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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (October 2024): Criterion have transferred Masahiro Shinoda's Demon Pond to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "4K digital restoration, supervised by director Masahiro Shinoda and actor Tamasaburo Bando". The 4K UHD package has one 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features. While we are in possession of the 4K UHD disc we cannot resolve the encode yet and therefore cannot obtain screen captures. We hope to add to this review when possible. So, the below captures are from Criterion's 2024 1080P Blu-ray transfer.

The 1080P image quality is a shade thick. It is on a dual-layered disc with a high bitrate. Colors are deep, dark and have an earthy leaning. It looks quite strong with occasional depth. The heaviness can show itself with inconsistency but I'll wager this was a function of the production. It's clean with texture. The 4K UHD has an uptick in the contrast depth and grain visibility. There is an improvement in visual areas like color richness and tightness. Larger systems will proportionately notice the further, film-like, improvement.

NOTE: We have added 72 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original Japanese language. Demon Pond has few aggressive moments that come through with modest depth. The synthesizer heavy score was by Isao Tomita (The Threat, Wolves, Pigs and Men, Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman, The Hidden Blade), utilizing classical like Claude Debussy (Claire de lune, La cathédrale engloutie, De pas sur la neige, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune) and four other pieces by Mussorgsky; Pictures at an Exhibition: The Hut on Fowl's Legs (Baba Yaga), Pictures at an Exhibition: The Great Gate of Kiev, Pictures at an Exhibition: The Old Castle and Night on Bald Mountain. sounding clean with consistent dialogue in the lossless transfer. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray. Criterion's 4K UHD is Region FREE.

The Criterion Blu-ray include as supplements a 20-minute interview with film scholar Dudley Andrew (The Major Film Theories: An Introduction). He describes that he was so impressed with Demon Pond and its conclusion that he actually traveled to Iguazú Falls and he relates his fascination with the film. There is also a dozen-minute program ('A Deluge of Special Effects') on the film’s special effects from Allerton Films - in French with English subtitles. It has Fabien Mauro (author of Kaiju, Invaders & Apocalypse: The Golden Age of Japanese Science Fiction) discussing the career of special effects director Nobuo Yajima who worked his artistry on Message from Space, Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot, Terror Beneath the Sea and Invasion of the Neptune Men... as well as Demon Pond. There are also liner notes with an essay by film critic Michael Atkinson (Flickipedia: Perfect Films for Every Occasion, Holiday, Mood, Ordeal, and Whim.)

Masahiro Shinoda's Demon Pond has elements of Kabuki, a rural folk legend, and includes an onnagata (an actor, Bando Tamasaburo, specializing in female roles.) I noted a similarity to Hiroshi Teshigahara's Woman of the Dunes which has a stranger in a small village held captive to execute a job of clearing a home of constantly falling sand that would have a domino effect on the other residences. In Demon Pond a thirsty traveler finds villagers that insist that the local bell be rung three times daily... or the arid town will be flooded by the Demon Pond's Dragon Princess. Shinoda (Double Suicide, The Assassination, Takeshi: Childhood Days, Captives Island, Pale Flower) was a central figure in the Shōchiku New Wave and his imaginative abilities are in full glory here. Demon Pond is quite a unique fantasy film with some mystery and eye-catching visuals. The Criterion 4K UHD / Blu-ray is the best way to see this extraordinary and transcendent cinema in your home theatre. Certainly recommended. It's very weird but in an appealing way.

Gary Tooze