo • 20-minute interview with director Kiyoshi Kurosawa • filmography • Liner notes by Tom Mes, founder of midnighteye.com • Original theatrical trailer • New subtitles • 1.85:1 aspect ratio DVD Release Date: January 6th, 2004 Keep Case Chapters: 25	Release Information: Studio: Masters of Cinema Disc Size: 47,565,415,918 bytes Feature Size: 35,558,655,360 bytes Average Bitrate: 34.91 Mbps Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Kiyoshi Kurosawa on Cure (17 mins) a new video interview with director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (16:49) • A new video interview with critic & author Kim Newman (14:13) • An archival interview with director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, "Ordinary Demons" (19:34) • Original theatrical trailer (01:37) • A collector s booklet featuring an essay by Tom Mes Blu-ray Release Date: April 23rd, 2018 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 11

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - April 2018: Cure arrives on Blu-ray from The Masters of Cinema group in the UK. This is dual-layered with a max'ed out bitrate and the visuals, shot on 35mm at 1.85:1, are quite detailed and an appropriate amount of grain exists. The contrast looks solid, especially in darker scenes and interior shots. It is not too waxy but there are few pops of color, which is probably the intent of the director and cinematographer, Tokushô Kikumura. Kikumura is also notable for having worked on Ju-On: The Grudge. The muted color palette is reminiscent of David Fincher's Se7en.

The audio is transferred via a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround with the option of a linear PCM 2.0 channel track (both 24-bit.) There are many creepy atmospheric sound effects that carry significant weight in the surround although the separations aren't distracting. The film's music is by Gary Ashiya, who worked with Kurosawa on his films of this era (License to Live and Charisma). The score perfectly suits the creepy nature of the film. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'B'-locked.

"Ordinary Demons" is a 20-minute archival interview with Kurosawa discussing the film's origins and the intentions behind his style. His discussion of framing is quite eloquent. Next up is a brand new 17-minute interview with Kurosawa. In this piece he talks about his entry into commercial film via Pink movies and straight to video genre pictures. Eventually Kurosawa discusses how Cure came to be. It is a fascinating interview and a welcome addition for fans. Next up is a brand new interview with critic and author Kim Newman. Newman is an expert on genre films and it is always a pleasure to hear him speak. He speaks of Kurosawa's recent return to genre making and this is a very informative interview. The two Kurosawa interviews are in Japanese with optional English subtitles. Newman's is in English (no subtitles). There is also a trailer for the film as well as a 24-page collector's booklet featuring an essay by Tom Mes.

"Cure" established Kurosawa as a force to be reckoned with. The film was released in 1997 but doesn't seem dated at all. Any fans of Fincher's darker output would be wise to check this out, if they haven't already. Eureka finally gives us a faithful Blu-ray transfer of the film and it is a solid step-up over the previous DVD edition. Highly recommend checking out this dark and disturbing film.

Colin Zavitz

***

ON THE DVD: Solid work from Home Vision on an acutely interesting film. Clear anamorphic image with very few flaws. Colors are bright although seem a trifle inconsistent (beach scenes) at times. Sound is sharp and audible. Good contrast and Home Vision kept it visible even though it is a very dark film. Subtitles appear well translated. For the film and HomeVision bringing this to DVD, I give this out of

Gary W. Tooze

DVD Menus

Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

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Subtitle Sample

1) Home Vision- Region 1 - NTSC - TOP