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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
directed by Carlos Reygadas
Mexico 2002
A man on the brink of suicide regains the will to live under decidedly unusual circumstances in this drama from Mexico. A quietly despondent man (Alejandro Ferretis) leaves behind the city for a journey into a quiet village in the valley, telling anyone who cares to know that once he's settled in, he intends to kill himself. The man takes a room with Ascen (Magdalena Flores), and elderly woman who lost her husband some years ago. Keeping to himself, the man paints, thinks, and prepares himself for death, while Ascen slowly becomes aware of the depth of his depression. As Ascen's nephew attempts to rob her of her share of the family estate, the man feels a desire to live waking inside him again -- as well as the desire for a woman. Improbably, the man turns to Ascen for physical affection, and sensing his need for comfort, she complies, though the seduction lacks a great deal in the way of romance. The first feature film from writer and director Carlos Reygadas, Japon received an enthusiastic response when it was screened as part of the Directors' Fortnight series at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.
Excerpt
freom B+N located HERE
This film is probably better than most new
releases so far this year - but I believe the world's film critics are
clutching at straws if they believe Reygadas to be bringing fresh food to the
table. "As miraculous as it is moving... sincerely inspirational"
says David Parkinson of Empire, "An astonishingly confident debut...
sheer audacity and originality" says Derek Malcolm of the Guardian. Not
so say I. Coming to this film without having seen Tarkovsky would probably be
quite an interesting experience. On the other hand, if you're familiar with
Tarkovsky's work it's possible to see right through this transparent debut of
badly lifted chops from 32 year old Mexican Reygadas. It is a film concerned
more with style than substance. Shot on 16mm with a special anamorphic lens
(in similar fashion to Gaspar Noe's I STAND ALONE) the film inelegantly wavers
between jerky shoulder shots and Vadim Yusov-style tracking shots. Throughout
the film Reygadas uses devastatingly beautiful J. S. Bach (the same piece used
in Tarkovsky's THE SACRIFICE is used prominently here) to try and up the
emotional level. The problem being - it all feels false. We see a man who has
travelled to a remote canyon to kill himself (he announces it right away at
the start to the first person he meets) - Reygadas hanging the whole film on
it. The man stays with an elderly woman, they don't get on very well, they
start to get on better, the man asks the (70+ year old) woman for sex, she
obliges and it feels extremely gratuitous and pointless for all concerned. In
the 45 minute documentary on the disc, Reygadas smugly suggests that the
elderly non-professional actress shows signs of true pleasure during this
scene (as if this was the crux of his achievement!) It was about here that I
began to dislike Reygadas and his surface fascinations. For me, the film
fatally lacked any aesthetic, emotional, or writerly rigour. From the start, I
really wanted to like it but I just could not - many things jarred with me.
The camerawork, internal rhythms, editing, acting didn't gel like it does in
the director's stated favourite films (ORDET, Bresson, Tarkovsky, Dreyer,
Kiarostami, and Ozu). Whenever I saw a flicker of cohesion, peripheral
non-actors would gurn at the camera and laugh like so often happens in my
least favourite Pasolini. Many will enjoy the locations and the music but I
fear they may feel shortchanged afterwards. Unfortunately, Reygadas is not the
master he is touted as being.
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Posters
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Theatrical Release: January 27th, 2002 - International Film Festival Rotterdam
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison
:Artificial Eye (UK) - Region 2 - PAL vs. Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
1) Artificial Eye (UK) - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT 2) Criterion Spine #968 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray RIGHT |
Box Cover |
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Distribution | Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL | Criterion Spine #968 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 2:07:37 (4% PAL Speedup) | 2:14:22.095 |
Video | 2.65:1.00
Original Aspect ratio / 16X9 enhanced PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
2.88:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,750,923,892 bytesFeature: 32,012,292,096 bytes Video Bitrate: 3 6.08 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
Bitrate: Blu-ray |
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Audio | Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) | DTS-HD Master Audio Spanish 2045 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2045 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) |
Subtitles | English, None | English, None |
Features |
Release Information: Edition Details:
DVD Release Date:
July 28th, 2003
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Release Information: Studio: Criterion
2.88:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,750,923,892 bytesFeature: 32,012,292,096 bytes Video Bitrate: 3 6.08 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details: • New conversation between Reygadas and filmmaker Amat Escalante (42:41)• Video diary shot by actor Alejandro Ferretis during the film’s production (01:41:10) • Adulte, a 1998 short film by Reygadas (07:04) • Deleted scene (02:06) • Trailer (01:35) PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by novelist Valeria Luiselli, behind-the-scenes photographs, and a selection of Reygadas’s original storyboards
Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 23 |
Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Criterion present Carlos Reygadas' 2002 film breakthrough feature film "Japón" on a dual layered Blu-ray with a high bitrate. It is advertised as a "New 2K digital restoration, supervised by director Carlos Reygadas". When compared to the DVD, the Criterion 1080P whopping 2.88:1 widescreen image has rounded corners and shows more information on all sides of the frame. The film was shot on 16mm in Cinemascope (Tronchet Scope). The amount of detail is impressive for a film shot on 16mm, making this the best the film has looked to date, outside of a theatrical projection. The colors are intentionally somewhat muted, with a gold and silver hue. The film stock chosen works in creating a somber mood, in line with the main character's despair, with source lighting occasionally creating an overblown or washed-out image (an artistic choice that is no fault of this transfer). Criterion have another fantastic transfer here, one that will surely please fans of Reygadas. Criterion present the film in 24-bit 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio. The audio sounds good, with a decent separation of dialogue and ambient sounds. The film is notable for not having a score, giving the events of the film a certain amount of realism. There are optional English subtitles on this Region 'A' Blu-ray. Actor Alejandro Ferretis shot nearly 20 hours of images during the film’s production, which he edited down to 100 minutes presented here as an extra. Sadly, Ferretis died three years after capturing these moments on film. Though the Hi8 camera video quality is limited, this is still a fascinating collection of behind the scenes moments. There are optional English subtitles on this featurette. Also included here is a 43-minute conversation between director Carlos Reygadas and filmmaker Amat Escalante. The two discuss a wide range of topics, including the choice to shoot in 16mm Cinemascope, various stylistic choices, and Reygadas' love of the cinema by way of Marcel Carne, Carlos Saura, Ermanno Olmi, and the Brazilian films of Pereira dos Santos. This is a surprisingly in-depth conversation and a welcome extra, especially in lieu of a commentary. Also included here is Adulte, a 7-minute 1998 short film by Reygadas that reminds one of the works of Ingmar Bergman. This short film was directed by Carlos Reygadas in 1998, while he was living in Belgium. He used the format to learn the technical aspects of filmmaking. When Japon premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival in 2002, it featured a different ending showing the crash that concludes the film, not just its aftermath. The 2-minute scene is also presented here as it appeared in that version. There is also a booklet featuring an essay by novelist Valeria Luiselli, behind-the-scenes photographs, and a selection of Reygadas’s original storyboards and a new cover thanks to Sam Smith. A fair warning that this film features some scenes of animal violence, and was cut in certain parts of the world, though remains intact here. There are also moments of a somewhat overt and explicit sexual nature. That being said, this feature-length debut from Carlos Reygadas is outstanding, beaming with style and not afraid of moments of contemplative silences. Fans of Tarkovsky, Herzog, and Olmi will certainly find a lot to love here, as the film reminds one of those great directors, while at the same time carving its own unique path. I would recommend that people check out Reygadas' 2012 film "Post Tenebras Lux", as that is one of the best films of the last decade, to my memory.
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ON THE DVD: NOTE: To obtain this category cuts of 0m 51s were required. The cuts were Compulsory. Cuts required to two scenes involving real animal cruelty (an unsuccessful attempt to strangle a bird which then stumbles around injured on the ground; a dog being forced to 'sing along' to a song through the application of a painful stimulus). Cuts made in accordance with BBFC guidelines, BBFC policy and the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937. |
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Criterion Spine #968 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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ubtitle Sample - Criterion Spine #968 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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1) Artificial Eye (UK) - Region 2 - PAL - TOP 2) Criterion Spine #968 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) Artificial Eye (UK) - Region 2 - PAL - TOP 2) Criterion Spine #968 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) Artificial Eye (UK) - Region 2 - PAL - TOP 2) Criterion Spine #968 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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Box Cover |
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Distribution | Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL | Criterion Spine #968 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
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