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A view on Blu-ray by Gary W. Tooze

Journey to the Shore aka "Kishibe no tabi" [Blu-ray]

 

(Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2015)

 

 

Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Comme des Cinémas

Video: Eureka - Masters of Cinema - Spine #138

 

Disc:

Region: 'B'-locked (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 2:07:59.505

Disc Size: 41,879,881,335 bytes

Feature Size: 41,341,416,960 bytes

Video Bitrate: 34.83 Mbps

Chapters: 6

Case: Transparent Blu-ray case

Release date: May 23rd, 2016

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio Japanese 3760 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3760 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1
/ 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
LPCM Audio Japanese 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit

 

Subtitles:

English, none

 

Extras:

• Theatrical trailer (1:45)
Accompanying Booklet containing a statement from Kurosawa on, an essay by Anthony Bitel, viewing notes, disc credits and color photos

DVD included

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: Winner of the Un Certain Regard Best Director award in Cannes, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Journey to the Shore confirms the director's place as a contemporary auteur.

Mizuki's husband, Yusuke, drowned at sea three years ago. When he suddenly comes back home, she is not that surprised, instead, Mizuki wonders what took him so long. Together they embark on a journey to meet the people who helped him on his journey in a world where the living and the dead coexist in an almost normal manner.

Starring two of Japan's biggest actors, Tadanobu Asano and Eri Fukatsu, Kurosawa's film is a beautifully shot love story that challenges our usual conceptions of life, death and half-life. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the film to UK audiences in this special edition Dual Format release.

 

 

The Film:

Mizuki's husband Yusuke went missing for three years. He suddenly comes back home one day and asks Mizuki to go on a trip with him. Their trip consists of visiting the people that helped Yusuke on his previous travel. While travelling together, Misuki sees, touches and feels what Yusuke did for those three year.

Excerpt from MRQE located HERE

The ghosts in Journey—Yusuke isn’t the only one we meet—are different from the spirits we see in other films; they are visible to everyone, not only the deceased’s loved ones or those with special perceptive abilities. They’re pretty much indistinguishable from the living. In fact, some of these ghosts don’t even know they’re dead. They, including Yusuke, have some sort of unfinished business that they must attend to before going on to the afterworld.

This is essentially a road movie, and there are some compelling stops among the way. Fukatsu and Asano, two of Japan’s finest actors, give appealingly nuanced and complex performances, which deepen as details of their past existence as a couple are slowly revealed. Some of the other characters and the ghosts among them also have intriguing aspects to their stories.

Excerpt fromFilm-forward located HERE

 

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

Journey to the Shore looks very attractive on Blu-ray from The Masters of Cinema group in the UK. It was shot on HD by Kurosawa's long-time cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa and has plenty of contemplative, refreshing, often mesmerizing sequences relying on the visuals to convey emotion. The transfer is dual-layered with a max'ed out bitrate. It is neither glossy nor unnaturally crisp but shows some depth and colors are realistic and impressive. I would guess the 2.39:1 aspect ratio 1080P Blu-ray presentation is an exact replication of the theatrical Festival runs. 

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

MoC give the option of a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround at 3760 kbps (24-bit) in the original Japanese or a linear PCM 2.0 channel stereo at 2304 kbps (24-bit). The film does not have abundant separations or effects. There is some partial piano pieces and the score has supervision from Otomo Yoshihide and you can hear some gentle traditional music throughout but the film has plenty of silent sequences instilling Journey to the Shore's supernatural affectation in a compassionate, tender, tone. There are optional English subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'B'-locked.

 

 

Extras :

Masters of Cinema include a theatrical trailer and the package has a booklet containing a statement from Kurosawa on the film, an essay by Anthony Bitel, viewing notes, disc credits and color photos. The dual-format set also includes a DVD.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Journey to the Shore is a very good film - and reminded me of Anthony Minghella's wonderful Truly, Madly, Deeply. It has spiritual qualities dealing with coping, love, letting go... and is a beautifully gentle film with echoes of Yasujiro Ozu. I thought it was excellent choice for MoC to release on Blu-ray. The package provides an avenue to appreciate the film in a strong 1080P presentation in the comfort of your own home. It is very strongly recommended! 

Gary Tooze

May 7th, 2016

 


 

About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3500 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.

Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction.

Gary's Home Theatre:

60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD

Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD Player
Momitsu - BDP-899 Region FREE Blu-ray player
Marantz SA8001 Super Audio CD Player
Marantz SR7002 THX Select2 Surround Receiver
Tannoy DC6-T (fronts) + Energy (centre, rear, subwoofer) speakers (5.1)

APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V

Gary W. Tooze

 

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