(aka 'A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness' or 'Hishu monogatari')
After Suzuki was fired for making 'incomprehensible' movies his first effort back after a long period of industry suppression was "Story Of Sorrow And Sadness". In this corporate-victimization expose professional model Reiko (Shiraki) is dramatically groomed for a top spot on the golf tour. Her handlers saw her as an easy 'sell' if she could just prove worthy enough at the chosen sport. Her surprising victory in her first professional competition opens the door for her huge celebrity status as a bikini-clad TV talk show hostess. All the trappings of public adoration are forced, almost Bunuel-like, to the surface with protagonist indifference towards her fans, abuse, irresponsibility and a bit of sexual dalliance. Let's make it clear - this is just as incomprehensible as most other Suzuki films - filled with some Imamura-style sexuality and each scene as unexpected and unpredictable as the next. Certainly another bizarre product of the psychedelic mind of a cult icon in Japanese cinema. |
Theatrical Release: 1977 - Tokyo
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DVD Review: Panorama - Region 0 - NTSC
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Distribution | Panorama Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC | |
Runtime | 1:33:00 | |
Video | 1.66:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.67 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate: |
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Audio | Japanese (Dolby Digital 1.0) | |
Subtitles | English, Simplified Chinese, None | |
Features |
Release Information: Edition Details: • Director
Bio (text) |
Comments: |
This is a decidedly poor transfer even for earlier Panorama. Non-progressive, non-anamorphic, weak subtitles, damage marks and scratches, most likely cropped... it essentially looks like a straight video to DVD burn. So once more we don't recommend the DVD except to those keen on Suzuki films who can't see it in an alternate way. I wasn't overly fond of the film but it did seem to gain momentum as it progressed. Certainly identifiable as Suzuki. |
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CLICK to order from: Thinking of buying from YesAsia? CLICK HERE and use THIS UPDATED BEAVER PAGE to source their very best... |
Distribution | Panorama Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC |