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(aka 'Hausu')
Directed by
Nobuhiko Obayashi
Japan 1977
How to describe Nobuhiko Obayashi’s indescribable 1977 movie House (Hausu)? As a psychedelic ghost tale? A stream-of-consciousness bedtime story? An episode of Scooby-Doo as directed by Mario Bava? Any of the above will do for this hallucinatory head trip about a schoolgirl who travels with six classmates to her ailing aunt’s creaky country home and comes face-to-face with evil spirits, a demonic house cat, a bloodthirsty piano, and other ghoulish visions, all realized by Obayashi via mattes, animation, and collage effects. Equally absurd and nightmarish, House might have been beamed to Earth from some other planet. ***
An unforgettable mixture of
bubblegum teen melodrama and grisly phantasmagoria, Obayashi's deranged fairy
tale HOUSE is one of Japanese cinema's wildest supernatural ventures and
a truly startling debut feature. Distressed by her widowed father's plans to
remarry, Angel sets off with six of her schoolgirl friends in tow for a summer
getaway in her aunt's isolated mansion. But all is not well - in this house of
dormant secrets, long-held emotional traumas have terrifyingly physical
embodiments and the girls will have to use all their individual talents if any
are to survive. A rollercoaster ride without brakes, HOUSE is by turns
sinister, hilarious and curiously touching, with ceaseless cinematic invention
and a satirical, full-blooded approach to the horror genre. A gigantic smash
upon its original release in Japan, the Masters of Cinema Series is proud to
present its UK premiere on DVD NEW SPECIAL EDITION including: - New digital
anamorphic widescreen transfer - An extensive 90-minute selection of interviews
with director Nobuhiko Obayashi, co-screenwriter Chigumi Obayashi, actress
Kumiko Oba and Toho promotional executive Shoho Tomiyama -Theatrical trailer - A
luxurious booklet, with new writing, stills, promotional material and more. |
Posters
Theatrical Release: August 26th, 1977
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Comparison:
Eureka (Masters of Cinema) - Region 2 - NTSC vs. Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray vs. Master of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
1) Masters of Cinema - Region 2 - NTSC LEFT 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE3) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray RIGHT
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Box Cover |
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Distribution | Eureka (Masters of Cinema) Spine # 93 - Region 2 - NTSC | Criterion Collection - Spine # 539 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray | Eureka (Masters of Cinema) Spine # 93 Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:29:00 | 1:27:58.314 | 1:27:37.377 |
Video | 1.55:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.76 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 49,163,089,724 bytesFeature: 25,797,470,208 bytesVideo Bitrate: 35.01 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 42,339,597,474 bytes Feature: 25,605,184,320 bytesVideo Bitrate: 34.88 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate: DVD |
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Bitrate: Criterion Blu-ray |
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Bitrate: MoC Blu-ray |
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Audio | Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0) | LPCM Audio Japanese 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit | LPCM Audio Japanese 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit |
Subtitles | English, None | English, None | English, None |
Features |
Release Information:
Edition Details:
• An extensive 90-minute selection of
interviews with director Nobuhiko Obayashi, co-screenwriter Chigumi
Obayashi, actress Kumiko Oba and Toho promotional executive Shoho
Tomiyama |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion
1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 49,163,089,724 bytesFeature: 25,797,470,208 bytesVideo Bitrate: 35.01 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
• Emotion, a 1966 experimental film by Obayashi (39:15 in HD!) • New video appreciation by director Ti West (House of the Devil) (3:47 in HD!) • Theatrical trailer (1:34 in HD!) • 28-page liner notes booklet with images and an essay by critic Chuck Stephens Blu-ray Release Date: October 26th, 2010 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 26 |
Release Information: Studio: Masters of Cinema
1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 42,339,597,474 bytes Feature: 25,605,184,320 bytesVideo Bitrate: 34.88 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
• Video Essay by David Cairns (26:28) Chapters 9 |
Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Masters of Cinema Region 'B' - Blu-ray - February 2018: Firstly, when I played the MoC disc initially it displayed a 'spinning' Criterion logo - but each subsequent time it went straight to the MoC menu. So I went to the .m2ts files and did, indeed, find the Criterion logo:
But, in the end the transfer is also max'ed out but a shade darker with richer black levels. It looks, slightly, better to me. But framing etc. appears to be from the exact same D1 source. Audio is also linear PCM but more technically robust. My ears couldn't detect much expect it did sound as if the bass was marginally deeper. It also has optional English subtitles and their UK Blu-ray disc is Region 'B'-locked. The difference is more pronounced in the supplements where Masters of Cinema not only include the previous 1.5 hour's worth of discussion, in Japanese with optional subtitles, with director Nobuhiko Obayashi, co-screenwriter Chigumi Obayashi, actress Kumiko Oba and Toho promotional executive Shoho Tomiyama. They cover the topics 'Beginnings', 'Pitch', 'Script', 'Pre-release', 'Publicity', 'Casting and Production', 'Fantasy' (the character), and 'Release and Legacy' - but they have an excellent 27-minute video essay by David Cairns and I thoroughly enjoyed his analysis. There is also a trailer. and the package has a collector's booklet featuring an essay by Paul Roquet; poster gallery; and archival imagery. Masters of Cinema create a wonderful Blu-ray for the UK fans Hausu (House). I give the presentation the negligible edge and the video essay is a highly appreciated extra. Strongly recommended!
***
Criterion have remastered, at 24-bit, from an optical track print to
create lossless, linear PCM mono audio which is in the original Japanese
language. There are effects and it may have been marginally crisper than
the DVD - with a perceived depth with dialogue predictably flat.
There are optional English subtitles and my
Momitsu
has identified
it as being a region 'A'-locked.
Extras consist of Constructing a “House,” a new 46-minute video
piece featuring interviews with director Nobuhiko Obayashi, story
scenarist and daughter of the filmmaker Chigumi Obayashi, and
screenwriter Chiho Katsura. Also included is Emotion, a 1966
experimental film by Obayashi running just shy of 40-minutes. It is
similarly 'out there' with plenty of cuts and interesting visuals. This
is transferred in HD but is interlaced (1080i). There is a brief video
appreciation by director Ti West running less than 4-minutes. He starts
out stating that he considers Hausu one of the most original
films he has ever seen. There is a 1 1/2 minute theatrical trailer and a
28-page liner notes booklet with images and an essay by critic Chuck
Stephens.
My feelings about the film are exactly the same; "The
visual playground of the characters on screen is delightfully
artificial. This has an innocence that exudes 'cult status' from every
orifice. With this Suzuki-esque plot, obviously not constrained by
logic, we can easily give-over to it's charming squealing nubiles and
addictive aura. The best word I can use to describe Hausu is <drum
roll>.... 'funky!' - and we whole-heartedly recommend! What a
delight!". Although I might change my single word description to "Hip".
Seeing it in the higher resolution was a treat and because it visually
looks so different from the SD-DVD - it was almost like watching it for
the first time. This Blu-ray
has a special place in my library - fans of the unique + original have
found their Holy Grail with Hausu - STRONGLY recommended! *** ON THE MASTERS OF CINEMA DVD: Firstly this is a screener from The Masters of Cinema and I believe the dual-layered digital DVD disc to be an exact representation of what will be publicly available in January 2010. I am not yet privy to the booklet that will eventually be enclosed in the final package. Secondly, whether it be my year-end mood or the amusingly bizarre nature of the film - regardless, this may have been by favorite viewings of the entire of 2009. It's the type of film experience that is so fun - you wish you could have that 'first time' viewing again - immediately. It's all over the board with techniques and bizarre, cheesy-looking, effects - but somehow it works exceedingly well. This transfer is consistent with bright colors and stated as stemming from 'the Toho restoration'. Having never seen the film previously but being fully aware of Masters of Cinema's penchant for thoroughness - I won't question the naturalistic appearance. It's exceptionally grainy and textured producing an absolutely delightful presentation. The moderate haziness didn't deter my viewing one iota - and detail does shine in some close-ups. This is progressive and anamorphic transfer in the, unusual, 1.55 aspect ratio. I don't see any untoward manipulation and the image is very clean with a few speckles here and there. This is a solid transfer - just don't expect pristine visuals. The modestly budgeted first directorial feature of Obayashi 'looks'... as it 'looks'. The clear 2.0 channel Japanese audio is unremarkable but close, I'll wager, to the way it was produced. Pressing 'Play' defaults with clear optional English subtitles.
There are a bunch of interviews as digital supplements on the disc. Almost 1.5 hour's worth of discussion, in Japanese with optional subtitles, with director Nobuhiko Obayashi, co-screenwriter Chigumi Obayashi, actress Kumiko Oba and Toho promotional executive Shoho Tomiyama. They cover the topics 'Beginnings', 'Pitch', 'Script', 'Pre-release', 'Publicity', 'Casting and Production', 'Fantasy' (the character), and 'Release and Legacy'. I was less interested in the sales/marketing aspects of Hausu but keen on the nostalgia. Director Obayashi talks about his career and what he remembers stating the production being '25-years ago' so the interviews may have been done in and around 2002. He brings up that the original idea was from his 12-year old daughter Chigumi Obayashi (who also plays the girl at a shoe store) and she reminisces about the film with him for a few minutes. Kumiko Ohba, who had done some further, but minor, acting looks beautiful in her brief 2-minute supplement interview. The booklet promises to be full of writings and promotional material that I looked forward to indulging in. Those familiar with MoC's 'cracker' liner notes companions know what to expect. The visual playground of the characters on screen is delightfully artificial. This has an innocence that exudes 'cult status' from every orifice. With this Suzuki-esque plot, obviously not constrained by logic, we can easily give-over to it's charming squealing nubiles and addictive aura. The best word I can use to describe Hausu is <drum roll>.... 'funky!' - and we whole-heartedly recommend! What a delight! |
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Masters of Cinema - Region 2 - NTSC LEFT vs. Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
1) Masters of Cinema - Region 2 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE3) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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Screen Captures
1) Masters of Cinema - Region 2 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE3) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Masters of Cinema - Region 2 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE3) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Masters of Cinema - Region 2 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE3) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray TOP2) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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DVD Box Cover |
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Distribution | Eureka (Masters of Cinema) Spine # 93 - Region 2 - NTSC | Criterion Collection - Spine # 539 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray | Eureka (Masters of Cinema) Spine # 93 Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
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