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

ADDITION: Masters of Cinema Blu-ray (June 2023): Masters of Cinema have transferred Tadashi Imai's 1964 Revenge (Adauchi) to Blu-ray. It is cited as being "from a 2K restoration of the original film elements". There was an Animeigo DVD (oop) from 2011 HERE, but we do not own it to compare. The 1080P image from Eureka looks marvelous if having the potential for minor digitization. The slight, yet consistent, inherent softness is offset by striking close-ups and sporadic, highly pleasing, depth. Contrast is well-layered and the overall monochrome visuals frequently impress.  

NOTE: We have added 68 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Masters of Cinema use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original Japanese language. Revenge has many conflicts but the samurai sword is a relatively silent killer. Our protagonist, Shinpachi Ezaki, does more than his share of yelling and battle cries as he takes on a mass of opponents. There is some modest depth with authentically flat effects throughout the film. The, occasionally rousing, score is by Toshirô Mayuzumi (A Man Vanishes, Tokyo Olympiad, Good Morning, Profound Desires of the Gods, Reflections in a Golden Eye,) who was known for his avant-garde instrumentation alongside traditional Japanese musical techniques. The audio is consistent and effective in the uncompressed rendering. Masters of Cinema offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'B'-locked Blu-ray.

The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray offers a new 22-minute new interview with Tony Rayns - who is always a pleasure to hear from. He discusses both the film and tangential comparatives as well as the director Tadashi Imai. There is also a new 1/4 hour video piece by Jasper Sharp (author of Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema.) It is entitled The Enemy Within: Power and Polities in the Films of Tadashi. It focuses on the Japanese film director known for social realist filmmaking informed by a left-wing perspective. Also included in the package is a collectors booklet featuring new writing on Revenge (Adauchi.) 

Tadashi Imai's Revenge may fit into the director's style of "nakanai realism" - storytelling of "realism without tears" challenging the system. The film is less about the sentimentality of the character(s) - focusing more on the injustice of the flawed court-sanctioned system that seems antithetical to samurai honor. Shinpachi Ezaki (played with passionate verve by Kinnosuke Nakamura) is a victim whose attempt to overcome it becomes the stuff of legend. Revenge is an exceptional period drama distinguishing itself from the more typical caste of medieval and early-modern samurai Japanese tales. Revenge (Adauchi.) is somewhat of an outlying masterpiece of the genre. The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray has pleasing a/v and excellent extras. We can very strongly recommend.

Gary Tooze